BAIT FISHING WITH BERKLEY NANOFIL

Yes, Berkley NanoFil has an extremely fine diameter, great line strength and exceptionable casting properties, all of which makes it a great line to lure fish with and since this line first came onto the Australian market I have been using it for chasing bream, flathead, trevally, tailor, kingfish and many more species with soft plastics, hard bodied lures, metal and blades.

What I already knew was that while using the NanoFil I was getting much more distance when I cast and there seemed to be less drag in the water. This was while using 1/8, 1/6 and1/4 once blades and jig heads that ranged from 1/32 to 1/8 once.

Berkley NanoFil has another use other than fishing with soft plastics and lures. You can use it while bait fishing.

The way I came about using the NanoFil while bait fishing was by accident. I was working on my boat installing a second lid and a divider to my live well and I decided to take the boat out for a bit of a run in Botany Bay to chase a few surface fish that had been working in the middle of the bay. When I arrived at the Cooks River I noticed that I hadn’t put in any lures or soft plastics, but I did have two outfits spooled up with 3lb NanoFil. So rather that drive all the way back home I brought a packet of frozen Hawkesbury River prawns and went out to try a get a feed of flathead, trevally and bream.

Now when it comes to bait fishing for flathead, trevally and bream I only have two rigs that I use. They are a small ball sinker that slides directly down onto the top of the bait (ref to rig 1) and a running sinker down onto a swivel with a leader of about one to one a half metres in length ( ref to rig 2). If I am fishing by myself I will use four outfits, but if I am fishing with a partner we will use only two rods each.

The sinkers range from 000 to number 6 balls and number 1 to 4 been sinkers (the size will depend on the strength of the current and the depth of the water), the hook size will vary from number 2 to 1/0 Owner circle hooks and the EBI Bait Holders number 2 to 1/0. The leader material will be either Vanish or Trilene fluorocarbon.

The knot that I use to tie on the leader (Vanish or Trilene fluorocarbon) to either the swivel or straight to the NanoFil is the single or double Uni Knot. I prefer to put in about six to eight turns.

On the day in mentioned I had anchored up and positioned the back of the boat at the edge of the drop off near the oil wharf and started to berley with a couple of handfuls of chicken pellets ( I have a two litre milk container full of chicken pellets in the boat). Once the berley started to take affect and attract the fish to my lines a few trevally, bream and the odd dusky flathead started to come on board.

Not a bad catch, even though I forgot to take the lures.

To give you an idea of how I go about bait fishing with prawns I will take you through a sequence of how I go about it.

1. Anchor up.
2. Start by throwing in a couple of small handfuls of berley.
3. Start peeling your prawns and remember not to leave any shell on.
4. Thread the peeled prawn onto the hook and make a couple of half hitches around the top of the prawn, making sure that you don’t go down below the eye of the hook. This will stop the bait from flying off when you cast.
5. Cast out the first outfit (rig 1) and just before it hits the water hold onto the line. This will allow the bait to travel out further than the sinker so that the bait will not tangle up with the mainline.
6. Put this outfit into a rod holder.
7. Throw out another small handful of chicken pellets.
8. Cast out (about 10 metres) the outfit with rig 2 on it.
9. Either put this outfit into another rod holder or hold onto it.

10.  Once you have caught your first fish, repeat the process over again.

11.  Berley, peeled prawn, cast, put into rod holder and wait for the next fish to come along and take the bait.

What I had noticed during this session, was that the ease and distance that I achieved when casting both rig 1 and 2. The next time you are out bait fishing, try putting on either a number 2 ball or bean sinker down onto a swivel with a one to one and a half metre leader or a 000 bal sinker down onto a peeled prawn and see how much further you will cast compared to using monofilament as your mainline.

 The two rigs mentioned in this article can be either using while fishing out of a boat or from the shore. You will just need to vary the sinker size to suit the conditions that you are fishing in.

Simple, but effective tackle box for fishing in your boat or off the shore.

Peeled prawns aren’t the only bait I use. You could also try using pink nippers, small strips of chicken, bonito, striped tuna, squid, mullet, yellowtail and garfish. Fillets of pilchards are also worth a shot, but always remember to put a couple of half hitches around the top of the bait. Otherwise the bait will keep on flying off in the over direction.

Rigs 1 and 2 will get you amongst the trevally when baiting fishing with Nanofil and the kids will think they have huge fish on.

Well, there you have it. Not only can you lure fish with the Berkley NanoFil, you can also go out and use the line while bait fishing.

Now if you have any questions about fishing you would like answered just send me an email gbrown1@iprimus.com.au and I will get back to you.

Also I will be giving a talk at two BCF stores during the month of February. Auburn on the 8^th and Taren Point on the 22^nd. Hope to see you there.

Check PFTV for Gary Brown’s baitfishing clips. How to get the most of Prawn, pilchard, squid, worms are all covered.