LEAD - LINES - AND KINGFISH...

[Stang1800]

Hi Gents , just after a bit of advice here !!!
Ive dug up ,out of the dungeon , a couple of lead-lines my father used to use ,back in the Mid to Late 70,s on the kingfish down at the Rip,here in Melbourne.....
I know they,ve been getting as few down at the heads lately so i will give it a go soon but ......
I,m off to Bermagui in March ,ive had success knife-jigging the kings at Montague Island but would like to try the lead-lines as well ......
My question is What lure do i use or can i use at the end of the lead-line ????
I know my father used to troll whole-squids or barracoutas back then ,but was hoping a lure / or strip bait would be sufficient
Tks in advance ........ Roger

[TheBream]

not sure of the leaglitys of it for rec fishos but i know that the pros do very well on them and they use live slimy macks

done it with a mate a couple of times and it is a real hoot

i have been told it is leagl in NSW but i never have checked
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[kingjig]

Please do not use lead lines.

1. There will be times when leadlines far out fish jigging and live baiting. This usually occurs when the fish are spread out. However you will still catch enough fish jigging or live baiting for sport or a feed under such conditions when the leadliners are killing it.

2. However such occasions in my locale (South Coast NSW) are usually the exception and not the rule. If you are proficient at using your electronics and positioning your vessel to present to fish you will do far better jigging or live baiting.

3. The weight of the leads crimped on the line takes all the fight out of the fish. When compared to fighting a fish on light tackle or jigging equipment it is far less sporting. Being a recreational angler one would think that it is far more enjoyable to catch maybe 5-10 fish on a rod then 20 on a leadline. The bag limit is 5 which is over kill in any case so I don't see the point in catch and release with a leadline.

4. If the fish are balled up leadlineing tends to 'split-up' the fish. As boats pass through the school pods of fish will break off chasing the baits. Quickly disturbing the fish. When jigging or live baiting the school will break apart at a far slower rate. If you keep one fish hooked on down deep the pod may follow you for hundreds of meters... (1 up, 1 down etc etc)

- As a side note you will do far better if you find your own fish and don't simply idle into the top side of someone elses drift and start pinching from their following pod. You will catch more the less boats on the school breaking up the fish.

Also the best way to learn is to POLITELY observe someone who knows what they are doing, look at your sounder, look at where you are, the current, the bottom features, the drift and rate, how to position in relation to the fish and then take this information and APPLY IT TO FINDING YOUR OWN SPOTS. You will catch more fish being a leader then a follower and enjoy the satisfaction of finding your own fish.

[bwana]

Use rubber squid imitations sweetend with squid strips ( as they do in Eden).
If you try conventional rec methods first and dont get a take by all means use the leadies.

They are legal in all states ,after all its no different to using a handline for flatties.

Regards John

[445f]

Leadline is easily as fun as a rod! I use live slimies or yakkas and if they are not available squid or cuttlefish strips.

I have been using it to catch 1 for a feed then i tag the rest. In my oppinion and from my experience, i catch more fish and release them in much better condition than if they were fought on a rod!

Go for it mate! Conservation is not in the gear, its in the anglers mind.

[CraigC]

The other thing about leadlines is that from memory the old formula was for a depth of 18m. Bwana can you confirm if that is correct please. So if using them you would want to be mindful of that.

[bwana]

Leadlines are made for the area you fish them , I have 3 different sets , 1 for 5m ,1 for 18 and one that can be lenthened for fast tides, people are always chasing the formula but thats not how it works
Much more to it than that
Regards John

[Peter35]

No expert on leadlines, but I've watched the pro's at Eden many times and the many of them troll lead lines. What I've seen, the majority use a very stiff - normally 4x2 timber - sort of horizontal outrigger across the transom that sticks out maybe 1.5 m from the back of boat, with a bungie line off each side and then lead line, trolling what I think are live slimies. The troll speed is a lot faster than I would normally think to troll live baits at.

It definitely seems to be productive. Although if you are sitting stationary/drifting on the school jigging or live baiting then its very annoying to have boats cutting backwards and forwards over the schools of fish. Its also incredibly annoying to have them hook your line and then cut it off, but hey it happens.
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[notfishandchipsagain]

Lead lines are great, just be careful around areas with huge current.
Seen a bloke get caught with strong current then lead lines wrapped around prop. Luckily was dead calm day so they drifted though the rip into slower water where we chucked them a line and towed them in.

[Fishbermi]

Most use Sauries on the end of leadlines and again this week with most pro's getting up to 600kg a day they still remain the bait of choice. Usually VMC9255PS in 8/0 or 9/0 or Mustad Limerick is same size ganged. A different hook like a Gammy 7/0 or 9/0 live bait hook or similar is used to pin the baits by some pro's. Many of our pro customers from Ulladula down to Eden also use the Mustad Tarpon in 8/0 or 9/0. Usually leaders are 2-4 fathoms at the end of the leadline, many use Shogun Ice Blue ion 150lb and we have moved some onto Flurocarbon with great results but they have to stay below 100lb or they crack too many of fbut certainly get more hookups on the tougher days.

Boxes of Sauries have between 70-90 baits in them and cost between $40-60 for 10kg.

Leadlining is a commercial practise, whilst we have staff that go out quite often with the pro's it is certainly not a sports fishing activity versus jigging, baits and plastics. Many of our rec customers are doing well just running a whole Saurie on a single line of 50lb Flurocarbon (about 1m) with a single heavy duty live bait hook like Mustad Big Guns, Gammy Live bait or Big bait hooks or Black Magis KS in 7/0-9/0. Leader to a good swivel with a 6-8 ounce barrel or ball sinker above it. You can trap the sinker with a second swivel above it and this will give you a solid handle to pull a fish aboard with also. You can drift or slow troll this set up without having to pull 20, 30 or 50 leads crimped on to a 600lb main line.

Cheers

Scotty
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