West coast game fishing

Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Gibby95 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: West coast game fishing
    Posted: 27 Aug 2022 at 10:55am
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Hey lads, newbie here.

Bit of a rookie game fisherman here, do all my game fishing out of the manukau we got pretty lucky in our first 4 trips out over the bar going 2-2-1 for our first season.

Got a few questions for the gurus, do Sst charts help as much on the west coast as they do out east ? Just considering purchasing them for upcoming summer possibly.

Also, I’m running heavy gauge hooks but have seen matty Watson file the tip of heavy gauge hooks to a thinner profile while keeping the integrity of the hook but making it a lot sharper and a lower profile to help hook ups? What’s your guys view on this ?

Cheers mad Gibbo
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2022 at 4:01pm
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I'm not a game fisherman but I weigh a load of fish. Most of those are caught on light gauge hooks. Use the SST charts work everywhere. I hear the stories Wink
Best gurnard fisherman in my street
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Gibby95 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2022 at 4:43pm
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Cheers smudge, do you hear of many people bending or snapping the light gauge?

I was advised to run heavy gauge as a rookie incase of applying too much drag pressure but the stripey we managed to land we only had about 7kg of drag on it most of the fight and ran fairly parallel with it the whole time instead of staying stationary and winching it in. In that case I think I could possibly be alright with light gauge as I know they tend to hook up a hell of a lot more and gas ain’t cheap to be losing fish !
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2022 at 7:50pm
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Light gauge or not 7kg is a lot of drag for 24 kg and certainly smaller trailer boats and not actually in use much if running up to a fish parallel. Higher drag pressures are generally used to wind fish in when settled down. If a striped marlin is pulling out 7kg against a set drag it’s working pretty hard to run off few hundred meters. I have had light gauge hooks but generally fan of heavier hooks mustards stainless and the owner jobos which really like. I’m not a fan of bonze light gauge mainly cause use singles and they corrode pretty quick…. But as disposable they clearly by results a very effective double hook rig. 
SST charts … I’ve never used em… local knowledge, local intel and past experience is good, but better is using your eyes, and listening to radio in area you fish in, having few mates out covering wider ground is also good thing… if they share, which mine usually do, can be very beneficial to all involved.
Also run a bit 37 kg gear sometimes, generally on 10-11 kg drag max, would not want to be running light gauge hooks on that. Mainly bigger lures aimed at blues but sometimes we run smaller lures on it.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2022 at 11:57pm
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Most guys using light guage hooks are only using around 5kg drag from what I understand.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Bigfishbob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Aug 2022 at 10:08am
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I have found that with SSTs you're looking for the trifecta of current divergence, or convergence, then Chlorophyll, then temperature breaks. Temperature breaks are always interesting and you'll find the bait on one side of the temp break. But The current convergence and Divergence is generally caused by structure causing upwellings. I have found that these Current Areas tend not to change much and that using them to identify areas of interest  then looking for the otehr two criteria, helps us find fish better. 

Light gauge versus heavy gauge, that argument will carry on into eternity. Plenty of fishos are using Light gauge with good effect. But then there are a number of equally good and effctive fishos who are catching plenty with Heavy gauge too, you just don't here as much about them. 

With most heavy gauge hooks it does pay to triangulate the barb for better penetration. 

But there's even more to it than that there is presetting release pressure for your release clips and light or heavy drags to think about too. Everybody ends up with a combo that works for them most of the time. Then the fish wil change tehir feeding habits and nothing works until you find the new hot combo. 

A few years agod when there was a huge amount of fish off the west coast, they were mostly feeding on Saury, so there were plenty of bits, but hokup rate was really low. A lot of people were pulling there hair out with that.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Fishb8 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Aug 2022 at 9:23am
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I like to use the Pakula Dojo light hooks. Much sturdier than the Bonze but still slim. I managed to bend one of these while tracing a large Mako - good result! Used way higher tension than I would have on a marlin as deliberately tried for it. Using a braid trace with no stretch, helped.
Listen out for intel from other boats.
As BF Bob said, some difficult to hook up but others used other methods for good results. They watched sounder for bait balls, dropped sabiki and caught big jack mackerel then put them out as livies. 
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Aug 2022 at 9:37pm
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Like  Fishb8 I also use Pukula light gauge hooks on some smaller lures, and reckon better option than bonze ones, as are stainless hook , and nice wide gape too if used as single hook rig, and don’t corrode as much.Smile Top 2 are jobus and bottom 2 are pakula light gauge.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Aug 2022 at 10:02pm
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Heavier pakula hook by comparison for 37 kg tackle or 24 kg fished hard.Better photo of little lure with 6/0 jobu as didn’t come out that well above. Welcome to guess what lure is?
A better photo…

The heavier pakula hook is here by comparison on bigger zuker zm6

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