Need Swains reef fishing trip advice.

[SlimeyGecko]

Hi guys, first time posting on your forum :) I'll cut straight to it.... I'm heading to the swains reef for 7 days on the 26 of june, (this month). Will be leavin from Gladstone on the Iron Joy Charters. Really need some advice on the gear I've gone and bought, mainly my rods and reels.... I plan on taking a Shimano TLD25 matched with Shimano Triton Bluewater 15-24kg roller tip rod. Want to use it for mainly trolling, what should I spool it up with!? Next: Fin-Nor Marquesa MA30II matched with Samaki offshore pro PE 3-6, jig 150-300grams spooled with 50lb depth hunter braid. Next: Shimano baitrunner 8000 matched with Bluewater signature 10-15kg spooled with 50lb mono. Last: Shimano Elf 4000 matched with Barra Raider II spooled 25lb braid. Any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated :) thanks in advance.

[CATchin'Em]

All that gear sounds good. I actually found a 12ft 8-10kg graphite rod the go as could an unweighted pilly round the shallows more easily for trout 30lb braid. I used alley but could use spin. Best advice I can give is fish at night. Out the back of the back with flood lights on cast out to edge of light towards the reef.

[Inlike]

I'm withCatchin 6 inch alvey braid for trout etc cast then get ready ...Keep rod up and crank....Also take squid jig for night you will be surprised........4/0 no weight half pillee..

[Inlike]

That's for trout not squid

[Smithy]

You'll use your Baitrunner the most if it has dories and you are dory fishing the edges. Flicking unweighed or lightly weighted pillies will work the best. I'd spool the TLD with 30-40-50lb mono line for trolling. You'll probably use the Marquessa on the mother boat in the deep water or Capricorn Channel etc. off the big boat.

[Rip it up]

I've done the iron joy trip in 2012. Great boat.

I took a okuma overhead. Tld25 size on a 7ft live fibre. 50lb fins braid. Used it 100% of the time. But I only went to reef edges in the dory. Chasing red throats and trout.

Fish off the back during the night a few times for shits a giggles. But not many keeper fish were caught this way.

If I went again. It would be 8000/10000 spin reels on matching 10-20kg 7ft rods. No more overheard for me.

Need to float baits down with light weights. Not feed line out of a overhead.

Take shit load of 6 & 8 ball sinkers for running rigs.
50 & 80lb leader.
7/0 & 8/0 hooks.

There is a good write up on here for catching trout and lipper. Worth the read.

If you really want to ruin a few days then casting poppers at the GT's can be done.




Damo's dodgy boat building repair centre.

[SlimeyGecko]

Hey guys, sorry for the late reply. Just figured out how to reply haha. Well it looks like I'll be out buying a bit more tackle I think. Any idea on how many trolling lures I should take also? Was thinking 3 or 4. And 2 squid jiggs? Will I be able to fit enough 50lb mono on a tld25 to troll for tuna and mackies? Or will the fin nor work ok with 20m of wind on mono? Cheers

[SlimeyGecko]

Thanks Smithy. Will definitely be using my baitrunner a lot more now. Been told the same by a few people. Just wondering if 50lb braid on it is overkill as its only a 8-15kg rod?

[Just_chips]

100pd handline, 8/0 circle straight to main line and size 1 sinker in the shallows for trout from the dories.

[SlimeyGecko]

100pd handline, 8/0 circle straight to main line and size 1 sinker in the shallows for trout from the dories.
Will pick one up at the same time. Cheers mate. Would you put a 100lb leader on the end as well?

[Just_chips]

Keep it simple mate, tie your hook straight to mainline (mono). Wear gloves or finger guards. Easily the most fun you will have fishing up there, much more entertaining than using rods and reels when it all comes together. Keep the weight as light as possible, only use sinkers if the bait is being swept away from the bommie you want to fish, you should be able to see the trout come out from under the bommies to take your bait, then it's time to hang on.

[Just_chips]

Should also say that I believe this is how the pro-trout guys still fish for the live trout trade so this technique must have something good going for it....

[Sheik]

Slimey, extremely poor form to make your first post asking for advice on the trip that most of us only dream about! Lucky you. If you're going with a baitrunner, the shimanos are a very good reel. I have a 12000 and a 4000 and caught some big fish on them. Have fun mate.

[SlimeyGecko]

Slimey, extremely poor form to make your first post asking for advice on the trip that most of us only dream about! Lucky you. If you're going with a baitrunner, the shimanos are a very good reel. I have a 12000 and a 4000 and caught some big fish on them. Have fun mate.
Haha sorry bud! We have one spot left if your keen [emoji14] I don't remember what a dream is! Haven't slept for the last week lol. Just been staring at the ceiling counting down the seconds! Thanks mate :)

[SlimeyGecko]

Should also say that I believe this is how the pro-trout guys still fish for the live trout trade so this technique must have something good going for it....
Will definitely give it a go. I've got a pretty good idea, I've been fishing pretty much my whole life. But have never had the opportunity to go this far out to the reef! Man am I excited. Thanks heaps for. All your advice Chips

[rando]

Just remember if you get snagged with 100lb line it is a bitch to break. I have used 75lb and 50lb at different times,even went down to 40 on one trip.
Forty is a bit to hard on your hands if you get a good one on.
Raid one of the kids bikes and take the tube to cut up for finger stalls.
Hand lining in the shallows is a gas, especially when an xxos spangled picks your bait up and heads for the bricks you wont believe how hard some of those critters up there can go.

Another tip,get a hand line with a winder handle. Saves a heap of time when you want to move.
You will have a heap of loose line in the bottom of the boat ,and it will save on tangles and twist as well

You lucky bugger

[Rip it up]

If you have a boilermaker mate get a de hooker made up.

Basically. 6mm stainless rod bent into a right hook shape (4mm gap) at one end and a handle on the other.

Grab the line. Slide the de hooker up against your hook inside the fishes mouth. And pull against each other. One flick of the wrist and they are gone.

Good for the underside critters.


Damo's dodgy boat building repair centre.

[rtp1984]

Hey mate. Not long to go now.

I mi done a trip on the iron joy a couple of years ago. You won't be disappointed.
My best advice for you is dint be obliged to fish only out if the dories. We got plenty of reds, nannies, gold bands ect fishing a bit deeper water off the big boat.

regardless you will have a great time.
Cant what to see the report.

Cheers rob

[seastorm]

Hi SlimeyGecko
I have just come back from the Swains 2 weeks ago on the Iron Joy, we had a shit week 25-33knts all week, but Dave the skipper tried all week for us and Stuart the chef serves up awesome food all week. I would take up some Rapala red white lures (aka Qantas) as the work the best also a bag of balloons and ganged hooks, float out the back of the main boat we got spanish mac and green job fish like this. Take your squid jigs we got a dozen one night and Stuart then did salt and pepper squid the next arvo for us. We had to fished the shallows a lot due to wind and the boys who had overheads with mono did the best as they float lined down. Also take a sea anchor with you to slow down your drift in the dories. We take up out own GPS and sounder for the dories. If you need to know anymore just PM me.
Andrew

[Gumby_III]

Probably a bit late for you, but I used a Live Fibre spin rod with a Penn 950 out of the dories. Rig was a light sinker just above the hook with either squid or pillie as bait. From the mother boat it was a Gary Howard rod matched with an overhead. If I had my time again, I would go a lever drag rather than star drag.

i would love to be going again, but will find it difficult to justify to SWMBO given I have just outlayed fro a boat and have already had 2 holidays without her this year and the group I would normally go with are going the week before I go skiing for 2 weeks. Well maybe skiing given the lack of snow in Australia this year so far.