catching them from the surf.
Sourcing fresh baits is the first part of the
chase. We aim to take around 15 whole squid each
for a full day beach fishing. That does mean a bait
fishing session or two prior to a trip, especially if
we are planning multiple days on the beach. If
squid are hard to source, then we’ll revert to
chasing whole salmon trout and mullet, but these
baits don’t freeze and present as well as squid.
Squid that have a hood length of around 20cm
are perfect sized baits, but sometimes we are using
squid of 25cm or more, and casting these baits
into the surf is no easy task. This is where rod
selection is important, as using a rod too soft or
too short will greatly affect casting distance of
these heavy baits. The minimum I would use in
the surf for chasing bigger jewies would be a 12ft
rod rated at 10 – 12kg. Anything shorter or softer
will compromise your fishing.
In my opinion, a 13ft rod rated at 15 to 20kg is
ideal for lobbing these bigger baits. Sure, it can
take the challenge out of fighting the smaller fish,
but you’ll be in a good position when that dream
jewie eats your bait. Even on this heavier gear,
fighting a big jew in the surging swell is never easy,
especially when they’ve taken a heap of line out.
fishingworld.com.au | September 2019 | 47ABOVE: Tim Werfel
with a mega jew from
the surf.
LEF T: Waiting, waiting
and more waiting.