# Beach Live Bait Float Rig Ideas?



## Paulos (Nov 7, 2012)

Hi guys, after ideas for some easy rigs to float livies from the beach. Heading to Fraser in October and am keen to get amoungst some decent fish from the shore..

I've been watching a few youtube vids with guys getting spanish from the beach on live tailor and am keen to give it a go.. Might even try whiting or dart, something that might tempt a shark or tuna for some late arvo fun.

I'll be camping at the cape and also over at Awinya or Woralie and will have the yak which I would use to take the bait out off the beach so no casting or having to rely on offshore winds. I just want something to keep the bait off the bottom and to have a rough idea of where its at and when it might have been hit. Would most likely be doing this with a beach rod and Alvey or 760 penn live liner.

What do I use? Ballons? Will they be fine without helium?

Polystyrene floats? how big? What sort of rig do I attach them with?

Do I just leave about a metre of leader to let it swim around under the surface?

Any help would be great, will still be yakking offshore but this is just something easy to do while chilling on the beach having beers etc.

Cheers


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

There were guys at Fraser last year using a "non return slide" to deploy live baits wide of the breakers. They were targeting shark but were picking up spaniards as a bycatch (pesky bloody Spanish Mackeral :shock: )

These baits were set on the bottom and were quite successful, so probably no need for a float. Kite fishing would do the job of deploying a good surface bait too.

Paddling out through the surf is a tough job depending on conditions and to do it towing a line with a, presumably, large hook with a few beers under your belt is outright dangerous and personally I wouldn't recommend it. There really isn't a need for it, the gutters at Fraser fill with sharks after the sun goes down anyway and a 10ft lob of a slab of tailor into a shore break will see you connected, if its taking too long for the sharks to find your bait just wave a worming bag with some frames in the wash, this always brings them in, even in the middle of the day.

Here is a vid of the slide clips.






Kev


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## SLB (Jul 8, 2010)

well because you have the yak i wouldn't bother with the non return sliding rigs. just paddle your livie out what ever your caught, dart, tailor or whiting. Spanish are not that fussy and sharks even less i have caught so many sharks off the rocks and beach on all sorts of livies. Don't be scared with putting out large live baits either, I put tailor out up to 3kg even snapper but a tailor under 1kg, whiting or dart would be best as you'd cover tuna too. anything over 3kg gives you trouble as a livie most times. just go line, swivel then leader 1.5m and rubber band a ballon only blown up a little to you swivel it works fine and is simple and quick. just keep an eye on it so it doesnt swim in circles and tangle u up. with whiting use a smaller foam float as its less drag for a smaller fish and wont die, especially if there is wind. i'll try put a pick up for u later mate. there are so many other things to explain though but to hard here and comes with learning first hand. good luck hope u get a big spano or tuna, sorry but hate sharks and catch way to may chasing the other two haha


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## Paulos (Nov 7, 2012)

Thanks guys.

Kev, wouldn't be looking at any serious surf launches on the open beaches, especially not after beers. But couldn't see any harm in paddling out a whiting the 100-200 mtrs to the drop off of the west side at awinya or woralie to see what may be lurking late afternoon. Up the cape looks like a similar option too in the lee of the spit. Interesting that the Spanish would grab the baits off the bottom. We're they using sinkers or free swimming?

Slb, sounds like I don't need to over think it too much. Sharks wouldn't be the intended target but wouldn't say no if the others weren't playing the game.. Whiting fishing is fun but I want something that is going to stretch the arms and give a good fight.

The marloo wreck sounds good. Not too worried about noahs but sounds a bit dicey if a whaler or tiger showed up out on there on your own. Solo off shore seems like it would be safer on the west coast but probably no better actually.


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## Foxxy (May 12, 2008)

Try the balloons they use to make balloon animals.. They sit up beautifully but don't cause too much drag. Good luck!


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## SLB (Jul 8, 2010)

Paulos said:


> Thanks guys.
> 
> Kev, wouldn't be looking at any serious surf launches on the open beaches, especially not after beers. But couldn't see any harm in paddling out a whiting the 100-200 mtrs to the drop off of the west side at awinya or woralie to see what may be lurking late afternoon. Up the cape looks like a similar option too in the lee of the spit. Interesting that the Spanish would grab the baits off the bottom. We're they using sinkers or free swimming?
> 
> ...


i mean whiting is good for live bait if u by catch while tailor fishing. best bet is a live tailor, easy to catch and good live bait, strong and lives forever. Paddle it out and leave it just behind the breakers under a ballon where the mackerel and tuna come past and hopefully you'll be on, make sure u have a livie out on top of the tide too no matter what the time of day. hope u get one and post back here with how it went, be good to know. now is a good time for mackerel and tailor too.


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Good golden Trevs available down the west coast too, and paddling a bait out here would be a better option but would be tough trying to drag whatever you hook back over the drop off. You might be better off to actually fish from the yak in this circumstance. This side of the island isn't immune to sharks either and there is a story in the archives here somewhere of a pair of yakkers who were harassed whilst paddling this side of the island.

The Marloo is easy to find and is only 400m off shore, I've fished it a few times now with some mixed results. Some orchid beach locals spear fish it by swimming out from shore, so sharks obviously aren't a major concern for them, but I've seen some 8-10 footers just cruising the area so no doubt there will be bigger. In the Marloo vicinity on the beach last year the guys fishing the slides caught a 6ft shark which got mauled by something bigger on the way in, was certainly an eye opener seeing a largish shark on the beach with a massive bite taken out of it :shock: .

The water behind the surf is only about 6-8m deep so fishing the slides with a 1.5m trace would see the baits be able to get well off the bottom. This time of year the macs that are left this far south are bigger and will cruise and feed deeper anyway so a surface bait may not be necessary.

Careful up the cape too, have found some of the currents moving around the spit very difficult to paddle in when the tides running, it really rips up there. If you can time it close to tide changes you hopefully won't be so affected.

Kev


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## Paulos (Nov 7, 2012)

I'm heading up in the second last week of October right around the big full moon tides. Not sure what this means for the fishing but i'm hoping it works in my favour. Its mostly mid day lows which means early morning and late arvo highs which i think should be good to bring the fish in close at peak bite times. Not sure about Macs around then? Thinking I could be a chance on the west coast of early spotties? Seems like golden trevs are year round and also spanish on the east coast around the headlands. I know they move around but wouldnt be suprised if they are there, especially as the water would be warming up by then. Anyone know about Queenfish movements? They seem like fun and havent caught one before.


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## gbc (Feb 16, 2012)

I'll be back up there in September. We catch longies off the west beach. Hooking one on a surf rod with an alvey usually ends in heartache. The speed of the fish and the heavy reel's slow spin up time will always end up with the line popping at the reel. Use a baitrunner or a proper overhead reel for consistent results. Small balloons are the go. Rig them on a breakaway rubber band like a flatline. Poddy mullet is king. You'd be surprised how far you don't have to send the bait out 
Have fun.


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## Paulos (Nov 7, 2012)

Yeah I can imagine an Alvey would be interesting with the first run. Especially with the basic ones I like with no drag.. cant imagine palming the spool for something like that.

Here's the vid that got me thinking.. Looks fun to me.

[MEDIA=youtube]sA0Rw9lQtsU[/MEDIA]


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Paulos said:


> Yeah I can imagine an Alvey would be interesting with the first run. Especially with the basic ones I like with no drag.. cant imagine palming the spool for something like that.
> 
> Here's the vid that got me thinking.. Looks fun to me.
> 
> [MEDIA=youtube]sA0Rw9lQtsU[/MEDIA]


Those are the boys that were using the sliding non return clips up there last year that sparked my original interest in them. you can see the rig late in the vid when they drag the Spaniard up the beach and see the grapnel sinker swinging around also.

Get some clips and give it a shot, they are the key, I have a mate up at Fraser as I write this and he is using them to good effect, the mongrel keeps sending me pictures on my phone while I'm at work. Forum member Nezivic (Jon) has made some previously, if you're very nice to him he may be able to sort some out for you. I have a couple that he made and will be trying them at Moreton in the next couple of weeks.

Kev


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## Slide (Oct 25, 2007)

I work with one of those guys!


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## Slazmo (Oct 18, 2010)

Paulos said:


> Yeah I can imagine an Alvey would be interesting with the first run. Especially with the basic ones I like with no drag.. cant imagine palming the spool for something like that.


They dont call them knuckle dusters for no reason - thats why you go for a 650C5 or similar with a anti reverse handle and the spool does all the work - keep a bucket handy to cool off the reel if things get "heated".


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## unkeyherb (Aug 22, 2012)

I own and fished successfully with the non return slides. Have caught mulloway gummies and snapper, off lee breakwater and beaches at Portland Vic.

Cheers


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