HB when to fish them???

[eddystone]

Hi all,

I have fished sp quite a bit over the last 6 months or so. I have only done a little bit of hb work and this was when it was a little warmer.

Anyways we are stilling getting some quailty fish down here.

Who out there fishes hb all year round and for those that don't at what time do you think its worth chucking on a hb??

I haven't managed a descent bream on hb and i'm keen to land at least a 35cm to fork fish!!

thanks
eddy

[wingala]

Hey Eddy,
From my experience (which is purely with yellowfin bream). The hb's take a long rest from april/may to november. That's not to say that I leave them all at home. In Sydney the water is sooooo clear and the big fellas are so timid that sp's seem to be the best. If the water gets cloudy or I'm fishing into the night then I will flick round a not to noisy hb, (attack or sneaky scorp) with a wee bit of lead 450mm further up the leader. this helps em get down deep and maintain a level swim. I can't help you with the black bream though.
The westerners should know

[breamfisher]

I mainly prefer to throw hardbodys in summer when they are real aggresive. In winter the bream become real sluggish and will go for a softplastic before a haedbody but thats just my opinion.

Jarrad

I normally fish HB on the flats and during summer when there is too many blowies to fish SP.

[PoddyMullet]

G Day eddystone (new graphics?),

Maybe I'm not the most creative/adaptive bloke, but hey perseverance counts some brownie points, so I'll stick with those hardbodies in winter. Might change to a bit more trouting during the colder months (some Vic trout tend to move up through the water column making it a bit easier for a flatliner), but will still have a crack at the bream on HB's. If not using those expensive shiny HB's, I kind of kick back with a lightly weighted sandworm or other bait. No doubt in terms of catch rate I'd be better off with the SP's some days, but I guess I'm a stubborn yabbie (without ever admitting to that!). Also read you'd landed some trout lately, nice one.

[eddystone]

Hi PoddyMullet,

I'm keen to give the bream a go on the HB but not sure if its really worth it till the warmer weather.

While trout fishing the other day i was testing a new hb for swimming action. After 10mins a 4lb trout jumped on!!!

I have decided its a good lure!!!

catch ya
eddy

[wingala]

Give them a whirl eddy. You never know what may happen

[troy-the-boy]

I used the hard bodies in Adelaide on the weekend and had some sucess where other people had trouble getting fish. I cost my self a good fish in the lst hour that hit doubled my Bream-Anator took a metre of line and spat the hook in what seemed like a second. I will learn to change the trebles after cathing half a dozen fish and a few rocks in future and might end up on the podium.
Troy H

[seacaptain]

G'day eddystone, I've been chasing bream here in sw victoria for the last year using both hard bodies and soft plastics equally with good success...For a time over summer I was only fishing hards using dan mgrath attack minnows in green, yellow combinations they seem a lot more aggressive when attacking a hard, a lot more exciting fishing imo... Anyway, thinking that the fish aren't as aggressive over winter I had only been using sp's and not catching much at all, so I gave the hards a go and it was sick, better than any day I've had in summer, quality fish and a hit nearly every cast, they just went off! Along the shallow banks and the shallow parts of the bends in 2 to 3 metres was the go...
Thats my experience so far with hard bodies, it may be just the way I fish soft plastics that makes me think hard bodies are better, I have only had 1 years experience so far so I am still learning the ropes but I enjoy every minute of it... by the way, does anyone else reckon that one hour in real time feels like only probably 10 minutes when you are fishing or is it just me........

[BenS]

Hi Eddy

Those fish you have on the East Coast are absolutely rampant HB crunchers, year round. When I fished the systems around St Helens at the start of the year, the fish were sitting right up against the bank under very heavy cover....not a big problem if you can cast, but a big problem if they will only take small sp's presented on very light leaders, with very light jig heads - allowing the sp to 'hang' in front of them - and in turn they get a good look at the lure (hence light leader). 5 hours, probably 100 hookups for only 10 fish landed and about 50m of leader material later, I resorted to suspending HB's on heavier leader. Problem solved.....didnt you guys wonder why a few of the systems fished slow at the end of Jan (Haha!).

I suppose my oppinion is that HB's should be used whenever you need an option and the Sp's arent delivering....

Cheers

BenS

[bunga]

Ben S,

Do you usually sound the alarm on your sounder for 2 meters in Tassie also, or is that only on the mainland?

Cheers Bunga!

[Traveller]

Looks like more Vic boys are joining in..................
How's life at Compleat Angler

[seacaptain]

yeah 2 metres aint shallow...

[eddystone]

Hi all,

I don't have a sounder so the 2 metre thing isn't a problem.

I have oppulled fish from shallower water!!!

Less than a metre and have seen fish pulled from water berly deep enought to cover them.

i'm gunna have to give the nb a boit of a crack.

eddy

[troy-the-boy]

Good to see you on the sight Scully. Bunga how did you get your nickname I think it might have been rather funny itself. How did you go at Tarree or did you only take the Eco's. Good luck in the Grand final Ben and good to see you rewarded your boater from nelson with a few pressies.
Troy H