Rigs (Lemon fish, Smooth Hound) - <center>Fishing Gear and Techniques... and all that technical stuff!

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Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Posted 1193115964	#1

I would like to capture a few rigs (Lemon fish, Smooth Hound). Just after advice on what is the best rig, hook size, bait to use, and what time of day. I have tried Crab and Prawns before without much luck. Found them quite hard to hook.

Chad

Registered:1192940095
Posts: 16

Posted 1193119766	#2

rig, smooth hound, lemon fish are best fished for in darkness or on low level of light. best baits are cray fish, crab, prawn...... i use gammy 5/0 circle hooks on ether a running rig or long cast rig while fishing the deck . long casts are not necessary as lemon fish etc... come in at night to feed on crabs in the inner channels... best areas to fish are places with a high crab population, this will draw them into the area!, can be caught on flat sandy Beach's to shingle Beach's.... conditions doesn't really matter a hell of allot, most who have caught them will tell you the same, from big swells to dead Flatt seas, although i like a little swell running!! the color of the water wont deter them ether. best time of the yeah for them is Feb what area are you from mate?

Neil

Registered:1192851732
Posts: 26

Posted 1193120090	#3

Your right on track with the crabs and prawns for bait . I use two hooks normaly a 3/0 and 5/0 for crabs as the crab bait is often a pain to get a hook to hang out of .. One 5/0 in a prawn seems to work just fine. Circle hooks as well. Either a ledger rig or a pully rig seems to make little difference. The change of light and night hrs are the normal times but they are some times there during the day light hrs as well. I found that here in welly if the surf is up a bit and stirring the beach up the lemons can be in fairly close ... just behind the breakers in fact . When you do hook up hang on they are tough fighters Edit posting at the same time as Chad

Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Posted 1193125214	#4

Thanks for the advice, it seems my tatics have been correct. I live in Marlborough. Think I would visit a local beach one day this week, I was there on Monday and looked at the gut contents of several skates which were left on the beach. They were chocka with small paddle crabs. So before nightfall I might set a 'crab pot' and attempt to get a bit of fresh bait. Might still be a bit early in the year but have noticed a few summer species are already around.

Siwants2fish

Registered:1193204206
Posts: 10

Posted 1193204550	#5

Hi there stick with the prawns they'll work for you, i caught one from the wairau bar several weeks ago using prawns and that was early for rig down this way i also find that a running rig is better than the standard ledger rig aswell, where abouts were you thinking of trying your luck? The tides are perfect for the evenings at the moment which is primetime for rig down these ways.

Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Posted 1193207307	#6

Was going to try tomorrow, but the weather is good for diving in one of my favourite spots which happens rarely so doing that instead. I like the Wariau bar area but it is now far to busy. I have counted 20 odd surfcasters there over the weekend. So I would try one of the awatere or lake grassmere beaches.

Siwants2fish

Registered:1193204206
Posts: 10

Posted 1193211328	#7

Ok was just wondering for some advice i have had the most sucess at the saltworks near the pier but not actually off it for rig. Also with the Wairau bar head north towards the diversion and it should be less busy and is also more sucessful i have found.

Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Posted 1193217482	#8

Yeah, I was planning to fish near the saltworks pier. Maybe at the cliffs slightly to the north. With surfcasting at the bar, I have found most people concentrate around the mouth to about the reef which is about 500m to the south. I have rarely seen anyone fishing from the beach north of the 'reef' but south of the diversion mouth.

Carl

Registered:1192968992
Posts: 2

Posted 1193266381	#9

First post on the new forum, I like it Hi Thomas, I love Smooth Hounds and we get heaps of them here around the Wellington coasts. Gary Kemsley did a good article in the October NZ Fishing News which is worth checking out. He also did another one a few monthes ago. I'm personally not a fan of using prawns when after them, they have no where near the amount of smell as paddle crabs, the smell is the key ingredient for these strong sniffing fish. Get a paddle crab, cut off all the legs and top shell, then cut it in half and put a 5/0 hook through the leg sockets. A 3/0 keeper will improve the hook up rate as it won't get masked by a solid bite. I like to use a pulley rig with a lightish drag set. Good luck!!

Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Timbo

Registered:1192863486
Posts: 10

Neil

Registered:1192851732
Posts: 26

Posted 1193376434	#12

A good hard mono of 60 or 80 lb for these beasties as the fights can be fairly long and while they dont have teeth it stops the wear and tear on the hook to trace knot .

Thomasw

Registered:1192924667
Posts: 26

Posted 1193390596	#13

Been out between 5:30pm-9pm tonight. There was a southerly front blowing and it was cold. Had cooked whole prawns and raw shelled prawns which I tied on with cotton, but it did not last for long. Had 'something' pick up and run with a whole prawn (Reel had baitrunner activated). But when I started winding the reel there was nothing on. Decided it was to cold and dark so went home. I really must get a cage to capture paddlefish in to use for fresh bait.

Neil

Registered:1192851732
Posts: 26

Posted 1193391378	#14

Dont bother with the cooked ones ( unless your feeling peckish ) Make sure that the hooks point is well clear of the bait and if your using circle hooks leave the drag set on a firm setting . That way when the fish moves off with the bait (and lemons are not shy about this ) the hook will pulled into the lemons jaw.

Siwants2fish

Registered:1193204206
Posts: 10

Posted 1196666340	#15

This would be the species your after a 6kg one. It was caught you'll know where from the attached photo's and over a low tide surprisingly in broad daylight using a prawn as the bait and over the low tide. Based on bite times it was right on a major bite that it took the bait too. Attached Images

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