[Y-Knot]

Having always fished with baits, i am really keen to learn the art of fishing with lures.

So as a complete novice to this style of fishing, where might i go to learn some of the basics ( apart from tackle shops - with 200 questions in tow ) in types of lures, preferable knots and what lures for which fish.

OR is this the very place i should be learning from... would make sense i guess. :lol:

I will be fishing mainly Victorian waters both fresh/salt.

 

[Peril]

Welcome Smurf,

Most of the guys on the forum are pretty open about fishing techniques. apart from reading reports and asking questions here, I suggest that you get along when the guys are hitting PPB and ask lots of questions, particularly of the guys that catch fish.

Starlo and Bushy's book, published last year by AFN, on Soft Plastic Fishing has lots of good advice for sps, if a little biased towards squidgy products. Adam Royter's DVD (biased towards Berkley products this time) is also good.

 

[Davey G]

Step 1. Buy fancy lure

Step 2. Tie onto line

Step 3. Go paddling and drag lure behind yak.

Step 4. If it catches fish, repeat step 3 until arms are sore and tired from catching fish.

Step 5. If it doesnt catch fish, return to step 1 and repeat.

Good luck 8)

 

[Y-Knot]

yeah yeah ok, i get the idea Davey.. common bloody sense mate.. :lol:

Cheers Peril, i will do that... given the oportunity.

 

[Davey G]

what sort of fish will you be targeting?

 

[Y-Knot]

anything in the bay - as im new to melbourne i dunno what they've got here but i imagine its pretty standard Flatties / snapper / whiting etc etc...

your right i guess, you just have to try different techniques / lures. Best way to learn.
Problem with that is, ANY time out on the water is precious time as opportunities are occasional getting out on the water, and i hate the idea i could lose many many hours just working out what fkkn lure to catch :?: bloody fish.

 

[Davey G]

anything in the bay - as im new to melbourne i dunno what they've got here but i imagine its pretty standard Flatties / snapper / whiting etc etc...

your right i guess, you just have to try different techniques / lures. Best way to learn.
Problem with that is, ANY time out on the water is precious time as opportunities are occasional getting out on the water, and i hate the idea i could lose many many hours just working out what fkkn lure to catch :?: bloody fish.

yep, the learning is all part of the fun.

best suggestion is to concentrate on the depth that you want the lure to dive to. over shallow areas (less than 2m of water) for flatties and whiting you'll only require a lure that dives to 1-1.5m. The SX40/48's are popular as are the Juro Pygmys. Halco Scorpions and others.

For tailor/salmon/pelagics etc lures with a streamlined profile and small bib that can be swum /paddled a little faster are the go. The Rapala CD7's or CD9's are good as are the Halco LAser Pro range. These can also be cast a good distance if you come across a school of fish and you need to get a decent cast in amongst them. Metal baitfish lures are also good for casting to schools of feeding fish (wonder wobblers, maniac, spanyid lures)

For snapper I think that Soft plastics tend to work best. 3" or 4" stickbaits in white or silver I think are the go, but some of the melb boys will be more in tune with what's happening in your area and I'm sure will pipe up with some expert :wink: advice soon.

good luck,

However I think that most guys enjoy the challenge of scouring the tackle stores, buying lures and trying them out. When you find one that works, please let us know!

 

[andybear]

The great thing about trolling lures, is there are just so many surprises. I never cease to be amazed at what fish will take which lure. The tiny sx40 will sometimes give a great result, and sometimes a huge lure, that you were hoping would harvest a tuna, will take an estuary cod of similar size to the lure. In my opinion, anything that is moving in the water, or even not moving, that has hooks attached, be it brightly coloured or as drab as a nun's negligee, you are in with a chance. Just keep the bloody cormorants away from them. :lol:

Cheers Andybear :lol:

 

[ScottLovig]

Cant remember the last time I got my hands dirty with bait. Go fishing with the Mangos or look me up on the Hobie website, get some tips or come for a fish.

Cheers

Scott

 

[Zed]

Step 1. Buy fancy lure

Step 2. Tie onto line

Step 3. Go paddling and drag lure behind yak.

Step 4. If it catches fish, repeat step 3 until arms are sore and tired from catching fish.

Step 5. If it doesnt catch fish, return to step 1 and repeat.

Good luck 8)

Good gameplan, but...

2) make sure it's fresh line or you're shooting yourself in the foot.

5a) snag lure on kelp, weed, rock, toothy fish > mono (goodness me, I said) GoTo step 1

 

[PoddyMullet]

Hiya Smurf, it'd be good to have ya along for a paddle mate...keep a peeper on the fishing trips. Re soft plastics, fly and bait the other Mango's could set ya straight for Vic waters. On the trolled hard bodies, ya most likely of PPB hauls will probably be snook, pike, pinkies, flatties, salmon, coutta with the odd surprise like squid or red mullet thrown in. Ya also got a ticket in tatts for snapper, mulloway and kingies I figure. In the fresh, ya most likely to encounter brown and rainbow trout, redfin, yellowbelly, and murray cod. Carp will also take a Hb sometimes. A coupla little lakes near Camperdown are also stocked with chinook salmon, and have a few atlantics in there aswell. As to what to use...it does kind of depend on what ya hoping for but a lot of different lures will work despite each of us having a personal fav. Some of my personal fav's are

Port Phillip
-Storm deep thundersticks 9cm (natural colours), but they're a discontinued lure though...maybe try and find somehting similar. The Rapala range may have a substitute.
-Mann's Stretch 5 or 10 plus
-50mm Halco Poltergeists (try a crazy deep so ya can mix and match water depth)
For flatties you'll need something that runs close to the bottom.

Fresh
For the volcanic deep lakes near Camperdown I tend to run metal spoons/toby's/tassies (pink & black, green & gold, black and yellow are fav's) behind a paravane, and early on or late run a bibbed minnow aswell.
For places that are struggling with water levels like Eildon, an 80mm or 50mm Halco poltergeist,JJ's Stump Jumper, any of the Rapala's, and a tassie devil (pink and black) or pegron minow seem to be on the money.

I wouldn't be too fussed about running out to buy em all, but a few should get ya collection started. I'm a sucker for the lure of the lure, and that anaconda jont aint far away from ya :wink:

 

[Squidder]

Welcome Smurf, as the other guys have said come for a fish with the mangoes when you can, there are bait soakers, sp flickers, and lure workers among us, take your pick. I used to be a dedicated bait man, but these days I only use bait for garfish, whiting and bigger snapper, sps all the way for pretty much everything else. I reckon a selection of 3" minnow sps matched to suitable jigheads will catch pretty much anything in Victoria. :wink:

I've bought a few HBs after drooling over Poddy's success with the things, but have only had limited success (a few couta salmon and pike). I think the key is to find a lure or method that you are confident with - for me soft plastics win hands down

 

[Y-Knot]

G'day Poddy / Squidder and everyone else i may have missed.

will take you all up on the offer to tag along. should have my yak in a few weeks, so i will keep an eye on the trips posted and join you when im all geared up ...

much appreciated guys ...