Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Ahhh, lack of swivels Geoff... I have heard the same thing from many of my mates..... The alvey has to have at least one swivel, preferably 2 in the rig, then you have no problems. Assuming your swivels are properly sized for the line....

Shimano reels are top notch in quality Purchased a low profile curado baitcaster couple years ago. Improved my casting distance 30-40 percent awsome reels. Takes some getting used to when accustomed to spinning reels. The Curado is good for fishing 3-5 lb range. I use mine for sea trout fishing. Most of my reels are Daiwa, decent quality for the money.

I've had great success with Metal Slices over the years, my favorite is the Halco Gold Twisty. Pelagics absolutley smash them, especially Queenies! Havent had much luck with Poppers - A Trevally Favorite.
I use Big Rapalas for Spanish Mackerel
RMG Scorpions & Reidys Little Lucifers for Barra and Jacks.
Have mixed success on Soft Plastics with Reef Species like Snapper. (Mainly use bait here)

When I was in the USA I got hooked on using Spinner Baits, Big Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass and Crappie went nuts for them.
I bought a heap when I was over there but cant really get anything to take them here???

I used to lure fish a lot when I was a teenager. My main pray was flathead. I used to wade around some rocky ground and mangroved area mainly, about waste deep. Even used to do in winter, though did end up getting some waders.

My favourite lure was the big bibbed crawdad. I still have about 10 of them in my tackle box, though would need to replace the trebbles to use again - which I will be soon. I have been told they are a good bass lure also, which suits me fine because my new pray are going to be freshwater fish on the local dam which I have a permit to boat on. Have taken my canoe out on it (with electric motor - the petrol not allowed) but didn't fish on that occassion (just got some redclaw). Now that I have bought my first kayak, which is rigged for fishing, I'll be looking at doing a bit more fishing.

I'll be wanting to get a new lure fishing outfit, nice and light. The gear I use currently I have had for many years. It is still good, but the rod is not as light as I would like to use for purely sport fishing.

Hopefully will give the kayak its first run tomorrow, though this will just be to see how she goes - am not taking her fishing.

I recently bought a Shimano Jewel rod on the recommendation of a guy at the local tackle store. I'd recommend at least having a look at them VB when you're shopping for a new rod, I'm loving it, very nice rod to use.... They do look a little funny, and you have to wonder about the name, but they are great to use..

http://www.nafa.com.au/review/350.html

How long is it? What's the approx price? I'll probably keep an eye out for big specials at anaconda - they have some light stuff there that looks fairly decent. I'll also want to get a smller reel. Will probaby just go an eggbeater.

Here is the type of kayak I got http://www.emotionkayaks.com/HTML/Kayak ... ler10.html

Will fit her out with a sounder when I have some cash again. Will also give consideration to what other mods I can do.

It has three rod holders, 2 at the bag and the scotty in between where my legs go.

cheese for murray cod is a good one.

Chedder, tasty or Blue vein

usually i use tasty, because its oily, i leave it in the sun for a while then it stays on the hook longer, im not sure if they actually like cheese, it may be the shrimp that eat the cheese then cod eat the shrimp??

A few years back I bought a little penn affinity 1000, and then a diawa exceler 100HL - both rigged left hand wind (best move I ever made (I'm right handed)) for lures.



Most of my lure fishing is done with the little penn running 1.6kg fluro, and for throwing slightly heavier lures at snook or squid, I tend to use the overhead diawa filled with I cant remember what, finished with 4kg fluro.

My bait fishing is done with a 3,000,000 year old kmart okuma combo with what feels like a short broomstick attatched . The reel sounds like its filled with gravel, but has never actually let me down

Best fish to date was 84 cm murray cod on the little penn with a soft plastic and a bean bag bean (to slow down the sink)

favourite catch is anything I catch on a home made lure

I think you just have to commit to them. There are stacks of days when you go fishing and dont come back with much. But that doesn't put you off because you know there are other days.

I got convinced at the worth of lures by going squiding and having a squid jag out on a float , and then actively fishing another with a rod. I caught a lot of squid.

Then did the same bream fishing. One rod left sitting with bait and another active with lures.

The first time the lures win, it makes you realise there might be something in it

But a lot of people say the only way to go is to commit to say 5 trips with nothing but lures. It forces you to do what you would do if you are bait fishing. If something isnt working, you try something else or go somewhere else or something.

The amazing thing Ive discovered since getting into aquaponics is just how close you have to get food to a fish before it will have a swipe at it. iIn cold water, if I feed my silvers when they are not expecting to be fed, they wont move more than 10 cm from their cover to get at the food. The biggest ones wont move at all. They wait until the food hits them in the face.

I watch my silvers feeding, and they often snap at food they think is no longer going to sit around. ie its in a current or someone else is going to get it. Once they think its escaping, they seem to get a bit rash. I think that's where the lure has an advantage sometimes. If you drop it on the fish's nose, let it sink , and then make it run away in fear, fish go nuts for it. But you have to park it on their nose.

They also get really angry at lures. I think a lot of strikes are because the lure is too "in their face". ie its some kind of territorial thing.

I dont think bait does that.

I watched a demo on luring for barra at a fishing expo last year, there was a BIG LONG glass sided tank on the back of a truck trailer and the bloke up on a platform flicking lurres to the barra. He would land them close to the fish and then bring it away, the barra took about 5 or 6 land and retreives from within a metre of its nose before it moved even a little bit, then once it moved a bit, it struck on the next strike but it wasn't interested at all up until then.

Not one picture of a lure.

I haven't taken bait in quite some time now, we always use Halco metal slices, trolled from the boat, or flicked. Or the throw net when you want to have a laugh....

You dont need any lures or bait for that matter....you have to see this video to believe it....amazing




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