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Tips on live bait and Garrick Fishing Off A Ski or Boat
| 23 May 2007
Tips on live bait and Garrick Fishing Off A Ski or Boat
Question - from Deano
Any tips on how to Garrick Fish...?
Tip1 By Shaun
Grant said trawling a live pinky or shad is the best way! Trawl it in backline, when the fish hits you don't strike on the first run wait count to 30 then strike - the Garrick scale their fish before eating them.
Tip 2 By Gunho Grant
This time of the year the Garrick are smaller and tend to swim in the backline and mid break. Hence the reason that the beach fisherman do so well at this time of the year. The best way to get them is to find a Pinky, Carinteen or the first prize a shad! Hook it up as a live bait trace and let lots of line out. The reason for lots of line out is simple. You need to paddle on the backline and try to get the odd back line wave to break over your line and bait pulling it into the strike zone (on the last wave or into the mid break. The hard part is not getting dumped at the same time. On my ski boat it has been close a few times. I know of a few pro's that have flipped their boats fishing for Garrick. But man is it worth it you cant beat the rush of catching a Garrick on the line. Best spots: boys town (good), bluff tidal pool (good this time of year), Tongart beach point (best), blue lagoon, salt rock (later in august). Start trying now! Chicken? Go for Snoek.
Tip 3 By Petervw
What I have also seen done is to thread a treble onto your live bait using a bait needle. The treble sits just behind the head and the trace (+- 90lb) exits near the tail. Then using a balloon you drift your bait into the backline whilst you stay out of the danger zone. The Garrick hits the bait the first time and runs for approx 30m. When it starts the second run, strike! Have fun. Watch the balloon it will tell you when there has been a hit and it is moving, as suddenly it moves faster
Tip 4 By Gunho Grant
Great tip Peter! I have used this method for Cuta but have not tried it with Garrick! Here is another great tip for live bait: If you want your live bait to swim up, cut a little off the top of the baits tail. If you want it to swim down cut a little of the bottom! How's that? Silly, but it works out deep, and keeps the bait on the bottom out at back line! Finally hooks on the bottom make the bait swim down (lifts tail) and hooks on the back lift head and make bait swim up!
Tip 5 By Motherbrim
I've caught plenty of Garrick from the shore before and the trick of cutting the fin either at top or bottom really works. if the top of the tail is missing then the bottom part pushes the fish in an upward motion and same happens when the bottom is cut. Grant I think that even when the bigger Garrick are around the surf anglers do better...When the bigger Garrick are around the best bait by far is the green back mullet(local name) I don't know what's the right name for it though we call it this cause this mullets back is green as compared to the usual mullet, the bigger the better. I've experienced this 1st hand with none of the rigged shad been taken and for the smaller Garrick I've seen Pinkies or Cara's work best. I've had the most hookups with Garrick whilst striking on its 3rd run though. I've never caught a Garrick with wire though have u guy's ever used this method?
Tip 6 By Petervw
I've always used +-90Lb mono line rather than trace wire by threading the line through the live bait when targeting Garrick. Unfortunately if you get hit by a big shad or shark you run the risk of being bitten off. I've found that where wire has been used there are not as many successful hits.
Question - from Bodge
What about sitting off the backline and throwing a plug or spoon into the mid break and then pulling it back out?
Tip 7 By Petervw
The pulling of a plug etc in backline works. The best is to try and pull parallel to the wave/beach as the Garrick patrol up and down and this puts you "in their line of travel foe longer". An angled pull depends on the fish being in striking distance.
Tip 8 By Morne
Garrick Fishing is exciting, mostly because Garrick tend to swallow the live bait whole. Get close to Backline and do an ordinary sliding sinker trace with normal line as leader try and cast into the back line and then paddle into deeper water so you do not get knocked by the waves. Keep your drag as loose as possible to the point just before your live bait can pull it by itself. Now wait either anchored or etc.. While waiting you can do the plugs or spoons. When the fish strikes remove ratchet completely and let the line free-flow (guiding with your thumb) until a steady pull happens - that way the Garrick would have swallowed the bait completely after that a strike is as good as landing the fish. The moment the fish pick up a notion of trace wire he will simple spit out the bait as well as any strain on the line. Many fishermen have had a pull only to real in dead unscaled live bait.
Question - from Bodge
When fishing with live baits, do you set a very light drag on your reel?
Tip 9 By Morne
Yes Bodge,
That's why I like to Use KP's for live bait the free flow of the reel means the Garrick does not even know that there is a fisherman on the other side.
Tip 10 By Gunho Grant
Great tips Guys I only use fluorocarbon and 30 lb is fine because of its abrasion resistance. I use a Daiwa multiplayer, but put it on free spool and the clicker on. My strike is never a normal strike after the first run I wait for the slower "swim" off and then just put pressure on the fish. Most off my fish have been stomach hooked. Motherbrim you are right mullet (harder) are the best, but as boat fisherman these are hard to get. Any Ideas on where/how to get them on beaches? Carro are easy small hooks and flick Sard in the shore break. Only got mullet in the harbor
Tip 11 By Motherbrim
Hey I usually net all my mullets at blue lagoon there's plenty there...especially when the mouth is closed and a little sea water is seeping over the bank and into the lagoon coz when this happens the fish in the lagoon anticipate the opening of the mouth. U must jus take a look at the amount of mullets that get washed out to sea when the mouth jus opens. When the mouth's open its quite hard though to get them unless u can get onto the north bank or if u wait for dead low or high when the water stops pushing in or out of the lagoon. I agree with the guy's on the free spooling as well but I think a fixed trace is usually better coz on a running trace your sinker can get embedded in da sand or a rock and because the drag is so loose when the fish takes off the sinker stay's embedded this can result in u getting burnt off against the survival. Don't worry bout the fish feeling the weight of the sinker I used to slide allot with an 8 ounce Grap and this didn't effect the run in anyway.
