Fishing Victoria Forum

As the title suggests is the use of Burley, worth the effort.

The theory is that by using burley, you can attract your target species to your fishing area. In negative, the incorrect use of burley can lead to drawing your target species away from your fishing area and as a result diminish your chances of catching your target species of fish.

There are two factors to consider;

1) The type of burley for your target species; for example using fish frames to attract garfish or whiting.

2) where are you fishing, for example Western port, where there is a high current flow, it it pointless putting burley on the surface as by the time it sinks to the bottom, it will miles away. The correct method to use would be to put the burley on the bottom.

Another technique is to "ground bait".

This method is used by some trout fishermen, who tie a fly blown carcass to a tree branch over hanging the water so that the maggots fall into the water.

For the land based saltwater angler, the technique it to visit the area you wish to fish at low tide and bury the burley in the sand at various points up to the high tide mark. The idea is that as the tide comes in, the waves will uncover the burley releasing it in to the water and creating a holding area for the fish as the tide comes in.

Good question wolly, IMO it really comes down to the style of fishing, the area being fished and the target species.

On the whole lure fishermen are hunting the fish, not bring the fish to them, so it probably isn't as important in most cases.

Snapper, flatty, whiting fishing in ppb, it is hugely important, not so much for squid.

In wpb I berley in the shallows and when the tide slackens out deep, without a downrigger it can be hard to get a burley pot down when the tide is raging.

In short, bait fishing in the boat, berley is massively helpful, lure fishing I don't use it. Each to their own though, I'm keen to hear people's thoughts


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Scraglor wrote:Good question wolly, IMO it really comes down to the style of fishing, the area being fished and the target species.

On the whole lure fishermen are hunting the fish, not bring the fish to them, so it probably isn't as important in most cases.

Snapper, flatty, whiting fishing in ppb, it is hugely important, not so much for squid.

In wpb I berley in the shallows and when the tide slackens out deep, without a downrigger it can be hard to get a burley pot down when the tide is raging.

In short, bait fishing in the boat, berley is massively helpful, lure fishing I don't use it. Each to their own though, I'm keen to hear people's thoughts


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I am thinking about planting some burley, walk up the beach spinning, then come back to the spot and see what happens. I think that if it can hold the fish in the spot.

I make a frozen burley block. Put burley into small ice cream container. Put a loop of string thru it, fill the whole thing to the top with water and freeze it. When I go bait fishing I tie it to the anchor chain as I lower the anchor. The boat lays down tide from the anchor and as the burley defrosts it drifts down with the tide. Fish off the back of the boat in the tide drift. Seems to help whiting fishing and when anchored flathead fishing.

re-tyred wrote:I make a frozen burley block. Put burley into small ice cream container. Put a loop of string thru it, fill the whole thing to the top with water and freeze it. When I go bait fishing I tie it to the anchor chain as I lower the anchor. The boat lays down tide from the anchor and as the burley defrosts it drifts down with the tide. Fish off the back of the boat in the tide drift. Seems to help whiting fishing and when anchored flathead fishing.

I have heard that some people use onion bags, tied to the anchor.

A few ideas. Fishing a surf beach i'm almost always light and mobile and hence don't bother. Rock ledges however.....

We start with a 2L milk bottle full of frozen breadcrumb/tunaoil/chicken pellet mix. I'll loop a rope through it and throw it in after cutting a couple of 20c sized holes in it.

First two or three salmon/couta/pike we get (or carry in frozen) get filletted and slung through the gills on the same rope. This usually covers us for 2-3 hours.

If we fish a long time we change burley containers about halfway through or at a tide change.

Suprisingly enough, yesterday was the first time at red point I haven't burleyed at all and also the first time i didn't get a fish on a lure.

Short answer, if you're going to fish the same spot for some time and aren't walking and casting then yes, burley is definitely worth the effort.

That sounds like a decent idea. I've been trying the pot off the front of the boat as a lot of fish in wpb tend to go a bit mental when hooked and get tangled around the berley pot. Tying it to the anchor would def get it to the bottom, the only problem I see is that you can't give it a shake every now and again, and can't refill it if you aren't moving regularly. Although freezing the block helps with the lattrr


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That sounds like a decent idea. I've been trying the pot off the front of the boat as a lot of fish in wpb tend to go a bit mental when hooked and get tangled around the berley pot. Tying it to the anchor would def get it to the bottom, the only problem I see is that you can't give it a shake every now and again, and can't refill it if you aren't moving regularly. Although freezing the block helps with the lattrr


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I try not to go fishing without it in all situations, it is also effective to Burley a few holes in a river as you walk past them then start to work your way back slowly over the areas you burley, not bad for lure fishing