I LOVE puka fishing! you never know what the hell you are gonna get! :-) Here are a few quick tips,

Jigs.

Jigs are awesome for hapuku and bluenose, very effective. Make sure they have a lot of lumo paint on them though... for best effect, one whole side lumo, but NOT the whole jig. (that way as the jigs spin, they appear to flash, whereas a solid lumo jig is just an un-natural steady glow)

I have found that jigging for puka, you use a slightly slower action, bouncing along the bottom, not the speed-jigging action like you use for kingies.

 

Bait fishing.

 

If you do not want to rig up your own ledger rigs, then get yourself a few of the Black Magic groper grabbers or whatever they are called. They make some that have swivels on each dropper, flashers on big strong 8/0 kahle style hooks, they are really good if you have braid (as KL hooks you can still flick your rod tip to set a hook, while with circles, you cannot...well, should not)

If you are using nylon, always go for circle hooks.

I agree with the weight of the traces, I usually use 200lb for areas where I know the fish are smaller, but if you think there are likely to be bigger fish, or gemfish and/or coutas, go for 300 or even 400lb traces. You wil want some big mudder Circle hooks if you are using 400ld trace though, smaller hooks may not have the eye size to take doubled up 400lb trace loops.

Bait? Squid (whole squid 5-6in long ones) or couta slabs, big chunky baits, but remember, do not choke up the gape of your circle hook, so only put the hook thru the bait once, circles hooks are designed to have the bait dangling from the bottom of the hook.

If you want,and have the time/energy/facility, then live baits are effing effective on both bluenose and hapuka... jack macks survive the depths easy peasy, have a livie on your top hook, and a cut bait on the bottom hook, you will catch fish.

 

Add to the visibility of your rig by taping a cyalume light stick between the 2 hooks on your ledger rig. It does help.

 

If fishing in 150m plus of water, with nylon, use 30oz at least of lead. If using braid, 20oz is heaps, usually if no huge wind or currents are pushing you allong, 16oz sinkers are plenty WITH BRAID, and if you are not using too big baits. It all has to do with the amount of drag your line and rig has in the water, you want you line to get to the bottom FAST, and stay there in the bite zone as long as possible too.

Every couple of minutes if you are drifting, relocate the bottom by letting more line out You need your baits sitting on the bottom for these fish, and you will be amazed at how fast with all that weight, your baits will lift clear of the bottom as you drift along.

 

Take a good gimbal belt and kidney harness, you need all the help you can get pulling in all that line, even without a fish on!

 

Hope this helps a little,

 

cheers pal,

Stu.