Gummies at the Pines

[re-tyred]

Slipped out on a nice calm morning for a go at the Pines. Just 2nm from the bar, 15-20 MTRS, drifting. I was hopeful for a few flatties. Caught quite a lot of small ones plus a couple of keepers. Then one rod bent over and started taking line ,big time. The brake was on a bit too much and I was struggling to get the rod out of the holder. By this time the tip is in the water and a serious bend in the rod. A quick back off of the brake and I had the rod. It was still going and even with the brake tightened up I was still losing line. This was looking like a battle. I was pretty sure it was a shark, lots of tail banging. I had other lines in so I calmly put the rod back in the holder as I watch the line peeling off and quickly wound the other two in. By this time the tinny is getting dragged along. So back to the battle. Tightened the drag and started putting some serious pressure on it. Slowly started to make some gains, then some losses , then more gains. I was only in 16 MTRS so didn't have a huge distance to go. Yep could see it was a shark. Another minute , gummy for sure. Grabbed the net with one hand as it circled, it came around just under the surface and straight into the net. Phew, dragged it over the side while it was going beserk. Took about 10 minutes to untangle it and dispatch it with the patented attitude adjuster. So back to fishing while it was bled and put in the Esky. It went quiet so I moved in closer to the beach. 13mtrs, a couple of keeper flathead. While I was re-baiting and putting a line back in, the familiar zzzzz comes from the other line. It was on again but not quite such a vigorous battle. Only problem this one decided to do circles around my other two lines. So up they all came in a massive bunch with a gummy in the middle. Again some attitude adjustment and then a look at the mess. Definately a knife job . Just cut off all the good bits and packed the rods away. Zipped back home for lunch. Quite a few kgs of fillets from them.

[denis barden]

Very Nice

[Pirkz]

Nice catch. Be interested to know the set up for drifting targeting gummy and approx location of the Pines as I may venture out one of these calm mornings.

[re-tyred]

Paternoster, 6/0 hooks on 60lb mono line. I use 60lb braid for the mainline. A decent snapper rod and reel. I have an overhead reel on one rod and the old egg beater on another. The overhead is the best if you get a big gummy.
Mostly use fish fillets for bait. I use a small rod with bait jig to catch mackerel and coota to add to my bait. I keep all my whiting and flathead frames and cut the belly flaps off for bait. I drop the rest of the head and frames over the side for Burley. Also use a bit of squid. Gave up on Pillies you just can't keep them on the hook with all the small fish picking at them.
Drift has to be slow, less than 0.7knts . I have a parachute drogue made from a plastic tarp. Trail it out the back about 5mtrs off one corner so it doesn't interfere with the lines.
A very basic rule for gummies is close to the beach as the full moon approaches and further offshore around the new moon, but this is not hard and fast.
The Pines are 2-3 nm west of the entrance. You can see them behind the dunes. There are two patches. There nothing significant on the bottom, you can fish anywhere along the beach. The only reason it is better there than the eastern side of the entrance, is that the prawn trawlers don't work the western side. Their constant dragging up and down the beach disturbs the gummies. So avoid the area they work. Often there are considerably numbers of blue spot flatties to the west of the entrance over the warmer months. If the wind is from the north west start in close, 11-12 MTRS and drift out. Not usually much caught outside of 25mtrs. Unless you go a long way out to 45mtrs , about 8nm.

[CannonsJS]

Great catch mate.
Info about where and how is gold. So much great info, right down to the drift speed. Certainly helps those of us who struggle to find the time to put into learning it all.

[Lightningx]

Top catch!
Cheers

[re-tyred]

Wind drift is the killer, so use a drogue. Tide drift is not so much issue, as you and the burly smell, move together with the tide. Issues you have with anchoring is that you don't catch as many flatties and your burley will drift a long way from you. Anchoring while fishing is for when you have a habitat location, such as, reef for snapper or sandy bits close to weed for KGW. In those circumstances you anchor and burley to produce a feeding frenzy.
Having said all that if you are only after gummies and in the deep water 45mts or so a big block of burley on the anchor works pretty good at times. It does drive you nuts a bit as you need to move after half an hour if nothing is doing. I prefer to go for a flatties and have gummies as a bonus. Not anchoring means 10 minute in a spot then move a bit. On the beach often a move of just a mtr deeper or shallower or so can make a difference.
To the west off the bar there is a close in bank, 15mtrs up to the surf break. I find if I go inside of about 9mtrs you get done by crabs. So I start at 10mtrs and drift to the bottom of the bank. If the results are good just zoom back in. You will also find the 18-20mtr area has a slight bank and again that is a good spot to try. Up east past the bluff to lake tyers there are a lot of rocks coming out to about 7-8mtrs. This keeps the prawn trawlers away. The bank there drops down from the rocks to about 12-14mtrs. It is my go to flathead area when the afternoon easterlies are around. Again further east at Pettman's area the flathead and gummies show up at times, this is not generally raked over by the prawn trawlers so produces better results.
Deeper water for gummies. 45mtrs is by far the best depths. If you go outside of the 6mile you will drop down a bank from 36mtrs to 45mtrs. This bank runs from pretty much directly off the bluff, through to French's reef 10nm south of the bar.

[re-tyred]

Drogue and attitude adjustment tool

[Tackleberry]

Wind drift is the killer, so use a drogue. Tide drift is not so much issue, as you and the burly smell, move together with the tide. Issues you have with anchoring is that you don't catch as many flatties and your burley will drift a long way from you. Anchoring while fishing is for when you have a habitat location, such as, reef for snapper or sandy bits close to weed for KGW. In those circumstances you anchor and burley to produce a feeding frenzy.
Having said all that if you are only after gummies and in the deep water 45mts or so a big block of burley on the anchor works pretty good at times. It does drive you nuts a bit as you need to move after half an hour if nothing is doing. I prefer to go for a flatties and have gummies as a bonus. Not anchoring means 10 minute in a spot then move a bit. On the beach often a move of just a mtr deeper or shallower or so can make a difference.
To the west off the bar there is a close in bank, 15mtrs up to the surf break. I find if I go inside of about 9mtrs you get done by crabs. So I start at 10mtrs and drift to the bottom of the bank. If the results are good just zoom back in. You will also find the 18-20mtr area has a slight bank and again that is a good spot to try. Up east past the bluff to lake tyers there are a lot of rocks coming out to about 7-8mtrs. This keeps the prawn trawlers away. The bank there drops down from the rocks to about 12-14mtrs. It is my go to flathead area when the afternoon easterlies are around. Again further east at Pettman's area the flathead and gummies show up at times, this is not generally raked over by the prawn trawlers so produces better results.
Deeper water for gummies. 45mtrs is by far the best depths. If you go outside of the 6mile you will drop down a bank from 36mtrs to 45mtrs. This bank runs from pretty much directly off the bluff, through to French's reef 10nm south of the bar.

Mike you have brought back a lot of memories have finished all those areas in the last 30 odd years and some extras further West .

Cheers

[re-tyred]

Yeah there is miles of gummy territory east and west. I often go down to off Metung or the Grange. Same method. Just the Pines are good for a quick fish close to home.