# Best way of presenting Yabbies to catch whiting?



## Robbo (Jan 6, 2007)

Hi fellas,
From time to time when I often go out in the yak to deliberately catch whiting, I sometimes choose not to use SP's, and so I take the yabby pump and head for the sandflats as the tide begins to come in. With the yabbies I collect, I usually just thread them onto a long shank hook by threading the hook point through the tail tip then again through the body and finally through the head of the yabby. I do it this way since the head is the most solid part of the yabby (they are generally pulpy and tear easily) and the hook finishing at the head tends to stop the yabby from slipping off when casting etc... the yabbies get a lot of attention from the fish, however my actual hookup rates are not that great...I do face a great deal of competition for the yabby from the nuisance toadfish that always hang around so what I'm after is a better way of keeping the yabby on the hook so that it doesn't get tugged off so easily by the little fish.
My question is...Does anyone have a better way of presenting the yabby so as to increase actual hookup rates? Do you use the line to wrap around the yabby to keep it more secure on the hook causing more aggressive action from fish to get it off? Do you use a 90 degree Aberdeen hook for better hookup? Any advice is appreciated :wink:


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## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

I'm a big whiting fisherman and the method you described is exactly the way I do it with great success!!
You've got to go and find whiting - they are a schooling fish and move around. Once you've found them, you have to move with them.
If you catch a good one, the school will be full of good ones!!!


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

yep thats the way i do it also. yabbies come off very easily especially in the mouths of little fish that pick pick pick! i find that the baitholder hooks seem to hold them on better, they don't slide down the hook.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Robbo same as you mate.. I use a long shank hook #2 Mustad 4540 1/2

Barb into tail thread shank through the body and exit between back legs on head, and no half hitch

Also try 25mm of red plastic tube, or a couple of small red beads threaded on line to sit above hook as an additional attraction for whiting


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## Sanman (Jan 1, 2007)

I like to use a short piece of cotton and wrap it a few times around the yabby. It seems to help and doesn't reduce the bites at all even if a few loose pieces of cotton are evident.

I usually tie a piece about 4-6 inches to the eye of the hook. That way you can usually reuse the same piece of cotton that way and its easier to begin the wrapping of the cotton around the yabby.

Cheers


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Mustard 9555B bait holder hook, Size 2 or 3 with about a metre of trace between sinker and hook. As small a sinker as you can get away with.

I just insert the hook point into the bottom of the tail and threat up about a centremetre and out again.

A bit harder to cast but it doesn't kill the yabby and leaves it free to walk around the bottom. This is a killer set up for big whiting and also works well for bream,lizards and grunter.

I rig unweighted yabbies in this manner and cast to structure along the river banks for big bream, just drifting along at th same pace as the bait and letting it sink naturally. It works for me every time, even when all else fails.


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## Robbo (Jan 6, 2007)

Thanks for the tips....you fellas have given me some great ideas and techniques to play around with now


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## Jeffo (Sep 10, 2006)

I put a small hook through the third piece of body segment from the tail & usually fish will little or no weight.

I have found this keeps the bait alive & have no trouble with hookup. I also take the nipper off.

Cheers

Jeffo


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## Biggera Yakker (Jan 25, 2007)

Yeah I forgot to mention taking the nipper off, mostly so that it doesn't bite me!!
I've had a few draw blood really quickly!!


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

I'm the same as Mick - a long shank hook through the underside of the tail, thread the tip inside the body about 1 cm up the body and out again. I do not use any weight as a naturally drifting yabbie will get a lot more attention than a weighted one.

I've also tried simply pinning it through the tail with the hook going straight through the back and out the underside of the yaby near the tail and not back up through the body - this also works well as most of the time if the fish takes 75% of the yabby and eats it, they'll come back for the 'morsel' left on the end of the hook.


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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

_*cast gentley!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*_


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