[yellowfin]

So I’m going down to Timaru on Friday to spend the weekend fishing and was wondering if my baits are good enough to try and catch what I’m targetting

I’m taking mullet, bonito, raw shrimps and shellfish (which I’ll try and get tomorrow at Southshore Spit.) I’ll see if I can get crabs over there.

I’ll see if I can catch Kahawai, School Shark, Rig, Elephant Fish, Dogfish (yes, I’ll keep the good-sized ones, heard they’re pretty tasty if treated right) and I don’t know exactly what you can catch at the wharf but I’ll see if maybe I can get Barracoutas or rays.

Anyway, what do you reckon? Do you have any tips on the species I’m targetting? I’ve been searching on the forum and found my baits seem okay for the task but I just wanted to confirm. Don’t know if the shrimps will work, thought they could be substitutes for shellfish and crabs…

I’m also taking hooks size 4/0, 3/0 and 5/0 as well as sabikis. Do you reckon I need some bigger ones as well?

Thanks

Nicolas

[Miliwolf]

Shrimps are good for Moki, they are getting a bit small for Rig but I am certain a Rig would still have a snack.

Depending on the quality of the hook it is possible to catch big fish on 3/0 and 4/0. I only use 4/0 when targeting Rig. I would be tempted to include a few 7/0 to use with bigger chunks of baits.

[Fishy Bishy]

I wouldn’t go anywhere without some FRESH Baby Squid, Southern Bait Fresh Frozen is OK if you can’t get into a “wet” fish shop like Vancouver Fisheries or similar.
Squid is a good all rounder and hangs on when cast too.

[yellowfin]

Thanks for the answer until now

I don’t know about the squid… I’ve used it before and wasn’t very successful…. Might have a goal.

And yeah the shrimps will be used if I can’t get crabs over there. I thought I would buy them but found out they cost around 17 bucks for a pack of 10… Seems a little too much.

Do you buy them Miliwolf?

[Miliwolf]

I think you have King prawns not shrimps at that price. They are a good replacement for Crabs, at times they out fish crab but not often. I purchase shrimps/prawns but typically wait for a special… At times there can be large differences in price between different brands.

Squid is a good generalist bait, most fish would taste it. I prefer to present it in long thin shreds, often fish it on 3 hook flasher rigs. I typically leave the ‘head and tentacles to last or use them for burley .

[yellowfin]

Sorry I didn’t express myself clearly: I was talking about the crabs which cost 17 bucks at Hamills, not the shrimps

[Miliwolf]

I purchase crabs once from the Super Market but rarely seen them for sale. I catch most of mine in a pot off a local wharf.

[yellowfin]

For fishing off the wharf use Size 8 Sabiki’s and small peices of bait (Bonito or any sort of heart – Chicken/Sheep etc). Don’t bother casting out just drop down. I’ve caught mullet, warehou, terakihi, salmon, spotties, and red cod using this method. If you cast out further with bigger baits you can expect to catch dogfish and carpet sharks, but I’ve also had a stingray there a few years back. You can also catch moki off the wharf and around the rocks – use smallish hooks and shellfish, crab or prawns should work. Interestingly I’ve never caught or seen caught a kahawai off the wharf, but have heard people get them fishing off the other side of the breakwater. As for rig, school shark, and elephant fish any of the beaches south and north of Timaru should be good for them. Crab works well for rig/elephant fish but you can also use prawns and shellfish for the eles, 5/0 is a good hook size for both. For school sharks I’d use mullet and bigger hooks around 7/0 as you don’t want the small ones anyway.

[yellowfin]

Thanks guys

The thing about not catching kahawai often did surprise me… Thought they would be common around man-made structures

But yeah I’ll see if I can get those crabs and I’ll buy some 7/0 hooks tomorrow

Again, thanks for all the information

[fishforpot]

Ive just started using 3/0 , only cause the store had run out of 2/0 ….
I now use a 3/0 with a 2/0 as sliding keeper , until the last of my old hooks are used up

Ive never had any probs losing fish ….came close when a large conger bent a hook and fell off once beached ……

Just make sure they are sharp …..

Good value for money is K-Mart …50 hooks for $10 ….

[Author]

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