Fishing for Dart.

[pommy]

Greetings all!

I'd like to fish for Dart off the local beaches, this NSW holiday.

I'm fairly OK as to bait rigs, but is there any other advice about what sort of beach structure to fish?

I'm also hoping to spin for them. What rods/reels/line and lures do people use?

Regards, Rob.
Ballina.

[chisel]

From my experience, dart aren't that reliable down your way, compared to north of the border.
Any old gutter can hold some dart. I like a gutter just wide enough so that I can cast to the back bank - the bigger fish often hang around a little further out.
I've never spun for them but I believe they do take small chrome slugs.

[bballfisho]

bream gear (6lb briad 10lb leader) 5-10 gram slugs, goes off, the big ones really fight well on any gear but on those little outfits they fly. caught upwards of 100 (returned) decent dart (and some tailor) on one rod and lure one fraser trip!

[johnlikes2fish]

Hi Dart readily take slugs I find 10-25gm are best (but they will hit bigger) and they also like sp's as well I use a 9-10'6" rod with 6lb braid (mono is fine too) and spinning reel, I cast just behind where the wave is starting to jack up and find that the lure needs to be moving as it hits the water so I tend to cast flat when chasing dart when I let the lure sink I get very few hits, dart will strike in very shallow water so be ready through all the retrieve.
They are a great fish to catch on light line and the XOS specimens will give you some great fights plus tehy are good eating.

[Stonkered]

Agree with above.

I've never targeted dart on spinning gear but have caught some monsters when spinning for tailor. Caught some great dart last month up at Fraser on 40g Gillies Baitfish (white with reflective tape).

For dart I like a gutter that gives you some foamy whitewash areas. Cast your bait into these areas and you cant go wrong. Beachworms are probably the choice bait but I like a big eugarie (or a couple of smaller ones) on a #1 long shank.

I use a Gary Howard Breambo 4W with 6" Alvey and 4lb mono.

Good luck.
Ben

[yellowbeard]

Don't know about Balina, but I'd tend to agree with Chisel. Caught heaps right throughout the year but they're only up to the size of a big bream down in NSW.
In Port Stephens they went off about the same time that the tailor headed north and that's about August. Zilch since then. If you're actually fishing for them -- and nobody does down our way -- you can't go wrong rigging up for bream, because the bothersome little bastards won't leave a bream bait and rig alone. They feed in the same holes close to the beach as bream, like in those holes just after the waves brake onto the banks. They will take cooked venamai prawns as quick as you can peel them. They have smaller mouths than bream, and in my book that's a good thing as I'd rather not hook them unless I'm desperate for a feed and then I perservere with peeling off their shark-like skins before chuckin' them on the barbie.