Funny, I used to use that or something similar (the solid sausage style) when I was rock fishing in my younger days, but I thought it went off the market. Good to know it's still around - it's certainly much less hassle. Drop a bit of that old salmon stuff in the boat, and it went everyone.

 

Contrary to the instructions I find opening one end completely & the other partially helps it disperse more readily & at $10 for a twin pack, usually toss both into the berley pot. Any residual can be frozen then added to the pot along with the new ones next time out.

Interesting, Smudge. Do you soak the pellets in the bin first, or straight into the tide?

I bought a paper bag of the 'fish pellets' from Top Catch, but didn't have a huge amount of confidence that they would break up to create an effective slick. The old salmon berley used to have clouds of piper etc hanging around in next to no time.

The shellfish ones sound like they'd be candy for those south coast blue moki. I wonder if Pete 'exports' up north? 

 

I want it to disperse for 2 hours, but it varies from 1-2 hours.

I haven't quite got on top of how to get it dispersing at the rate I like. The wobbly pot net has big holes, so that doesn't restrict it. Its a complicated combination of how much slicing the plastic bag, and how strong the current is. Possibly by the time Im dead I will have figured it out.

 

usually, from lowering the berley, takes about 30 minutes for bites to start; presume the fish are attracted from elsewhere nearby. If nothing worthwhile in 60 45 minutes I usually give up there.  

For Kingfish over the same turf, pillie and a bonito/skipjack berley.

For Snapper over the sand and low lying foul and coral, pillie and skippy berley.

I know salmon berley is popular but to me is unnatural and is illogical if you are not using salmon as your bait.

In a harbour situation where the intended capture are visiting fish that move up and down with the tide and eventually leave the harbour, then any berley will attract them, getting them to stay is another matter, again dependant upon tide/current that is not too deep.

Very interesting, Letsgetem. I always try to pick up some Salty Dog pillies when I'm going through Hikurangi (along with some donuts from the ladies at the Hikurangi Bake House - best traditional long cream and jam donuts in NZ, I reckon!).

But I haven't tried their berley. 

Re dispersing, I always get my bomb out of the freezer a few hours before, so it's softened a bit (wrapped in newspaper). SAme with a few pillies to thaw out slowly. 

I tend to fish shallow zones with not huge currents, so use one of those cheapie plastic baskets from The Warehouse, which ensures slow distribution. I have a strip of lead inside to weigh it down. I guess with 3kg, I'd cut it into chunks to fit it in.

Good input, Skunk. Dad's got an old mincer thing that he processes all the frames etc with. Mainly because he hates parting with money for the likes of berley or salt ice. But I can see how if you put the time in, it's just as good or better than the bought stuff.

Food for thought, Catchelot.

To answer the original question asked by the Tamure Kid, Redfinger and I have found the Salty Dog salmon berley is the current ducks nuts.  It's available in Auckland from Fish City (I think) but certainly at Pauls kite fishing Onehunga, and strangely enough at Savebarn in Otahuhu.  Also Marine Deals have it at Avondale. Comes in 1.8Kgs and 3 kgs and Savebarn has the best deal at $8/1.8Kgs.

Some tips if you make your own berley:

- to about 30Kgs berley add about 100g MSG (monosodium glutamate) which is a fish attractant, and available from Chinese groceries for about $1/100g

- let the first berley of the day thaw out a bit on the way to the fishing spot to start with a good cloud of berley

- keep any backup berley in your chilly bin, otherwise it will disperse too quickly

- budget on about 1 to 2 Kgs berley per hour

- I put my berley in 2L icecream containers

- the whole 2L piece (and often 2 pieces) goes into a large berley bag with drawstring on top.  Mesh size about 40-50mm

- in summer it may disperse too quickly and you can use plastic bags with holes or finer berley bags to slow things down

- use about a litre of the cheapest supermarket oil per 30 Kgs

Skunk gave a few good tips if you make your own berley (scroll back up the page).  I use dog biscuits as a filler.  Put them in a bucket, pour boiling water on them, let them soften for an hour, then grind them up.  Otherwise they float, which is a WAFTAM. 

 

 

 

Have found that too when the freezer died and we had a fair amount of defrosted smoked kingfish to get rid of (had been sitting at room temp for a few days before the freezer was noticed to be stuffed..) Quite unreal how nuts the snapper went for it.

Salmon is a distant second.......chook pellets and tuna oil is just as good and waaaaay cheaper.

And another thing........is it me or are the modern day squid much smaller and softer than those of yester-year?? Maybe it's old age but much of a 5kg block seems to be wee little critters that just melt off the hook!!!

 

Absolutely .... have often wondered what happened to the bait squid we used to buy years ago that was tough enough to stay on the hook & often one small piece would account for several fish.

 

Conversely todays' equivalent can be likened to trying to "nail jelly to a tree " !

Back in the day if anyone gave my Dad a trout it would be snapper bait, worked bloody well!

 

Yes all the time.

 

However a downside unbelievable as it may seem, is that the skin is almost impossible to penetrate even with the sharpest of hooks therefore usually needs to be pre pierced.

 

Many years ago was fishing near Rangitoto in a 10 ft. Parkercraft tinny

was hauling in one fish after another whilst a guy in a nearby "gin palace" with half a dozen buddies on board remained fishless.

 

Eventually it proved to much for him so he upped anchor, gently "burbled" alongside & from his lofty tower asked in a demanding tone "What bait are you using mate ?"

 

In all innocence I truthfully replied "Rainbow trout"

 

His response was explosive as he shouted "Smart *******" whilst engaging full throttle almost swamping me & my golden retriever canine companion in the process !  

In with that today I mixed cray shells (fish love them) fish trimmings (the boning bits) and paua hua (don't waste anything). The sounder went nuts. Have pulled up plenty of fish with the cray bits in them. Never pulled one up with chook pellets. But they are soaked in oil so I am sure they do their job - bring them close.

Alan

Rarely use berley nowdays as fishing from yak... and I try not to attract attention.. just target the fish I want with right baits in their natural habitat.

No freezing. Sits in pottles (pellets) in the boat or the shed, maturing. Then I mix up berley as required in the boat. The cray bits and paua hua and fish trimming are in the bait freezer. Took them out today - thawed as needed (in transom well) and mixed with pellets and dumped over side in a special holder - dumps it on the bottom. Then sit back and wait. 20 mins max.

Alan

Alan