hole, then there’s a good chance a bigger fish
or shark will also enter the gutter, be it
during the day or night.
We find the smaller mulloway are more
active along surf beaches during the night, but
the larger fish can be sporadic passing through
the gutter at any time during the day. Overall
we’ve beached most of our bigger fish during
the afternoon high tide, with action on small
to mid sized fish just before sunset and into
the night (even on low tide). Sunset is a prime
time to have a bait in the water for jewies.
Night time is definitely more productive
for sharks from the beach (especially gummy
and school sharks) with the full moon period
seeing larger gummies move inshore to feed.
Bronzies can be just as prevalent during the
day as they can be at night. We’ve beached
most of our big salmon, tailor and snapper
during daylight hours, so you can see there
are big fish options both day or night from
the beach.
It is easier fishing from the beach during
the day, for obvious reasons, and for safety
reasons we don’t like to fish at night when
there’s a solid swell running. Quite often here
in SA, the summertime onshore south
easterlies abate during the night and can
actually blow offshore (movement of air as the
land cools). It’s a handy phenomenon,
meaning the night time conditions are usually
good for fishing.Baits
There aren’t many fish species more cautious
than a large jew when it comes to feeding, so
offering the best baits possible is imperative
when surf fishing. And it’s surprising how
much bait you can go through in a session,
especially when crabs are on the march or there
are smaller pickers in the gutter.
When specifically targeting mulloway our
preferred baits include fresh fillets of salmon,
tailor, silver trevally or mullet. Whole fish are
gun baits as well – especially if alive but
otherwise fresh whole is OK. Fish such as
salmon trout, mullet, tailor, scad
or garfish are great. Fresh squid
heads and strips of squid are good
as well, provided they are fresh.
There’s little point using squid that’s already
starting to turn pink. And check baits
regularly. After about 10 to 15 mins in the surf
the bait is usually starting to take a beating.
Renew baits regularly if needed.
Sharks are less particular with their diet in
the surf, and will take older fillets or whole
dead fish that have been frozen. Aim to use oily
fish such as salmon, mackerel, trevally etc when
targeting sharks off the beach.Tackle
When beach fishing try to use the best tackle
you can afford – the surf environment is a harsh
one with sand and salt spray constantlyattacking your reels. For all of my big fish
pursuits off the beach, whether it’s for shark or
jewies, I run with two outfits. One heavier outfit
is spooled with 15kg mono and a lighter outfit
running 10kg. The heavier outfit I fish bigger
slab baits or whole fish, and the smaller outfit I
usually fish a smaller fillet bait or squid strip.
Whether you fish braid or mono off the
beach is a personal preference, but I find mono
more forgiving, especially when there’s a bit of
weed f loating around. The stretch of mono can
help a surf sinker to stay put when there’s a bit
of surge running through the gutter as well.
Having adequate length and strength in your
rod is important for (a) casting bigger baits, (b)
raising mainline above any shore break and (c)
fighting larger fish. You may get away with a
slightly smaller reel, but if you go for a shorter,
softer rod you may struggle. Good rod holders
are a must as well. I like longer versions for
helping to prop the mainline high.
When running the two rods, it’s a good idea
to stagger the casting distance. You needn’t cast
into the deepest section of the hole to pin a
good fish either. Quite often jewies and even
sharks will patrol along the tapering edge of the
hole, as this is where the bait will likely be
holding and the current is generally less.
At the end of the day though, the longer you
have a bait in the water the greater your chance.
It’s worth persisting even when the conditions
aren’t ideal, as you’ll never beach that jewie of a
lifetime by sitting on your couch at home.20 | fishingworld.com.au | March 2015
ABOVE: Jamie
displays the
end result of
a lot of time,
work and
effort – a nice
beach jew!
RIGHT: The
holy grail of all
beach fishos –
a qualit y jewie.COVER STORY: SURF FISHING
here aren’t many fish species more cautious than a
large jew when it comes to feeding, so offering the best baits
possible is imperative when surf fishing. And it’s surprising
how much bait you can go through in a session ...”
T