Drumming Up A Feed Off The Stones

By Dan Trotter on September 24, 2015 in Other

Sitting here in the middle of a cold winter’s night, it is hard to believe that spring is on our doorstep.

For us lucky local anglers, this is always an exciting time of the year, and it’s also the last chance to get your shit together and have all your fishing gear serviced and overhauled before the new summer season of fishing begins in earnest.

For the dedicated amongst you, it’s time to replenish spools of line, replace rusty lure hooks, identify what’s been lost or broken and repack your tackle boxes with all the must- have items.

September is a month for couple of carefully planned outings:, one to the deeper 100 metre yellowtail kingfish reefs; another to the 30-plus metre snapper strongholds; an outing targeting John Dory on the near- shore wrecks or the deeper bays of the harbour; and perhaps an exploratory trip to find the leading edge of the early eddies of the EAC in search of big bull mahi mahi.

Off the stones, it’s a great time of year to focus on catching black drummer. Start by finding a foamy wash where the breaking waves drain back into the sea., Ideally fish the day after a big sea to catch really solid drummer, as the stirred- up water provides good cover for these omnivorous species to feed on injured or damaged crustaceans, cunjevoi and other tasty morsels. To target them successfully you will need an 8 to 12- foot, medium- to- heavy build, medium- taper rod. D, die- hard fanatics swear by an Alvey for its direct, one-to-one fighting capabilities;, however, a modern, well- made spin reel will definitely do the job.

Using a steady berley trail of stale bread from your local bakery, you can entice these solid brawlers out of their cavernous homes and into open water. Using 8-12kg braided mainline and a long leader of 30-50lb line – depending on the ruggedness of the terrain you’re fishing – tie a sturdy, short- shanked, smallish hook on and trial a number of different ball sinker sizes to find the optimum fit for the prevailing conditions. The wash will help keep your bait offering suspended;, when you feel it touch the bottom, lift it gently and slowly retrieve it back to the surface before starting the process again.

These fish fight hard for their size and will dash your hopes if you’re not quick to react and get the upper hand in the opening seconds of any fight. Keep the pressure on and don’t give an inch if you want success in this arena;, every battle is hard won and the rewards are simply delicious.

Black drummer are not targeted commercially and are prevalent along every rocky shoreline from southern Queensland to eastern Tasmania. H, having said this, they are a slow- growing demersal territorial species and local over fishing can occur quickly, so only catch what you can eat fresh and handle all the fish you release with care. While they taste great and provide a great delicious meal, although experience is has shown me that the larger fish are not as good eating.

Tight lines and big smiles, my angling friends, summer is on it’s way!