TECHNIQUES
By continually searching for and fishing new marks you will come across some quality fish. Here the author poses with a nice Scotchie.
Part 3: Ensuring success on the water By Craig Stubbs
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FTER reading the last two articles on this topic, you should have a relatively good idea of the bottomfish species we are looking for, the tackle we are using, baits we are presenting and a few tips and tricks to get started. In this article we are going to take to the water, analyse some structure and talk about how to position your boat and maximise your fishing time. Most boats are equipped with modern fishfinders, and a standard 600w skimmer transducer will serve you just fine for the vast majority of your deeper water fishing needs. If you can afford a 1kw “mega” transducer, then go for it, but it is not essential. On the topic of
transducers, location and fitment are paramount to reliable and effective sounding, so do your research and measuring before you drill, or consult with industry experts and get your transducer perfectly located on your craft for maximum benefit. A lot of “newbie” electronic users ask about the 50/200khz frequencies that you can select on the majority of units and which one to use for bottomfishing. There are some technical explanations, but basically the 200khz setting is best for fishing up to at least 100m depth, and will give you clearer detail. The 50khz setting will give you depth penetration all the way down to a few hundred metres, but what you gain in depth, you lose in detail and ability to read/reveal smaller details.
FINDING MARKS So, now that your tackle’s packed, traces are prepped and you’re on the water, you are going to need some “marks” to start fishing. I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t easily part with my prized fishing marks, and the majority of experienced bottomfishermen won’t, but there is a reason for that. It’s because they are gained from begging and borrowing and hundreds of hours on the water, bottom scanning and testing spots. However, what I will do — and most people would for certain people — is share some of the less secretive spots, and from there you are going to be on your own. Luckily that is not as bad as it sounds, as one can, over the course of a few trips, quickly start to
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