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Fool Proof Bait??

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: The Briny Bar
Forum Description: The place for general chat on saltwater fishing!
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5279
Printed Date: 16 Jun 2026 at 1:43am


Topic: Fool Proof Bait??
Posted By: white delight
Subject: Fool Proof Bait??
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2004 at 6:13pm

I find the hardest fish to catch (in australia) is the leatherjacket.

i know its definetly not my lack of skill that is the reason i cant catch them, so i wondering if anyone has had some more luck than me...and if so, what was the bait you were using.

cheers




Replies:
Posted By: Barrie
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2004 at 8:05pm
normally no bigger than about a 4/0 hook but they take pillies, squid and skippies. Why would you target leatherjackets?


Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2004 at 8:16pm

  2-3 weeks ago, we put an under-water camera down to view Tarakihi at work. The place was almost crawling with the buggars!

They have very small mouths, & I feel a 1/0 hook would be as large as you could go.

They are sold in fish shops as Cream fish, real cheap, & are quite tasty. To my mind. a bit like flounder.

But like Barrie said, why would anyone target them?



Posted By: Woody
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2004 at 9:37pm

The ones I've seen didn't have much flesh on them.

 

So that is what Cream fish are!!



Posted By: smudge
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2004 at 9:52pm

Well you got to give credit to a guy that sets out to target a fish rather than just dangles a line to see what he could catch.

I have only caught a couple of them, but I would think a smaller hook than even a 1/0 maybe a #10 on a ledger rig with a shellfish bait.... but why take advice of someone who has only caught two??

So ummm White Delight, do you get gurnard over there?



Posted By: Barrie
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 7:15am
I have caught them on 7/0s

when diveing they look great and I must admint to enjoying following them around...also great to follow a JD


Posted By: Kerren
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 7:23am
Bazza,

7/0s?....really?....foul hooked per chance??

I have only caught the buggars on baited sabikis as by-catch??

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I am Kermit, Leader of Muppets Nov 05


Posted By: Bushpig
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 7:28am
When I was a diver, we used to get sea weed and feed it to them. You no that type of weed that you can pop. Let it go and it floats to the surface. Fun watching the Leather Jackets chase it to the surface.

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I would rather laugh with the Sinners, than cry with the Saints


Posted By: empty
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 3:38pm
<SCRIPT language=javascript>postamble(); bush is that the green weed

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what happened to the pissing man?


Posted By: Uncle
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 4:26pm
 If it was, I doubt he'd be sharing it with the under-water bikies!


Posted By: Bushpig
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 4:28pm

Sea weed you muppets. And no thats not weed you smoke at sea



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I would rather laugh with the Sinners, than cry with the Saints


Posted By: tobez
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 5:30pm
i think white delight is taking the piss boys and girls..but just in case small bait on a sabiki like kezza says

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Waikato North Harbourmaster...Got a Nav Safety question for the Waikato region?...call me 021705642 or download the app Marine Mate!


Posted By: Barrie
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 5:44pm
No Kerren
On 7/os
on the mercs trip I got one and I only used 7/0s
Amazing I agree


Posted By: backlash
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 8:01pm

Iv've only ever had them on sabiki's while trying for some baitfish in the shallows. The b*ggers have really strong teeth for their size and can snap a small sabiki hook no problem - so although they do have a small mouth you definietely need a stronger hook!

I also read somewhere that you need to fillet them straight away - for similar reason to bleeding a Kahawai - anyone able to back that up?

 



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"My Biggest worry is that when I'm dead and gone, my wife will sell my fishing gear for what I said I paid for it."


Posted By: lalandi
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 10:11pm
Funny wee fockers..We used to catch them around the mussle farms in the mlbsnds... using mussels on sprat hooks.
We only get one kind of LJ here in NZ so it is likely to be different to the ones you want to target... our ones are a pretty small and are not as flash as some Leather Jackets...


Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2004 at 11:05pm

ive caught a lot on jigs...... with a single hook in the mouth admittedly it had lumo tube on it.........

the ones they catch in Aussie can be up to 18ins long and they have bloody big teeth when their this big.... you might need a wire rig or long shanked hooks.....



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Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing


Posted By: white delight
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2004 at 8:52pm
Quote: Originally posted by smudge on 29 June 2004

Well you got to give credit to a guy that sets out to target a fish rather than just dangles a line to see what he could catch.

I have only caught a couple of them, but I would think a smaller hook than even a 1/0 maybe a #10 on a ledger rig with a shellfish bait.... but why take advice of someone who has only caught two??

So ummm White Delight, do you get gurnard over there?


hey smudge...nah i dont think we get that type of fish...definetly not in my area anyways. we often get concentration of leather jackets, and you can tell when its one of them compared to a snapper or something cause they suck your bait right off.

i think there a great tasting fish ;-)

thanks everyone for the advice...i have found squid to be the most successful bait...might give them pillies another try.

cheers



Posted By: Joseph Lau
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2004 at 10:08pm
We caught a few at Shearer's Rock at the back of Tiritiri Matangi Island last week. They took salted bonitos on 1/0 recurve hooks on a ledger rig with pink skirt, one of those boone lure thingy that Lalandi recommended. In fact, that lure had caught just about every species that day, and it is still going strong after at least 6 outings...



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