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What was hitting my soft baits in deepwater?

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Soft Bait Fishing
Forum Description: Anything to do with this latest and greatest way of catching our favourite species
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=129306
Printed Date: 29 Mar 2024 at 9:19am


Topic: What was hitting my soft baits in deepwater?
Posted By: MB
Subject: What was hitting my soft baits in deepwater?
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 10:32am
Had a great day out yesterday. I fished a patch of reef in about 60 metres and dropped big soft baits. Almost every time, something hit it, got a hook up, fish stayed on for a minute or two, then came off. They were powerful, but not head shaky like a snapper. No fast runs like a kingfish, didn't feel like a barracoutta, just a solid weight with the odd tail flick. Oddly, no damage at all to the soft bait. I really wanted to get one just to see what it was, but didn't manage it. Any ideas? I thought about big pacific/blue/slimy mackerel. There are a few around and they shake hooks easily.



Replies:
Posted By: Clifftastic
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 12:02pm
Tarakihi?

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Posted By: anarchy
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 12:49pm
Probably squid


Posted By: pjc
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 12:53pm
reef area 60m. I am thinking pig fish as they tend to hit but fail to hook but when they do no fight like bringing up a bit of kelp?

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Sex at 58.Lucky I live at 56


Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 2:34pm
Originally posted by anarchy anarchy wrote:

Probably squid

That's what they looked like on the sounder! Damn, I would have loved to have caught one. Must have been pretty big!


Posted By: 700 LTR
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 2:37pm
Try one of the jig heads with the "stinger" hook attached to it, if they don't bite all the way up the bait quite often the trailing hook will snag them... 


Posted By: CBF-Whk
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 4:31pm
Yep Squid have a ledger rig with two squid jigs ready to go on another rod and a good size sinker.
CBF
Whk

Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Originally posted by anarchy anarchy wrote:

Probably squid

That's what they looked like on the sounder! Damn, I would have loved to have caught one. Must have been pretty big!


Posted By: kaveman
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 7:59pm
sounds like squid to me too


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Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 8:38pm
If you were thinking big mackeral then microjig was the answer to solving it.


Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 8:40pm
Andy I would have almost suggested Porae as they fight harder than snapper of equivalent weight, but I have never known squid to put up much fight even big ones slowly bought up, and out at 60m can have big Porae over bottom foul and well you may have had small puka this time of year...

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"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau


Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 9:11pm
Originally posted by Muppet Muppet wrote:

If you were thinking big mackeral then microjig was the answer to solving it.

Nothing on microjigs, but lots of sign, that's why I broke out the softies.


Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 9:29pm
When you said powerful, I thought hapuka?

The squid I've caught on squid jigs, and had grab baits and come all the way to the surface, were not in any way powerful. 

I've had them grab soft baits out in the Hauraki Gulf in 50m, but you can normally see telltale nicks in the softbait from their beaks. Look like little slashes. They like the scent of Gulps.


Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 9:37pm
Originally posted by Catchelot Catchelot wrote:

Andy I would have almost suggested Porae as they fight harder than snapper of equivalent weight, but I have never known squid to put up much fight even big ones slowly bought up, and out at 60m can have big Porae over bottom foul and well you may have had small puka this time of year...

Interesting. I literally dropped a dozen "fish" in consecutive drifts. I could believe it was porae or puka (I've caught both before), but surely one would have stuck?


Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 10:09pm
Was it possibly the hook,causing fish to drop off. Recently had 4-5 hookups and lost each one after a minute or so. Hook looked fine,sharp. Replacedwith a new identical hook. Problem ceased.
Co-incidence,maybe. Or just something with that hook. 


Posted By: MB
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2018 at 10:42pm
Razor sharp Owner Beast Hook!


Posted By: John_Ra
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 11:00am
Originally posted by Catchelot Catchelot wrote:

Andy I would have almost suggested Porae as they fight harder than snapper of equivalent weight, but I have never known squid to put up much fight even big ones slowly bought up, and out at 60m can have big Porae over bottom foul and well you may have had small puka this time of year...


x2 for Porae..... they are hard to get off the bottom, a v gd size hua especially....


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Posted By: GSPOT
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 11:21am
I was thinking Smallish Puka or Carpet Sharks. 


Posted By: krow
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2018 at 7:42pm
Snag LOL


Posted By: CrayZfish
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2018 at 10:18am
Originally posted by GSPOT GSPOT wrote:

I was thinking Smallish Puka or Carpet Sharks. 
 
Second on Carpet sharks. Dopey as on the rod some weight but no action, 99% of the ones i have caught have not been hooked, just mouth clamped onto baits. I had several similar hook ups and drops from 60m saturday, then later brought one Carpet to the boat. Sounds very familiar.


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Why choose either diving or fishing when you can do both. Besides crayfish tail is very good bait!!


Posted By: John_Ra
Date Posted: 25 Oct 2018 at 10:55am
You'll just have to "Land" one, try bigger hook not a jighead prob go for a worm hook ie: the 5/0 etc

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