Another total beginner

[pommy_Nick]

Like magic riks earlier post I too have been here since april and originate from the UK, now living in Warana, Sunshine Coast.
Now heres the thing, I,ve only taken up fishing since arriving in Australia ( I dont think there is any fish in the sea in England, too bloody cold !!) , because we live 200mtrs from the beach I bought a 3.5mtr beach rod and an Alvey 650 reel and have had a good time catching mainly Dart and a few Whiting down the beach, mostly either using worms or Pipi's I've collected myself. Thing is, I fancy trying something a bit different and want to fish the estuary of the Mooloolah river around La Balsa Park area, I've bought a few soft plastics following advice from the bloke in the fishing tackle shop and caught nothing, I've tried a few lures following advice from the bloke in the camping shop and caught nothing, I,ve tried pillies on ganged hooks - nothing, I've searched for the 3" soft plastic minnow in "pearl watermelon" that the bloke in the tackle shop says never fails - it failed.
To cut a long story short I would love to hear from anyone with any advice on lure fishing an estuary or canal - I'm having great fun trying the different products but it would be nice to catch a fish now and then or its back to the beach.

Cheers,

Nick

[2DKnBJ]

Nick
Welcome to the site.Mate just keep your eyes on the Reports site and you will soon see how and what SP'S the guys are using.You will even get to know which guys use SP all the time and have a n excelent catch rate.Aquarius,Cheech...are the first 2 that come to mind.But most of all keep at it and it will pay off sooner or later.
Cheers Dazza

[darryl_l]

Nick,

Try point cartwright on the incoming tide with a high about 8am. Get there early and check for bait schools working the drop edge in the main channel. Casting softies to the other side of these schools and working through them should result in some good action with trevors and mackeral being the prime suspects for upsetting the bait.

As Dazza said hang in there it will happen and keep an eye on the posts.

Darryl L

[Dodge41]

Nick

I can't advise on the use of SPs, because my knowhow on them is minimal but I do know the anglers skill in presenting them is important , but they do get good results in skilled hands.

Inside with bait you only mention pillies on gangs, I would suggest try the pippies and worms or yabbies on a single #2, 1, or 1/0 hook and see if the result improves

[Burley_Boy]

Welcome to the southern hemisphere mate and welcome to the site.

I'm with Nick on the knowledge of SP and I'm with him on that they are lethal with the people who know how to use and present them.
Read a few of the older posts on the subject, I'm pretty sure there is a swag in the saltwater section and some guys here are real rubber fanatics.
(Zeeke is another legend you can ask for advice from.)
Still struggling after that then post in the saltwater section and you'll get a good response.
Good luck mate and keep at it. :)
Cheers BB

[fishomatic]

You didn't mention what rod and reel you are using. If you're using the alvey, no wonder you're having trouble.
Matt

[MagicRik]

Hi nick its nice to see im not on my own lol.........
ive been out buying stuff and now im looking around for a good fishing spot too.

[stubi]

Like magic riks earlier post I too have been here since april and originate from the UK, now living in Warana, Sunshine Coast.



There's not going to be anyone left over there in England soon!!! Maybe then we can win the ashes back because there will only be kiwi has beens on the team [smiley=rolleyes.gif] Just joking, please don't come to my house with nooses and pitckforks, we don't keep the sheep at home anymore [smiley=laugh.gif]

[stubi]

Sorry I don't have any advice or anything intelligent to say, for that matter, worth reading.

[pommy_Nick]

You didn't mention what rod and reel you are using. #If you're using the alvey, no wonder you're having trouble.
Matt
thanks everyone for the advice, yes I'm going to stick with the sp's for a while if it ever stops raining and I can actually do some fishing without getting soaked.
I've tried using an egg beater on a 2.5mtr light rod someone bought over from the UK and I've tried an Alvey on what I'd call a beach rod ( sorry about the lack of detail ) and I feel more in control of the lure with the Alvey.
With the man in the red suit due to call at our house soon , what would you recommend as a good relatively inexpensive rod and reel for lure fishing ????????

Cheers, Nick

[al_neibling]

Hey I am not sure how inexpensive you are looking at but I got an outfit for my birthday just for SP's and I love it (not sure if it is what other people would recommend to though) it is a little berkly dropshot with a penn eggbeater on it. I use braid, expensive but i think it is worth it.

Persistance is the key I think, the day I got my rod I got a lovely little lizard at the pin and I must say was so stoked with the way the outfit performed for me.

LOVE THE SP'S


hope this helps
Al

Ps I fish 2 to 3 times a week and can go weeks without anything edible, so take my advise at your own risk :P

[Fishin_Dan]

Check your PM's Pommy Nick..... 8-)

[Scalem]

Pommy Nick,

With the fear of stating the obvious to many who know how to fish SP's, I think most people who fail to catch fish on a SP treat it purely as a lure. To explain what I mean, they cast out , and crank it back like a hard body lure with a bib. Is this what you are doing? Try getting enough movement in the bait where the current helps you to move the plastic. Cast out, let it sink to the bottom, twitch it a little with small wrist movement, wind in the slack, leave it for a few seconds, twitch it again with varied aggression, sometimes with very small movements. Give that a go, and let us know how it goes now.

Good luck
Scalem

[pommy_Nick]

Hi Scalem,
I knew to cast out , let it sink, couple of twitches and slow retrieve etc, etc but still no luck so far. Last night I tried a new spot just between Golden Beach and Pelican Waters under the road bridge over the canal, lots of bait fish evident and loads of fish breakng the surface but the weather was terrible and no bites in about 1.5 hrs. I am using the Berkeley 3" power minnow shad in pearl watermelon and also the atomic 3 jerk minnow in smoke metal flake, both with a quarter size tt lures jig head, What do you think ????


Regards,

Nick

[Scalem]

Hi Nick,

It sounds like you SHOULD BE picking up a fish or two, you are using my favourite brand plastic - Berkley and my favourite JH. In Estuary conditions like this you will stand a better chance of hook up if you A: use very light Flurocarbon leader ( I presume you are using a leader) of approx 2mtrs in length - No Swivel. Find the right knot to tie your leader to main line. The one I use is the uni knot as pictured on http://www.fish4fun.com/Joining2Lines.htm

Throw caution to the wind and test the theory of using the lightest possible leader. If your main line is 4KG try 2KG leader. If you get busted off, at least you have proven the point. I learned this lesson fishing for Bass in Maroon Dam. My deckie had caught 4 to my zip, until I changed thickness of leader. Use the brand Vanish or similar.
B: Use fine wire Jig Heads for species like bream. The finer the thickness of hook, the more chance of fooling a very smart fish like the bream. Not as important on flathead, but again, fishing lighter will prove a point, just try and balance everything with a good drag on your reel. Let me know, PM me if you have any luck! ;D

Happy Days!!
Scalem