Sightcasting to Yellowtail
- Thread starter Muffin Man
- Start date
Muffin Man
Senior Member
Bingo a BG is fine, I would suggest you spool it with Powerpro it is costly but it will last. I am not into all the different fancy knots which guys use to join braid to mono, I attach my braid to a swivel with a polymer knot then attach a piece of mono to a clip. Its easy and quick all you need to watch out for is winding the swivel through the tip.
Another tip always engage the bail arm maually give the line a slight tug towards the first eye then wind this will help to prevent windknots.
Gerhard I own plenty bucktail jigs but I have not tried them on Tail. I have tried many lures over the past few years and have found that there are days when fish will eat anything. In saying that there are lures that work today and what works today will not neccessarily work tomorrow. I now only use the spinners and plugs that I have confidence in.
Tactics outside of the Bay:
I have seen far more shoals of feeding fish outside the Bay than inside in the past 22months. Outside we have caught them on the surface in 138m of water at my marks far South of Rocky Bank. We have also caught them at Bellows, Anvil, SW reef, Herolds Bank, Groendam, Oliphants Bos and on Rocky Bank.
If you see a boil on the surface within casting range then nothing, if its not a Seal playing silly buggers, it is more than likely a Tail or a Katonkel. This is where teamwork comes in, Wayne will cast left and I will cast right of where the boil was. We will often cast a full circle around the boat if Wayne gets a follow he will say "Got fish behind me" I will then cast in that area but not ontop of the fish which are following him. If I get a fish behind me I keep dead quite go vas and say "oh there was obviously a fish behind me sorry boet". Only kidding.
If one guy goes vas other fish will follow the hooked fish these fish are often turned on from all the exitment so if you are a nice guy you can hold your fish and let the other guys cast around the hooked fish to get at the followers. With braid I have on occasions felt what I thought was other fish hitting the plug while it was protruding from the hooked fishes mouth, but I could not see it happening as the fish were still down.
I have caught Tail that don't even know they are hooked and swim straight to the boat without a pull at all. If you have friends like I do and you ask them to put the Gaff in before the fish realizes it is hooked they will hit it on the nose with the gaff just to make sure it is still alive. This results in your arms being pulled out thier sockets as the fish wakes up.
If you find birds working on fish and while you position the boat within casting range alongside the shoal the fish go down, watch what the birds do. If they lift and hover over the area the fish are still there but have gone deeper cast past the birds let your spinner sink for a couple of seconds then start your retrieve. If the birds move to the left with thier heads and eyes still focused on the water the fish are moving left. Cast ahead of the birds to the left and start your retrieve.
Outside the Bay there are also days when you find light patches fish moving deeper the same applies as inside the bay. Check where they are swimming to if they then go down out of sight go ahead of them on that line you saw them swimming go say 70 to 100m cut your engines and drift. These fish will often rise again on that line and you can have a go.
I never really worry to much about the tides when I fish for tail from the boat. I have found on numerous occasions that early morning you can see fish on the echo but nothing on the surface. Some of the other boats who fish with bait will be getting fish, we normally don't like being amongst other boats(I have enough stress at work). I will then go away from the fleet and drift and often from 11am onwards the fish rise wether this has something to do with the tide or not I am not sure.
If a fish has followed you to the boat and you have run out of water keep your eyes peeled on the fish and in which direction it swims then make your next cast in that direction.
It is important to have good crew. I normally only fish with Wayne(Beks), Alan will fish with us from time to time when the fish are outside the Bay and we take guests out on a few occasions. I let Beks skipper quite often so that he can get a feel for the boat, in the event of anything happening to me at sea he now has the confidence to get us home safely. You are only as good as your team when it comes to sightcasting the crew and I are constantly on the lookout for fish or birds working. I have in the past had a few sun tanners on the boat and it urks the living sh1t out of me.
Well chaps that brings this post to an end, feel free to ask questions and if I can assist I will. I will post pics of the fish we tag during the season. I have recieved numerous PM's from guys wanting to know what I charge to take people fishing. I do take guests out to sea quite often mainly on weekends at no charge. I enjoy meeting new people and if they can say that they have learned something or phone me during the week to complain that thier arms are sore I am happy. I have quite a few people waiting for a site but if you would like to send me your contact details via a PM I promise I will make an effort to contact you.
Those of you who know Alan (seeker1) will also know that he is a super chap with alot of experience when it comes to tail. I keep telling him that it is scary to think how good I will be when I have spent the amount of time on the water as he has. LOL. He has retired recently and him and I are planning to meet for lunch soon to look at the feasability of running a Tail Charter Operation. As I have mentioned before it is my plan to do this when I retire but at 38 and being a person who can't sit still it will be a while before I call it a day.
If any of you would like to make any suggestions regarding a charter operation or what you would be prepared to pay please let me know it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for all the positive stuff. Cheers Paul (MM)
Another tip always engage the bail arm maually give the line a slight tug towards the first eye then wind this will help to prevent windknots.
Gerhard I own plenty bucktail jigs but I have not tried them on Tail. I have tried many lures over the past few years and have found that there are days when fish will eat anything. In saying that there are lures that work today and what works today will not neccessarily work tomorrow. I now only use the spinners and plugs that I have confidence in.
Tactics outside of the Bay:
I have seen far more shoals of feeding fish outside the Bay than inside in the past 22months. Outside we have caught them on the surface in 138m of water at my marks far South of Rocky Bank. We have also caught them at Bellows, Anvil, SW reef, Herolds Bank, Groendam, Oliphants Bos and on Rocky Bank.
If you see a boil on the surface within casting range then nothing, if its not a Seal playing silly buggers, it is more than likely a Tail or a Katonkel. This is where teamwork comes in, Wayne will cast left and I will cast right of where the boil was. We will often cast a full circle around the boat if Wayne gets a follow he will say "Got fish behind me" I will then cast in that area but not ontop of the fish which are following him. If I get a fish behind me I keep dead quite go vas and say "oh there was obviously a fish behind me sorry boet". Only kidding.
If one guy goes vas other fish will follow the hooked fish these fish are often turned on from all the exitment so if you are a nice guy you can hold your fish and let the other guys cast around the hooked fish to get at the followers. With braid I have on occasions felt what I thought was other fish hitting the plug while it was protruding from the hooked fishes mouth, but I could not see it happening as the fish were still down.
I have caught Tail that don't even know they are hooked and swim straight to the boat without a pull at all. If you have friends like I do and you ask them to put the Gaff in before the fish realizes it is hooked they will hit it on the nose with the gaff just to make sure it is still alive. This results in your arms being pulled out thier sockets as the fish wakes up.
If you find birds working on fish and while you position the boat within casting range alongside the shoal the fish go down, watch what the birds do. If they lift and hover over the area the fish are still there but have gone deeper cast past the birds let your spinner sink for a couple of seconds then start your retrieve. If the birds move to the left with thier heads and eyes still focused on the water the fish are moving left. Cast ahead of the birds to the left and start your retrieve.
Outside the Bay there are also days when you find light patches fish moving deeper the same applies as inside the bay. Check where they are swimming to if they then go down out of sight go ahead of them on that line you saw them swimming go say 70 to 100m cut your engines and drift. These fish will often rise again on that line and you can have a go.
I never really worry to much about the tides when I fish for tail from the boat. I have found on numerous occasions that early morning you can see fish on the echo but nothing on the surface. Some of the other boats who fish with bait will be getting fish, we normally don't like being amongst other boats(I have enough stress at work). I will then go away from the fleet and drift and often from 11am onwards the fish rise wether this has something to do with the tide or not I am not sure.
If a fish has followed you to the boat and you have run out of water keep your eyes peeled on the fish and in which direction it swims then make your next cast in that direction.
It is important to have good crew. I normally only fish with Wayne(Beks), Alan will fish with us from time to time when the fish are outside the Bay and we take guests out on a few occasions. I let Beks skipper quite often so that he can get a feel for the boat, in the event of anything happening to me at sea he now has the confidence to get us home safely. You are only as good as your team when it comes to sightcasting the crew and I are constantly on the lookout for fish or birds working. I have in the past had a few sun tanners on the boat and it urks the living sh1t out of me.
Well chaps that brings this post to an end, feel free to ask questions and if I can assist I will. I will post pics of the fish we tag during the season. I have recieved numerous PM's from guys wanting to know what I charge to take people fishing. I do take guests out to sea quite often mainly on weekends at no charge. I enjoy meeting new people and if they can say that they have learned something or phone me during the week to complain that thier arms are sore I am happy. I have quite a few people waiting for a site but if you would like to send me your contact details via a PM I promise I will make an effort to contact you.
Those of you who know Alan (seeker1) will also know that he is a super chap with alot of experience when it comes to tail. I keep telling him that it is scary to think how good I will be when I have spent the amount of time on the water as he has. LOL. He has retired recently and him and I are planning to meet for lunch soon to look at the feasability of running a Tail Charter Operation. As I have mentioned before it is my plan to do this when I retire but at 38 and being a person who can't sit still it will be a while before I call it a day.
If any of you would like to make any suggestions regarding a charter operation or what you would be prepared to pay please let me know it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for all the positive stuff. Cheers Paul (MM)
kitefisher
Sealiner
Paul
Your plan sounds great and the feasibility will guide you as to the future of it.Just a simple suggestion,and that would be, that you try your best to make a video of one or two excursions,the quality needn't be ESA standard,but after a bit of editing you could post it on YOU TUBE with a link on Sealine ,that way you may capture the essence and adrenalin of your endeavours.
If it wasn't for motion-sickness,I would volunteer to be your camera-man
btw,brilliant in depth posting, cheers
Your plan sounds great and the feasibility will guide you as to the future of it.Just a simple suggestion,and that would be, that you try your best to make a video of one or two excursions,the quality needn't be ESA standard,but after a bit of editing you could post it on YOU TUBE with a link on Sealine ,that way you may capture the essence and adrenalin of your endeavours.
If it wasn't for motion-sickness,I would volunteer to be your camera-man
btw,brilliant in depth posting, cheers
Hello Mr Muffin Man, 
Tell me Mr Muffin which Shimano Reel do you use for spinning and the line thereon please. :fishn
I am trying to compare what the guys use from the shore as opposed to a boat application.
Thanks for the great post. Really enjoyed it. Looks like you have found your niche.
Thanks.
Regards,
BTTB.
Tell me Mr Muffin which Shimano Reel do you use for spinning and the line thereon please. :fishn
I am trying to compare what the guys use from the shore as opposed to a boat application.
Thanks for the great post. Really enjoyed it. Looks like you have found your niche.
Thanks.
Regards,
BTTB.
Muffin Man
Senior Member
BTTB I use Shimano Sustain 6000's spooled with 20, 30 or 50 Lb Powerpro Braid.
Muffin Man wrote:
If you dont mind me asking all these seemingly noob questions could I ask you if you use a different rod and reel application from the boat as opposed to a shore application.
I think it would be obvious that one would use a shorter rod on a boat, but would you swap from using that Shimano Coffee Grinder Sustain 6000 to let's say a Shimano 20 or 30.
In my own stable of tackle I have a Graphcast 5 (custom built and still waiting) which is a 9.6 Rod, but still unsure on what reel to put with it for a shore casting application.
Regards,
BTTB.
Thanks Mr Muffin.
If you dont mind me asking all these seemingly noob questions could I ask you if you use a different rod and reel application from the boat as opposed to a shore application.
I think it would be obvious that one would use a shorter rod on a boat, but would you swap from using that Shimano Coffee Grinder Sustain 6000 to let's say a Shimano 20 or 30.
In my own stable of tackle I have a Graphcast 5 (custom built and still waiting) which is a 9.6 Rod, but still unsure on what reel to put with it for a shore casting application.
Regards,
BTTB.
Muffin Man
Senior Member
BTTB I use graphcast 4's which were also 9.6 foot I had them built to 10.6 foot. I use Trinidad 14's with these rods.
Fantastic info being passed around here guys. There was a question earlier about doing this sort of thing off a paddleski. Has anyone tried?
The other thing is does anyone know if this sort of thing is possible up in the Eastern Cape, are there any spots where the tail can be sighted regularly?
The other thing is does anyone know if this sort of thing is possible up in the Eastern Cape, are there any spots where the tail can be sighted regularly?
FishExcutnr
Sealiner
you can do it off a paddle ski in the cape, when the fish are in the bay, but damm your arms are gonna burn trying to keep up with them 
Just want to say thanks to Paul for sharing this wonderful information, this man knows what he is doing as well as his partner Wayne who has eagle eyes on the water!
I was fortunate enough to spend a day on the water with these guys last week and it was a fantastic experience. I learnt so much about sightcasting to these beautiful fish, learing more in one day off Pauls boat then two years off our own!
Thanks Paul great info, take what he says seriously, he talks the talk and fishes what he talks, what is written in this thread can change your prospects on tail hunting forever.
Just want to say thanks to Paul for sharing this wonderful information, this man knows what he is doing as well as his partner Wayne who has eagle eyes on the water!
I was fortunate enough to spend a day on the water with these guys last week and it was a fantastic experience. I learnt so much about sightcasting to these beautiful fish, learing more in one day off Pauls boat then two years off our own!
Thanks Paul great info, take what he says seriously, he talks the talk and fishes what he talks, what is written in this thread can change your prospects on tail hunting forever.
Muffin Man
Senior Member
Cookman the answer to your question is yes. Cheers Paul (MM)