Avoiding North West Blowies
Submitted by Ninety Mile on Tue, 2014-05-20 08:34
Cheers
Hi All, The past 3-4 months of fishing have been seriously frusturating with the large numbers of North West Blowfish. We predomently fish anywhere from 15-50m of water between Ocean Reef and Mindarie, targeting demersals using a range of baits and large Plastics etc. We just cant get past the blowies, they love any bait you drop down there and even beat the target fish to plastics.
Whats worse is they they even put up a very convincing fight leaving you in shock when they hit the surface, Even had one mimicking a snapper last weekend. Needless to say out comes the bat! . This Saturday was a complete disgrace, we fishing from 15m for snapper right out to 22nm in 48m in an attempt to find some un-plagued ground with no success, blowies everywhere. $200+ worth of fuel and bait later I am of the view we could have simply went to the fishmarket and had a massive Seafood BBQ.
So sorry to rant on but my question is, does anyone have a method to get past these bastards?
Cheers
Jarrod
outdoinit
Posts: 1009
Date Joined: 05/10/12
Mate I feel your pain,
By all accounts not many people that I talked to done any good on Saturday including us..
We encountered the blowies from 10 mtrs whiting fishing on sand right out to 48mtrs for dermasals and south to north along all our good spots.. We fish out off Jurien.
Just absoulte pricks of things..
One bloke said he son blew through a $120 just in jigs and soft plastics Saturday trying to get a feed..
VERY Frustrating..
I've spent half my life fishing.. The other half I have wasted..
Ben85
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 20/11/11
its a bloody joke out there,
its a bloody joke out there, I'm convinced spearfishing is the go these days. Waist of time negotiating with blowies.
lame
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 20/01/10
don't burley , once ones
don't burley , once ones caught move spots , larger hooks other than that were all doomed
Deleted
Posts: 6265
Date Joined: 26/04/14
feels like i get away from
feels like i get away from them sometimes with fresher bait
scottnofish
Posts: 1621
Date Joined: 28/08/07
Stop fishing on sand
That's are they mainly hang out, I've always found as soon as you drift of coral or rock ,weed patches into fine sand that's when you get the blowies
Xtreme Coolers
Posts: 725
Date Joined: 02/01/10
Definately a pain
I was out with Lamby mid Jan this year in Dunsborough and he got one on the squid jig. That feeling of seeing them come to the surface is heart breaking. Plenty up North as well and i can only say numbers have been on the rise over the years. Definately agree with Scott and Lame.
gav1970
Posts: 153
Date Joined: 12/02/07
On our recent trip to Port
On our recent trip to Port Gregory we were plaugued by them on a few days and lost a heap of gear. On one of the days a mate aboard the boat opened a tin of baked beans and only finished half then threw the rest overboard. An hour later and over a km away we hauled up yet another blowie and upon introducing it to the bait knife out flooded half a tin of baked beans into the water. I feel your pain Ninety Mile.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the night. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
uncle
Posts: 9491
Date Joined: 10/02/07
yep hate the feral things
they turn normal easy going people into raging lunatics, they can certainly ruin a good day out, your right I picked one for a snapper a couple of weeks back, what a let down
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
Dirt
Posts: 463
Date Joined: 04/03/10
unfortunately I think they are here to stay
Best just to move spots as soon as you hook one, I know it is painfull but it is really the only option as they eat everything, they really make a mess of your 40 buck demersal jigs wich sucks ass, its funny how people have different experience s on the same day. My mate and I fished on saturday and killed it, couldnt get away from the dhuies, we also caught to nice baldchin , pink snapper and blackass all on jigs, best day ive had in ages. Better still no blowies
outdoinit
Posts: 1009
Date Joined: 05/10/12
Glad to hear someone had a cracker.
Thats why they call it fishing I suppose..
Well Done
I've spent half my life fishing.. The other half I have wasted..
frog.hicks
Posts: 89
Date Joined: 11/02/14
Is it true that blowies are
Is it true that blowies are good Dhuie bait?
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
NW blowies
Move South East!!!!
Interesting that in Karratha fishing for 6 yrs I was lucky enough to NEVER hook one.
Made me think that they are more a midwestern fish because that surprised me. In Kalbarri fishing on my fathers boat they often was a pest.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Adam Gallash
Posts: 15652
Date Joined: 29/11/05
Nope
Nope plenty in the nw too, caught lots in ktown and exxy.
Site Admin - Just ask if you need assistance
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
I must have been very Lucky then
And Im not complaining one ounce. Specifically bought a brain bat for them. The boat never landed one, but fished fairly light 40lb leaders so might have been bite off's blamed on sharks.
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
agree with you Cransy
in all my years in the N/W only ever caught 1 down here they seem to be every where
Ninety Mile
Posts: 193
Date Joined: 17/01/12
Well I think its safe to say
Well I think its safe to say that if they are now eating bakes beans we are all in some serious strife.
Great to hear some positives experieces were had over the weekend. I have heard strips of NW Blowies are good Dhuie bait too but if theyre on the beans they will be into that too!
Cheers
Jarrod
fisharoo
Posts: 297
Date Joined: 02/07/11
Been catching them pretty
Been catching them pretty close to freo harbour lately while going for snapper. Hope they don't come into the swan system.
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Almost hope they do
eat all the small pesty blowies. Then at least a blowie would be fun to catch in the swan
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Versus
Posts: 918
Date Joined: 06/03/09
Caught one IN freo harbour
Caught one IN freo harbour not too long ago, on a maribou jig no less. Second time i've thought I had a big flatty on, only to be very dissapointed...
Ninety Mile
Posts: 193
Date Joined: 17/01/12
Impersonating Flathead now,
Impersonating Flathead now, next think they will be on the FADS... Hopefully this isnt the satrt of a much bigger problem for the future. No better than carp
Toby Roe
Posts: 118
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Already at the FADS. I have
Already at the FADS. I have seen them when spearfishing there
Ninety Mile
Posts: 193
Date Joined: 17/01/12
What a bloody
What a bloody dissapointment!
uncle
Posts: 9491
Date Joined: 10/02/07
sounding more and more like a horror story
not a smilie face
all aggressive fish love bigjohnsjigs
Karak
Posts: 111
Date Joined: 22/06/13
Is the North Western Blowy
Is the North Western Blowy suitable for Fugu?
woodywantstofish
Posts: 15
Date Joined: 11/09/13
Caught 1 done at albany in
Caught 1 done at albany in January off emu point. I thought it was something decent. Disappointing to say the least
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
caught some real stonkers
caught some real stonkers last week up at gnarloo fishing in both 38 metres right up to 120 metres
Nathan
Hutch
Posts: 2221
Date Joined: 21/04/13
Yeah pain in the ass.
Yeah pain in the ass. Catching plenty lately as shallow as 3m. Wonder if you chop one in half the others will eat it and die from poisoning?
doubleheader_king
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 08/06/13
My uncle, gaffs them when
My uncle, gaffs them when they are puffed up. Chuck it back then it scares the others off. Just make sure they are alive when you chuck them back. Worked well when I was kg fishing off duns.
Maxi
Spitfire56
Posts: 128
Date Joined: 29/07/12
Stab and release
Problem is if you release they come back and bite a few more hooks off.stab and release
doubleheader_king
Posts: 203
Date Joined: 08/06/13
Shallow water
Forgot to say that this technique usually will only work in shallow water, because they can't dive deep to escape.
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
On a good note. I would
On a good note. I would rather have a bend in the rod with a NWB than no bend in the rod at all. They have been fun on light gear in the past of Kalbarri. Remember a very quiet demersal day with nothing off note apart from NWblowies turned into some great fun with light gear, strong leader and a little single strand near the hook. Must have caught 30odd buggers in the school.
Was better than NADA. In those days it certainly wasnt C&R for the blighters, and I can remeber the "horror" on the skips fave when 2 blowies beaten to near death drifted into the drift anchor. He hated them so didnt want to let them even touch his precious anchor!!!
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
axey45
Posts: 1758
Date Joined: 26/11/13
Used to use north west
Used to use north west blowies for bait on the Mahi Mahi from time to time, caught on them aswell.
tim-o
Posts: 4657
Date Joined: 24/05/11
Maybe fatal torture and down
Maybe fatal torture and down on the release weight will scare their mates off
I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.