Swimming baits for GT

Ant86

Sealiner
Im off to Sodwana for 10 days with the boys in December. I have heard that the R&S is average at best but nonetheless we want to give it a go.

We will be staying at Mseni, so have direct access to the beach at night when we plan to swim baits for GTs and Blacktips.

Baits would be bonefish, blacktail, shad, spotted pompano etc.

Anyone have a "downscaled" swimbait rig? Most that I have seen are for swimming sharks, and the weight would probably drown the edible before het gets to the strike zone?
 

IWyk

Sealiner
By Blacktip's I presume you are referring to the shark variety and not the kingfish. If this is the case I would suggest 90lb clear coated cable. This will give you a chance to land a decent sized shark and should still give you a chance to hook a GT.

It would be better to target the GT's by only using mono. The bigger ones can be wire/cable shy. This however means you will loose any sharks that take the bait but it will greatly increase your chances of catching a GT.

Swim baits means free swimming your bait out only with hook/s attached. Mono would be the best bet as GT's like to patrol close to reef/structure. We use to use .55 mono, bimini double line, double figure of 8's to .80 leader, double figure of 8 to short 36kg biting trace, to a circle hook. Bridle the circle hook with dacron through the nostrils.

This way your bait fish lasts longer as apposed to having 1 or 2 J or trebles stuck into it.

Finding a rip current close is the trick to getting the live baits out. This way they do not stay in the shallow surf but get out to the backline where the big boys hang out.

Wave garrick/large spot pompano can also be swum out in this fashion.

Bonefish, karenteen, pompano, stumpie, shad, blacktail all make good swim baits. Keeping them in good condition makes then last longer as well. If you get your stuff set-up well and get them back in the water and rip quickly they last a long time.

Alternatively you can slide them out using a 700mm(not longer) slide trace using 36 kg line or 24 kg min.

Hope that helps. Tight lines.
 

Enigma

Moderator
Swimming livies for GT etc is a very productive and we have had a lot of success in Sodwana, Mabibi and Santa Maria.

Best way to swim the smaller fis is on outgoing tide on big grinder filled with braid as they swim a lot easier

Bonies, Stripped Mullet and smaller Kingie species are the best livies as they swim strong and far.

A long walk up north on the beach to the last of the banks is the best area for the Bonefish and target them on the banks with a chokka strip bait. Then if you get one move a bit more north and swim the Bonefish in an area without banks ie deep gutter with outgoing rip.

Reef fish are better slid as being reef fish they will reef your rig, Tjop-Tjop

We slide livies on 200lbs steel when fishing those areas as hooking a shark or cuta is a reality and I have no issues in tangling with a shark. If you prefer not to get into it with a shark slide or swim them on nylon.

Mseni has a lot of scattered reef so sliding a livie is better than swimming them.

The Jackpot for Blacktips would be a Pompano swimbait. (Like Crack Cocain for a Blacktip)

Your chances of picking up a Big Tiger are also good and night fishing will deliver Rock Cod, Concetina and Spade fish, Cave Bass, Speckled Snapper, Rock Salmon. In the day you have a chance for Cuta, GT, Greenspot, Blacktip Kingie.

Ineds you'll find there are Tiger shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Grey Shark, Giant Sandies, Honeycomb, Diamonds, Brown skate.

Yes fishing is tough but there are fish and if you work for them you will get them.

The problem with the time of the year you will be there is warm and crystal clear water, thus making night fishing more productive.
 
YIP

kan nie veel add nie.
al wat ek kan add, is dis ver loop dinge daai!!!!

there are people staying in the dunes/ behind it.

so when fishing up there, keep a good look out
 

Ant86

Sealiner
Wow, thanks for the info guys- definitely given me something to think about and work with.

Craig I will pop you a mail soon to sort out my reels, I'm still deciding on whether I should get a big grinder or multiplier.

My friend has bought a "Bait Cannon" which according to online research can put our baits out between 250-300m (we still need to test it, and hope that we survive the maiden launch lol). This has added an extra dimension and will hopefully procure us some good livies to swim.

We plan to fish hard as us Vaalies don't get to the coast as often as we would like. I would like to cross some fish off the bucket list so I will be focusing on GTs, Sharks, big sandy and rays.

Thanks for the heads up Willem, yip its a sad reality.
 

Ant86

Sealiner
Iwyk, I saw your previous post on another thread where you take the livie for a "walk" and have book marked it.
 

Enigma

Moderator
Best place to walk a Livie.... EVER is at Maphelane

Put him in at the Dunes and head off up to the river mouth......

If there are Gamefish there (or a Shark) you'll never make it to the River
 

IWyk

Sealiner
Second that. Another good spot is Vidal from the launch bay(normally a rip just left of the bay), north to the banks. Same story, if there are any game fish or sharks around, you will not make it.

We caught many sharks on this stretch using this method blacktip, zambies, hammerheads, giant sandsharks, GT's. Best aerial display by a blacktip I ever saw was on this stretch, it cleared the water three times during the fight.

Biggest honeycomb ray also landed on this stretch, 4 1/2 hr fight 3 guys on the rod, was epic. Ended up being bigger than the Chev C20's bonnet, it was huge.

SA record GT was also landed here if I remember correctly 55 something Kg, by a young Mr. Mallet(spelling?). We learnt a lot from them. Very nice people, humble, always willing to help and share information and they knew what they where talking about when came to fishing.

Eish those where good times!
 

TWIGGZ

New member
Thanks Enigma ((goodp_ for the light you've shead in this thread its been interesting reading about what would work as the best swimmers and what would be eatern faster, obviously, wave garrik bonefish springer and shad will be first choice _seal1_ but I see you mentioned smaller kingies would be chowed, just a question how well do they swim? and why would they eat their own type?thanks alot
 
its called the food chain...

they swim ok, their tails are made for it.
but.... being quite a broad fish sharks will eat them much quicker.

it all depends on the size of the bait.

also take note....go snorkel at cape vidal....

watch the schools of fish and take note that they are mixed....

thus gt's grow up with other fish
this is when they learn....cause they have been through the cycle.

this is also where they will come look for their food.

slender baits go down easier......for starters.

but normally they don't have a problem, they do bite very hard....crushing most bait fish.

I had a dead shad out once...... it was smashed to such a extent that the skin on the back burst open and the flesh came out.

it could only have been something with a crushing bite
 

Ant86

Sealiner
Wow, cant believe it's already a year ago

So I never got the chance to swim or slide a livey, simply because we couldn't catch any that were the right size or type. We ended up putting out bonnies and chocka that worked really well and we got a fair share of skates and sandsharks, got spooled on a Saltist 50 ;)

We saw hundreds of moonies, 3 spots and small kingies while snorkeling in the shorebreak. This year we have to figure out a plan to catch a few and slide at Mseni as there is way too much rock to free swim them. We also did a fair share of snorkelling in the bay and it is a way better spot to swimbait as it is basically only sand with very little scattered rock. We will see how things play out this year and try get a session in on the "main beach" early morning or early evening.

Gameplan for this year

1) Put out a grapnel and let it settle
2) Drop big bloody baits with the kayak or bait boat on the other rod
3) Then start to scratch for livies with small baits to put out on the slide.
4) Craig I'm definitely swimming something for a shark or GT on the popping rod you built for me, didn't get anything in Mozam worth mentioning on it apart from a 10kg King Mack that felt like reeling in a Rapala on it
 
Top