Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by AndyG on 26/7/2012, 10:06 am

This upcoming summer (After an imposed Hiatus for half the season that is) I'm going to make an effort to chase kingies off the beach. However it occurs to me that I suck at catching livies. I have baitflies, sabiki rigs ect yet still have trouble. Anyone have any tips to share on how to catch some livies?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by EditB on 26/7/2012, 11:16 am, in reply to "Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Catch them at the local wharf and transport them to the beach using an aerator system. That's going to be my plan I'm planning on using a 60L screwtop drum and using a 12v Keep-Alive portable aerator. Brenton Cumberpatch North Shore Surfcasting Club, 2012 Treasurer.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by racepics on 26/7/2012, 12:20 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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I've seen Chad catch heaps of them in the surf with baited sabiki flies. But first you need to get them worked up with burley. Then bait your sabikis with tiny cubes of skipjack. You can often see the baitfish right in the surf only knee deep. http://www.paniasurfcasting.org http://www.surfcaster.co.nz

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by EditB on 26/7/2012, 1:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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That reminds me of a similar trick using a couple of baitflies and using a softbait & jighead instead of a weight on a light weight spin setup. Brenton Cumberpatch North Shore Surfcasting Club, 2012 Treasurer.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 26/7/2012, 5:31 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Yeah smash up a pillie into bits, chuck it in the wash of the wave and set up your bait rod. While you get set up yellow eyed mullet, kahawai and alsorts school up and smash the pillie. Chuck on some bait flys, small sinker, baited with bonito as its oily and holds on good, and bang, you have live baits in less than 5 minutes every times no porbs Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by AndyG on 26/7/2012, 6:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Awesome, sounds like the plan, will try that when I can

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by GaryK on 26/7/2012, 8:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Berley can make it happen. One thing you will learn is just how many baitfish there are on our beaches. Keep an open mind on species for livebaits too. I have caught big snapper on live spotties and a 25kg kingfish on a live blue cod.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 26/7/2012, 10:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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The main catch is Yellow eyed mullet. They are gold.......... I personally wouldn't use a spotty unless you couldn't catch anything else. Places worth using a little burly andy and putty live baits out are Gissy port, anywhere with a river mouth like Maraenui. Just nice flatish water is best. Good luck Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by GaryK on 27/7/2012, 4:22 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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I did nt have anything else Chad so out went a spottly under a balloon. 5 mins later it was taken by a 6kg snapper. Made my day.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Wellyfisher on 27/7/2012, 7:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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How much line should a live bait have under the balloon?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by GaryK on 27/7/2012, 7:40 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Good question! 5m when after kingfish in deep water in my experience. Half the depth of water if fishing in shallows.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 30/7/2012, 3:03 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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If you are slide baiting. 1.5m if the swell is up a little, and up to 2.5m when it is nice. Keeping in mind that the fish will drag the mainline across at will. Off the rocks, 3m..... for me, when it is longer, it can be an issue under ledges when it gets out, or in the weed at your feet, but that is fishing water that is in the 3-10m bracket. Kingfish in close generally feed off the surface. Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by AndyG on 30/7/2012, 6:05 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"

Slide baiting is what I'll be attempting. Thanks for the recommended trace lengths too. I figure I'll start practicing at North shore/ Esk mouth, Awatoto and possibly Aropaoanui if it's still accessible there. Are circle hooks any good for sliding or should I be looking at other hook options?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by SNAPPA NAPIER on 30/7/2012, 7:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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I find Gammy 5/0 circle hooks work fine. Hook size dependent on your live bait . I prefer a decent size yemmy as a livey.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 30/7/2012, 7:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Andy, I would start off using beak hooks to start with, then after you get your style right, go to circle then. I personally like the black magic K/S hooks, yeah they rust, but they are cheep and are perfect for the job. 4/0 for small yems up to about 6/0. Arapanui has quite a few kings, esk has allot but most are very small. Awatoto also has quite a few, I would walk in from the ferry road end though, less rods. If you are serious about it, go to mohaka when you get a flat sea, awsome kingfish there, just wicked fishing. Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 30/7/2012, 9:02 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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I to would love to land my first kingy this sesson, i spend many a weekend camped up at the Mohaka or Whakaki, so thats were my efforts will be focused, what months are best to start targeting them?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 31/7/2012, 9:03 am, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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NP from November onwards is good. Best months being late DEC,JAN,FEB. Usually the river mouths are pretty packed with kahawai fisherman, so it pays to come back from the mouth about 40-80 meters. Depending on the shape of the mouth, thats the best spot anyway, right where you get the big back swirling eddies with all the good wash in them. The biggest secrete to catching livebaits at a river mouth is to catch them in the lagoon in the river !! All the big mullet sit in the still water out of the current in the river side. Just take a decent container with you and full it up and catch 5 at a time. Kahawai will smash a big yem too, but that is something you just have to put up with, as soon as a king comes along, wack! Off the beach, 60lb fluro is good, thick enough not to tangle, and light enough not to put fish off in the shallows. I would also look at 15kg mainline because they all tend to cross the river mouth and its hard working bringing them back arcoss on lighter gear as most local wont give a shit and will keep tossing their lures over the top. They are a fish that can be caught all day. usually the top half of the incomming is best, but they will turn up as they please. Cleaner the water, the better your chances. Top three spots up my way Snapper rock has heaps, I got 7 in two days earlier in the year. Most are not very big but it is choice fun, usually upto 15kg. Average size around 6-8kg Mohaka, this place has quite a few, not as many as snapper rock, but the fish here is much bigger. On the right day you can have the time of your life, my best fish here is over 20kg. That day I had a double hook up and could only land one but they were both huge fish. The average size is around 12kg Wairoa Bar, now this is a truly bloody awesome place to snag a kingfish, and personally my favourite. There is allot of water that pushes out here and the amount of kahawai life is phenomenal!! I have got kings over 20kg here also. The average size again is around that 12kg mark, but there is some whoopers here. Shot taken of the Wairoa bar, with a king on top of the wave Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Mark Roberts on 31/7/2012, 10:00 am, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"

I might try this off my possie to the right of the groyne at the Tukituki mouth. It's not close enough to the river to put me in front of the most fish, but I won't have to worry about other people fishing nearby. The beach is very high above the water due to the groyne, so a good angle for sliding when the tide is in. I could feed half of Haumoana with a halfway decent kingi.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Rex HB on 31/7/2012, 10:36 am, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Would you get lucky in late August September as the whitebait come in? The Kahawai follow and probably Kingfish too? Cant help wondering what Porongahau be like for Kingfish?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 31/7/2012, 11:20 am, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Water is to cold for decent numbers of Kingfish, there is the odd one around, but you have the same chance of a 20lb snapper, so they are quite rare at that time, although the ones that are around are a good size.......... At this rate though, the hard part is going to be getting clean water.. Parongahau would be really difficult, the surf type beaches are hard going, in particular that one as it has a high number of sharks that will take the live baits quickly. Also got big seas and decent currents to work with. Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 31/7/2012, 8:36 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Thanx Chad, i hope i can do those tips justice! sounds bloody good! I got the first 6 weeks of next year to go bush, im sure i can dedicate one of them to the beach, so fingers crossed i,ll get that reel screaming a couple times!

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 31/7/2012, 9:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Choice, hows the hunting been for you of late? Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 1/8/2012, 6:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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I,v just spent the last 5 and a half weeks up in the Makino hut in the kawekas if you know it. I droped a couple hinds for hut meat. Didnt come across any stags. I had a few possum traps out that keept me busy. You had any luck yourself?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 1/8/2012, 7:21 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Yeah I was down in Santoft the other week, saw a few samber but nothing with bone on its head in need of a bullet. Wairoa has exceptional hunting so it not to tough to get a few animals. Shot a couple of fallow in the weekend and Lewis took some bloody good stag photage. Has there been many coons up there? I see the price has just gone up to $130 a keg here latley. Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 1/8/2012, 10:05 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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oh nice. Bloody big buggers those samber! I came across a bit of sign in the pines while fishing down there one weekend, havnt seen one in the flesh thu. I havnt spent much time outside the Kawekas, other then the tararuas on a few roar trips. I can imagine the hunting would be pretty shit hot up your way. yea there is a few coons kicking around, it was realy my first time giving it a decent go, so im still learning from a bit of trial and error! I did two months in the omar biv area in the kawekas over summer, didnt do very well on the possums, but that trip was more about being in the bush for two months.Yea the fur is slowly climbing back up, it did get up to $145 few months back.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by GaryK on 1/8/2012, 10:47 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Bugger, forgot to check the price in Wanganui for you NIck. I blasted through there today.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Rex HB on 2/8/2012, 11:01 am, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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How much would one skin weigh?

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 2/8/2012, 7:07 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"

No worries Gary! I,v gotta find a few more coons before i become a rich man anyway. I only sell the fur Rex, which i hand pluck. I was getting around 16 possums to a kg of fur.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Nick HB on 2/8/2012, 8:20 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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is the fur more valuable when it is hand plucked? or do you just do it by hand because you dont have a machine? A man and fish wouldn't get into trouble if they kept their mouth shut.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by NP HB on 2/8/2012, 9:45 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Think it depends on who you sell to, but hand plucked fur generally feches a better price. but yea i dont have a machine. The guys that use poison would machine pluck, as the possums would be cold when collected.

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by MadKeenMatty on 22/8/2012, 12:57 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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Not sure if its big enough?? But may work for smaller livies, LiveBait Aerator Tank

Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?

Posted by Chad on 22/8/2012, 1:05 pm, in reply to "Re: Tips for Catching livies off the beach?"
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They are ok mat, I have the blue one. But I found a cheep pump from the pet shop, old chillie bin and modified to go in the back of the truck or bike the way to go. Look for an old beer brewing kit mate. Wairoa Hawkesbay Take Nothing For Granted