TRACES

[...kRiLLin...]

Wasup ppl.....I'm js highly curious, gt in2 an intense deb8 earlier with regard to trace and bait setup.....

When fishing from the shore, does different traces n bait really work for different fish? besides when targetting sharks....A buddy of mine made a good point when saying if he's hungry when he gets home at nyt, he opens the fridge, and the first thing he sees he eats......wouldn the same apply 2 fish? if they hungry and they c chokka 4 instance as opposed 2 their normal diet red bait hypathetically, they gonna eat it??

Please correct me if i'm off track or totally wrong, just a fellow fisherman lookin for guidance....

Cheerz

 

[camo shorts]

The tiny bit of success I've had I would say, I'd rather eat KFC than MacDs which I would just snack on. Always look at what the predominant feed in an area is and mimic it. It boils down to difference in gulps and nibbles. Our stone brothers sometimes only want prawn and a strip of chokka could be mistaken for a prawn, so gets swallowed, whereas bloodworm gets passed by. Couple of months ago I got to see and experience it first hand

 

[Mussle Cracker]

traces do make a big difference .. if you want alot of info speak to reefman i think he knows every trace possible and the use of them ...

if you use the rite trace for a certain fish you will be more succesful in targeting that specific species

 

[gallieman]

also bear in mind that fish are constantly on the move and on the feed depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
Therefore it is important to match the areas food source etc.etc.
for example everyone knows that galjoen like rotten red bait but, the galjoen at natures will klap your redbait anytime  whereas the galjoen at eerstes prefer worms.
and the crackers at natures will eat a siffie but the crackers at eerstes will take redbait.
Local knowledge of a particular area can icrease your catch rate dramatically.

 

[Marthin]

Traces play 2 important parts...

1. To present your bait as naturally as possible...
Example: The Cracker trace used by katonkel tom, everything is 10cm allowing a bait that should be on the rocks to be presented on the rocks

Thin running trace for fish that "suck" food such as grunter, steenbras and even stumpnose. These fish are not used to any resistance weight from their prey when feeding.

Certain fish such as gallies/blacktail etc are grabbers, so having a fixed trace for them is better as they can catch themselves. That being said in clear water i would rather have a running trace for the same reason as above...

Then there is flotation or no flotation....

Secondly is actually hooking & Landing the fish... this is where multiple hooks, circle hooks, flouro traces, thicker traces, leaders, short shank, skelm hooks, steel trace for shad or thick mono etc comes in.....

It's not as complicated as it looks and about 4 basic traces covers most of this and then you can adapt them for whatever you target for that specific day.

 

[skrops]

Marthin very well laid out.

personally I mainly fish with running sinker traces and just vary the lenght pending on conditions.

with regards to bait. in February 8 of us went up to Moz. between the 8 of us we took about R3000 worth of chokka, and not a single fish was interrested in chokka, red eye and sardine.

fish might come and investigate but will spit it out just as quick. I think fish will investigate anything that might be edible but will spit it out or swim past if they don't like it.

 

 

[Marthin]

Correct skrops...

We were standing at Melkbos in summer... casting anchovie, tjokka and pilchard till our arms hurt... nadda...

A guy about 50m from us started catching fish... after the 3rd one i wanted to know what he was doing...

Maasbanker... luckily i had about 5 in the bottom of the cooler box, and we started getting bites, and eventually a few undersize kob. So sometimes your bait is even more important than the trace, but if you have the right combination on the day it just works...

 

[Sculmaster]

gallieman wrote:

also bear in mind that fish are constantly on the move and on the feed depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
Therefore it is important to match the areas food source etc.etc.
for example everyone knows that galjoen like rotten red bait but, the galjoen at natures will klap your redbait anytime  whereas the galjoen at eerstes prefer worms.
and the crackers at natures will eat a siffie but the crackers at eerstes will take redbait.
Local knowledge of a particular area can icrease your catch rate dramatically.

"and the crackers at natures will eat a siffie" - now how would you know that seeing that siffies are illegal?

 

[gallieman]

One guy here at natures  uses only a 3oz ball sinker sliding freely above the6/0 hook
for cracker .
as marthin said earlier the cracker will look for his food on the rocks.
With this method you have many advantages :
1. you can cast very easily and probaply get mare distance with such a small rig(no swivels ,sinker line or hook line)
2. the bait and sinker settle together on the reef and thus you dont have a loose hook line drifting and getting caught up on the reef.
3. When the fish takes the bait it can slide freely offering no resistance to the fish.

The proof is in the pudding...... After months of struggling to catch a cracker with conventional rigs , this guy changed to this technique and on his first cast with the ball sinker rig caught his first cracker of 16 kg!!!!!!!!!

 

[gallieman]

siffies have only been illegal for a few years now thanx to all the perly poaching.
In fact thats why they were made iilegal because the dof poachers were starting to feed the chink market with siffies as well even though its a totally different specie.

With all due respect I no how to tell the differnce between a siffie and a abalone
and if I use one or two siffies to try for a cracker I definately dont feel guilty!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kaspaas]

Its true fish's preferences differ from spot to spot. It can even change from day to day at the same spot. This is why one should really take the more scientific approach and actually take the effort to make notes of prevailing weather conditions everytime you go out. Changes in specific conditions might not be apparent if you don't check factors such as water temperature, water clarity, time of day, tide, etc. If you do take the effort to make notes you will eventually build up a history and certain patterns will become apparent. From these tendencies/patterns you might well be able to establish which baits and even traces worked better under certain conditions at specific fishing spots.

I heard somewhere that 20% of the anglers catch 80% of the fish. The other 80% only catch the remaining 20% of the fish caught. Taking diligent notes is probably one factor contributing to a serious angler's success rate.

 

[...kRiLLin...]

Thanks for all the tips gents....much appreciated! i will take all the facts mentioned into consideration......thank u very much 2 all those who've replied!
Cheerz!!

 

[misguide]

krillin,

Good topic!

Even though a steak maybe your favourite you will still eat other food. Even though you don't like salad - if you really hungry you will eat it. This si true to an extent - I have never seen a cow eating meat before. Bronze Bream (Blue Fish) for example eat seaweed - the only reason they have a go at prawn, chokka, sard etc is because they are inquisitive!

This is the great part of fishing - it is not an exact science. Just when you think you have a theory "taped" something or someone will prove you wrong. I do belive that the theory will work 80% of the time and then there is that 20% of pue "luck" to destroy all theory! The same applies to the guys with the knowledge of fish habitats and feeding habits - 20% of the anglers catch 80% of the fish and visa versa. I agree with kaspaas view of the percentages ..... 100% (no pun intended...LOL)
I believe you must have a basic knowledge of the fish you are targeting, habitat, feeding habits, food preference (natural), suitable time of year, water temp etc.

There is no point in going to fish for a Bronze Bream with an 8/0 hook with steel wire and a whole sard.
To say that it is impossible to catch a Bronze Bream with that trace and bait is not true, but your chances are very slim.

 

[Marthin]

to make it more interesting....

Go to Ishaka in Durban, then watch the musselcrackers bump the stumpnose out of the way to be first in line for the ..... wait for it....

LETTUCE!!!!!!!!

 

[Whaler]

Sculmaster wrote:

gallieman wrote:

also bear in mind that fish are constantly on the move and on the feed depending on the prevailing weather conditions.
Therefore it is important to match the areas food source etc.etc.
for example everyone knows that galjoen like rotten red bait but, the galjoen at natures will klap your redbait anytime  whereas the galjoen at eerstes prefer worms.
and the crackers at natures will eat a siffie but the crackers at eerstes will take redbait.
Local knowledge of a particular area can icrease your catch rate dramatically.

"and the crackers at natures will eat a siffie" - now how would you know that seeing that siffies are illegal?

If you know were to cast you hook the siffie by mistake and then you wait...nothing wrong with that?

 

[kaspaas]

Eish, ons is darem blerrie slim en witty op hierdie forum! ha ha.

Anyway, I recall my grandfather many years ago catching a shad at Salt Rock, Natal on an orange peel when they were really in a feeding frenzy! He wanted to make a point about the fish sometimes going for anything that moves. As they say: It's not impossible, only bloody improbable!

 

[JJ Pienaar]

Like for instance my bally catching grey after grey after grey on crackershrimp in Ritchards bay  Bay on 8pound line and a small Kp off his boat ... he used a 1/0 baitholder and he didnt get bitten off once! no wire nothing, his biggest grey Shark caugt one  year he  caught off North pier in the 80z was on a sealice  and a 4/0 hook  NO WIRE ,   makes you think..... Rice flieds use to be so thick with greys he got 68 in one houre no jokes, on mullet head with a small piece on bonito cutlet on the side of the mullet head... did i mention that the guy next to him from a other club was useing fresh makrel that was caught the same day and that guy didnt get one pull... my bally finaly gave the guy some mullet the club captain saw this and he got in so much k@k ... any way if the fish are there and you have the right flavor and they c your bait first you gona go tight quick quick... now a days we use 200pnd wire to catch sharks, back in the day 60pnd wire  was realy heavy takle .45 etc ... they never fished with .55 because if you get stuck in the rocks to part off is a mission and dangerous because you pull it so hard by the time it parts you'll c your back sides  on the rocks... fishing is a unpridctable sport and thats the way i like it ....