getting amoungst the birds with a kite

T

trevour

Senior Member
Hi guys. I have not flown a kite since I was a kid, but I've got 3 kites (small, med and falcon) on their way from Windsong. I have not decided on the ferry system yet. They are going to be used at Mazeppa bay.

April just past, we were at Mazeppa and there was a lot of bird activity ± 300m out, off the island and shark point and I want to drop small livies amoungst the feeding frenzy, hopefully to pick up a non ed.

Will the birds get entangled in the kite? I would think not, they have excellent eyesight, and would think they would merely carry on with their business avoiding the kite line?

Is the ferry system the best way to get a small live bait out, and possibly frequently. I want to try fish off the bottom, but below the surface where birds might chow them. Probably something similar to a balloon bait (balloon or float, sliding 1oz sinker on a 3m line and possibly a bight trace. Will this work, and what might I pick up on a lucky day?
 
T

Thunder

Senior Member
Firstly, what do you plan on targeting, eds or non eds/
Big sharks or med?
What kit do you have?
What size bait do you intend using?

Lot of things to decide on before just going out and getting a hiding!

I have done kite fishing and always targeted the bigger the better, so be prepared fot a good fight or a hiding!

See you stay in my area. Maybe get together and I can help you.

I wanted to sell my kit at one stage but not so sure if I still want to.

You can contact my on my mail at armour1@live.co.za

Will give you some advice if you want.
 
T

trevour

Senior Member
Torium 50's and absolute shark rods by Enigma combinations would be my heavyweight stuff. This post is specifically about dropping little live baits amoungst bird activity, and how best to go about it. Mazeppa has had it's fair share of tuna and yellowtail caught from the shore, and seeing the bird activity close to shore (300m), got me thinking I'd like to get a bait amoungst the birds, and weather or not other guys have tried with any success.

Big baits will also be dropped, but that's another post.

Thanks for the offer to help - I might just take you up on it.
 
B

burned off

New member
Ive dropped a 5kg bait n one off those feeding frenzies,the result were one very burned hand and getting reefed about 1000m out after 5 mins
The biggest problem at mazeppa is that the 2 most prominent winds are the southerly direction that would send your bait towards shark point about inline with tinys rock,thats fine if you get some height on your line and past the waves breaking on yhe side of the island,the other wind is the northerly direction(blows from kobinn)that would send your bait towards cable rock when you fishing of the island.Ive however noticed that during the winter months the direct west blows almost every morning at first light and when youve got a big kite like the falcon or mullers you can get a bait or two out very straight off the island.When i fish boiling pot i mostly only fish on the high tide because the waves tend to break closer to shore and even though the north takes your line diagonal to the shore you still land behind the waves,here the mullers kite(not my favourite) has really helped me to get a much better angle and get my bait deeper.Dont be scared to put a very long tail on the mullers when you start tacking it,i use the standard tail plus a 10m rope
 
T

trevour

Senior Member
Both the mullers, and the falcon boast tacking angles of 60 degrees plus. I know the winds you talking about, and yes, they are parallel to the shore, and the southerly wind is slightly offshore. I figured if I can get 30 degrees tack off the island and shark point, I should be able to send a bait out at worst square to the shoreline, hopefull better than that. I have no idea about tacking, but I am going to do testing in our local dams, maybe some of the sealiners can advise.
 
B

burned off

New member
Mullers kite is definately the best for tacking,it gets more unstable the more you tack it and it also tends to fly lower
Falcon and windsong kites are not really suitable for tacking,youll be lucky to get 20 degrees out of them,the best windsong kite for me is the 70 cm one with the graphite rods,its the most stable and you can fly it in almost any wind,i think if they replcace the rods on the 1m kite with graphite rods we will def get a few more degrees out of them
 
D

Dave Batista

Sealiner
Hey howsit willie how much bigger is the falcon than the large windsong kite and how does it pull compared to the large windsong? Also how easy is it to tack the mullers kite?
 
B

burned off

New member
Dave Batista wrote:
Hey howsit willie how much bigger is the falcon than the large windsong kite and how does it pull compared to the large windsong? Also how easy is it to tack the mullers kite?
Click to expand...

A falcon has a wingspan of about 1.4m i think.its got a triangler shape with a net in the middle,i think i showed it to you lasttime at gonubie,its the perfect kite for light winds like we had that night,the normal windsong kites need alot more wind and must pull constantly and when you get the light breezes you struggle to keep  your lines tight and tangle free,ive never had problems with dropping baits with the windsong kites except that night in gonubie and the only reason being that the wind was just not strong enough.Dropping baits with a kite is very easy when the wind is strong it only gets difficult when youve got a light breeze and wana send a big bait.

Ive fished with my windsong kites in just about any winds and ive never had problems,ive however send a falcon in the morning and when the wind picked up the wooden dowls snapped and i almost lost the kite.

Ive always struggled with the mullers kite,when its been tacked and you wana retrieve it after dropping a bait,nowadays i use the std tail plus a 10m rope and its alot more stable

If i fished east london more i would fish kwelera with the kite,either dropping the baits or keeping it on the surface(there must be some zambies hanging around there)
 
A

Ant86

Sealiner
I once made the mistake of trying to get amongst the birds on Clifton 4th with a kite ...bad fkin mistake, they were super pissed off ...
 
T

trevour

Senior Member
Sounds like I'm going to need a lot of practice - and perhaps a scarecrow shaped kite. I've also been thinking my little livie might end up in the wrong mouth/beak, and that's not a situation that I'm comfortable with.

How would you guys suggest practicing? I'm a little worried about being the kid who breaks his new toy the same day he gets it (besides versatility it's the main reason I'm getting 3 kites). I was thinking of starting on dry land, first just flying the kite, and then moving on to dropping something about 0.5kg, and depending on success getting braver and braver, moving on to tacking and dropping half filled coke bottles or bigger in water.
 
A

Ant86

Sealiner
trevour wrote:
I was thinking of starting on dry land, first just flying the kite, and then moving on to dropping something about 0.5kg, and depending on success getting braver and braver, moving on to tacking and dropping half filled coke bottles or bigger in water.
Click to expand...
Good luck with your new toys Trevour  ,  let me know if you need a place to practice - I have a neighbour that needs to be showered with your 0.5Kg coke bottle armageddon :raine
 
B

burned off

New member
trevour wrote:
Sounds like I'm going to need a lot of practice - and perhaps a scarecrow shaped kite. I've also been thinking my little livie might end up in the wrong mouth/beak, and that's not a situation that I'm comfortable with.

How would you guys suggest practicing? I'm a little worried about being the kid who breaks his new toy the same day he gets it (besides versatility it's the main reason I'm getting 3 kites). I was thinking of starting on dry land, first just flying the kite, and then moving on to dropping something about 0.5kg, and depending on success getting braver and braver, moving on to tacking and dropping half filled coke bottles or bigger in water.
Click to expand...
My biggest bait ive dropped with the ferry was a 10oz and a shad,the bait goes up to about 200m its very cool when you drop a bait from that height.

One thing that ive learned dropping the baits with the kites and dinglehopper is that the current is so much stronger out there and a big sinker with serious wire is needed
 
T

trevour

Senior Member
My poor little livie,he's gonna get caught, spend some time with his mates in a confined livebait well, then I'll introduce him to a slightly bigger hook than the one he met earlier, followed by flying lessons, and possibly some angry birds. Then it's time for a 200m basejump using a 10oz sinker as parachute.... And then comes his biggest problem.
 
A

Ant86

Sealiner
A general question/thought , has anyone hooked into an albatross during mid-flight before dropping the said livie from a kite ? WTF do you do in this circumstance?
 
K

kitefisher

Sealiner
Antjar wrote:
A general question/thought , has anyone hooked into an albatross during mid-flight before dropping the said livie from a kite ? WTF do you do in this circumstance?
Click to expand...

http://www.sealine.co.za/view_topic.php?id=37057&forum_id=82&highlight=gannet

Some info from back in 2010 ::S::S
 
T

trevour

Senior Member
That's 3 stories of guys sending kites to the birds, one with a big bait that no gull could eat, and it ended in a quick bite, by an oversized fish (not a bad result if it's big sharks you're after) and 2 stories that point to the practice of dropping baits (especially smaller baits) as being somewhat endangering or threatening to the birds.

Is it a practice that you guys feel we should abstain from, and something you may frown upon if you saw people attempting it. The fact that it's legal does not make it ethical. Or being a not so practiced form of fishing, perhaps we need more stories (successfull and problematic,) with regards to the subject. It is a very tempting place to drop a bait for obvious reasons, but so is a protected sanctuary.
 
B

burned off

New member
trevour wrote:
That's 3 stories of guys sending kites to the birds, one with a big bait that no gull could eat, and it ended in a quick bite, by an oversized fish (not a bad result if it's big sharks you're after) and 2 stories that point to the practice of dropping baits (especially smaller baits) as being somewhat endangering or threatening to the birds.

Is it a practice that you guys feel we should abstain from, and something you may frown upon if you saw people attempting it. The fact that it's legal does not make it ethical. Or being a not so practiced form of fishing, perhaps we need more stories (successfull and problematic,) with regards to the subject. It is a very tempting place to drop a bait for obvious reasons, but so is a protected sanctuary.
Click to expand...
Wat het jy gedink gaan jy vang as jy n bait so ver insit,n baber!!!

 
 
D

Dave Batista

Sealiner
Hey howsit willie, just bought myself a diawa 900h reel to use to reel in the kite. What line you rekon I put on it to fly the kite with?
 
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