New to surf fishing

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Aussie_moose
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New to surf fishing

Post by Aussie_moose » Sat Jun 14, 2014 5:48 pm

Hey guys,

I am very new to surf fishing so just want to fire out a few questions and hope someone can help.

Is it worth fishing the beaches in and around Melbourne with the surf rod? and if so any recomendations? I know a lot of people on here fish gunnerz but I would like to fish somewhere close but still have a decent chance of getting some action whilst still learnig what i am doing and how to cast, once I’m competent with casting and what not I’ll put in the miles to more desirable places.

Besides hitting the gutters when they are full at high tide, is there any other conditions I should be looking out for? I hear a lot of people taking about wind direction but is that just for comfort and not casting against the wind.

I am a real noob so any advice will be great

Thanks in advance

Cory
There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the bank like an idiot, I excel in the latter!!!

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sandef
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by sandef » Sat Jun 14, 2014 6:31 pm

g/day cory check out JS270 video on casting he's national champion
I would put 12lb to 15lb as the main line and use 40lb shock leader learn to tie a fg knot for your main line to leader
practice with 3oz sinkers any of the piers around melbourne are a good place to start
keep your baits small and use fine bait elastic to keep the bait on the hook
on the surf you need to learn how to read the beach gutters and rips
sometimes the fish are at your feet so long casts are not always productive
fishing generally is better on a new moon and full moon a high tide 2hrs before dawn and in late afternoon fish 2hrs before and 2hrs afterwards
burley the beach with chook pellets and tuna oil and cut up pilchards helps to keep the fish around
and if side wash or drift is to strong that is line ends up the beach within 2-3 minutes just go home or a lot of weed
frank

JS270
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by JS270 » Sun Jun 15, 2014 12:30 am

Mate , if you want some help with the casting and fishing around the bay happy to meet up with you on a Monday or Thursday evening after I finish at the office , though this coming week I can't as I have Jury duty. The follwing week shouldn't be a problem.

Here is a short video where I was helping a few of the other guys .

http://youtu.be/qWCxMviZ-7A

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Fish-cador
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by Fish-cador » Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:36 am

you don't have to cast a mile using sinkers with no hooks and bait. :rofl: You wont catch anything casting in the bush. :rofl:

Mordialloc beach is a good place. You can catch pinkies, snapper, salmon and anything else in between.
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by DougieK » Sun Jun 15, 2014 12:03 pm

Casting is an art form. While there are many situations where you don't need to cast a mile, when you get into surf fishing it's extremely beneficial to have a decent cast as part of your skillset.

I only really started to learn to fish about 18 months ago. There are a few things i did to make my casting better, most of them are pretty straight forward.

The best piece of advice I can offer is find someone who is very good at whatever it is you're trying to do and learn from them. If you want to spin a surf beach with a 9 foot rod (which is very popular on here) find someone who is successful, like CarlG and hit him up for advice or even meet up and learn. Same thing for land based snapper, or squid, or even just different spots. There is no better way to learn than by finding the guy who is constantly posting successful reports and listening to what they have to say, or better still, watching how they do it.

Carl is responsible for pretty much 100% of my salmon skills, Nhill showed me the ropes at mt martha, Abbz and Vik and more recently fitz have been helping me out with night missions for mulloway...JS is basically THE man when it comes to surfcasting and although I haven't met the guy yet, his videos and advice have seen my casting improve 1000%.

Specifically on casting a surf rod, flick through Js' videos and other casting tutorials on youtube, take your rod down to somewhere with enough space ( i use the local footy oval but that's almost a bit short these days) and practice the hell out of it. When i first started with my 9 foot spin rod carl shoed me some basic technique and then I probably put in 1000+ casts over the coarse of the next week. Then when i picked up a heavier stiffer 13 foot rod everything changed and i had to adjust too it.

Everyone here is super friendly and will be happy to help if you take the time to ask politely, and make sure you post reports when you do get onto some fish!

PM me if you want more details! Happy to meet you sometime on the bay but i'm in no way shape or form an expert, have just figured out what works for me.
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Wolly Bugger
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by Wolly Bugger » Sun Jun 15, 2014 1:01 pm

Aussie_moose wrote:Hey guys,

I am very new to surf fishing so just want to fire out a few questions and hope someone can help.

Is it worth fishing the beaches in and around Melbourne with the surf rod? and if so any recomendations? I know a lot of people on here fish gunnerz but I would like to fish somewhere close but still have a decent chance of getting some action whilst still learnig what i am doing and how to cast, once I’m competent with casting and what not I’ll put in the miles to more desirable places.

Besides hitting the gutters when they are full at high tide, is there any other conditions I should be looking out for? I hear a lot of people taking about wind direction but is that just for comfort and not casting against the wind.

I am a real noob so any advice will be great

Thanks in advance

Cory
Obtain a copy of the Landbased Guide to Port Phillip and Corio Bays. There are many fishable beaches, but most people head to the Piers. You can use a surf rod from the piers.

Generally speaking about wind direction, this can be rather uncomfortable to fish in, but than theoretically if there is a westerly blowing causing rough water on the eastern side of the bay, areas like Moridalliac, Brighton, Blackrock, Frankston, Mornington can be prime time to fish these areas.

Sure casting into the wind can be difficult as you are not going to get the distance.

Basically it means getting out there watching what others do.

It also helps to decide what species you wish to fish for? Gars, flathead, squid, salmon etc.

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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by DougieK » Sun Jun 15, 2014 1:34 pm

^ Everyone seems to talk about that book, might have to pick up a copy.
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Aussie_moose
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by Aussie_moose » Sun Jun 15, 2014 4:00 pm

WOW thanks everyone for all the advice offers and videos!!!! :a_goodjob:
I will get stuck into a few videos and try improve my casting before I catch up with anyone, more for the fact that if I work on it myself for a bit I will have more specific questions rather than just “how do I cast?” hahaha.

Thanks both Dougie and JS for offering to meet up and give me some pointers. JS after work times are tough for me as an accountant starting out I really have to put in the long hours if I want to get anywhere, but if I get stuck down the track I will definitely take you up on that offer and make sure I get off work early.

Thanks again for all the help, I might head down to an oval next week and get some practice in and if im looking the goods I might head down to mordi on the weekend.

Cheers
Cory
There is a fine line between fishing and just standing on the bank like an idiot, I excel in the latter!!!

JS270
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by JS270 » Sun Jun 15, 2014 9:29 pm

Cory ,

Make sure that you have a safe area to cast in a crack of can travel a long way and is very dangerous. Better to practice casting out to sea.

Regards

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Abuthen
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Re: New to surf fishing

Post by Abuthen » Tue Jun 17, 2014 6:17 pm

DougieK wrote:... find someone who is successful, like CarlG
Carl is responsible for pretty much 100% of my salmon skills
I reckon CarlG should start a "charter" for land-based surf/beach fishing.

Unlike boat charters, you bring your own gear. Carl can bring you around the beach, give simple tips and instructions.

1. how to cast, what winds are favorable, sinker choice, etc.
2. spotting likely spots for fish. what are gutters. (well, we all hear of them, but what do they look like irl)
3. just like a casino, when to give up and move to the next spot

I know I'd sign up in a jiffy. The things learnt would be worth any boat charter fee.
Abuthen

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