Does Ground Holding Lil Dhuies = Bigger Dhuies?
Submitted by surfer on Tue, 2012-04-10 16:36
G'day Guys,
Recently acquired our new boat and have been fishing (sounding) the ground off Garden Is (pt Peron). We've done a lot of miles looking for our OWN ground away from everyone else, to the point that we've probably been doing more sounding and driving than fishing. All of the spots that we have found produce undersize dhuies in the 200mm - 400mm size. We have caught dozens of fish this size (probably around 30 or 40) for not one size Dhuie. The question I have is do the smaller dhuies tend to inhabit areas were the bigger dhuies don't (or vice versa)?
Maybe the bigger dhuies prey on the smaller ones?????
We've been fishing dephts from 25m to 55m.
p.s. all undersize fish have released well with a weight.
Andy Mac
Posts: 4778
Date Joined: 03/02/06
Big bait = Big fish
Try upsizing your baits and hooks to encourage the bigger fish to have a go.
Generally dhuies occupy the same sort of ground no matter how big they are. You may find the bigger dhuies can (but not always) stray further from the safety of the big lump or structure you are fishing than the smaller ones. So maybe lengthen the drift a little especially if you see any larger soundings of fish on the sounder away from the mark youre fishing. 100m max but if you are only drifting 50m then you may be missing out.
Hope that helps.
Cheers
Andy Mac (Fishwrecked Reeltime Editor & Forum Moderator)
Youngest member of the Fishwrecked Old Farts Club
fishing fanatic
Posts: 809
Date Joined: 01/05/09
i have found that while while
i have found that while while diving you get big dhuie ground and small dhuie ground. not often do i see lots of big and little dhuies in the same area ussauly either just bigger ones or just small ones or just small ones with on o two bigger in the area.
surfer
Posts: 47
Date Joined: 03/05/07
Thanks for the feedback
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Andy we'll try some bigger baits next time, we typically do quite long drifts aswell (100m+).
FF, we have found it interesting that we've caught so many smaller models for not one sized fish. Was keen to see what the divers thought about bigger fish holding on different ground to smaller fish.
Maybe there is such a thing as 'nursery' grounds for dhufish???????
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
we must be fishing the same
we must be fishing the same ground mate???
not including this weekend, but in our last 3 trips out from G/I, 35-50mtrs we have caught 30+ dhuy and only about 6 have been size.
the size ones have gone from 51-68cm, so they are there, just keep trying and also what andy said, big bait=big fish
we use 8-0 hooks with whole califonia squid and large chunks of baker's,wrasse and other fresh fish baits on the other hook. also another secret weapon someone put me onto and they luv it, i would tell you but he will kill me.
also try a bit deeper mate, it work for us this weekend with a 10.5kg dhu coming home from 60+mtrs with out all the shit picker fish.
i have a rule on my boat that no dhuy comes home unless its over 60cm, i have let 2 smaller come in recently, but that was some freinds that have never caught a dhu before, now they have and the rule will be enforced for them next time.
with all that said, there has been many big dhu's caught in less than 40mtrs out that way by many members on this site, including ourselfs, so stick with it and keep trying
cheers
ron
JohnF
Posts: 2839
Date Joined: 07/07/10
We have had the most success
We have had the most success deeper than 40 m. Too many small dhuies and I would move to other ground.
Boston Whaler 235 Conquest......getting the flogging it was built for.
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
possibly you are fishing on
possibly you are fishing on some heavily fished areas and most of the size ones have been lifted.
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Dizzy
Posts: 753
Date Joined: 21/02/11
Hope you're wrong there
Hope you're wrong there Grayzee, as that would paint a pretty sorry picture of the seasonal impact Rec fishers have on sustainable fishing in areas / depths that are (were) generally known to hold big fish.
Sad thing is though, you're probably right ......
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
check the post troy just put
check the post troy just put up, the dhu he is holding come from 35mtrs behing G/I,
so they are there, you just gotta keep trying!!
Dizzy
Posts: 753
Date Joined: 21/02/11
Yep, they're there alright -
Yep, they're there alright - I released 2 @ 56 & 59cm in 30-40m Yesterday before heading out further and getting the big 98cm in 60m+, but from many reports the ratio seems to be weighted in favour of the small ones.
A "glass-half-full" alternative would be for me to say the demersal ban is working, they're breeding like crazy and the younger/smaller population is more abundant.
fisho-ron
Posts: 2539
Date Joined: 26/09/09
yeh mate i do agree, and it
yeh mate i do agree, and it dose seem the deeper hold the bigger ones but less off them.
allrounder
Posts: 1853
Date Joined: 10/11/08
I would honestly say
all our big dhus have come from under 35 m
So tell me have you got your info from years on the water or hours on the internet?
sunshine
Posts: 2627
Date Joined: 03/03/09
A couple of observations
Up until a few years ago even undersized dhuies were pretty rare off of that ground - now they are commonplace and given their apparent growth rates it shows that the fishery is recovering.
My last six trips out in the same general area and never deeper than 45 metres have all resulted in good dhuies - almost all caught on FRESH bait or eating quality skinned occy ...........the fresh bait being fillets of (or whole if small enough) western king wrasse - I even take a small rod and light gear specially to target them until I have a couple for bait.
And I avoid any large bottom structure as it has generally been hammered .........look for small flares on the sounder and do long drifts, mine are generally a third to a half a mile and often some of that is utterly fishless not even pickers.
Faulkner Family
Posts: 18089
Date Joined: 11/03/08
definatly sounds like the
definatly sounds like the dhuie population is on the increase. some good info there from all. best to just keep trying and as mentioned use big baits.
from most reports over the time it seems to be fresh fish or jigs that are doing the trick. dhuies love the wrasse, stop at the 5 burley up and nail some for bait then go and get the dhuies. pinkies also love the fresh stuff
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
fishfish
Posts: 307
Date Joined: 01/09/09
deep dhuies
Agree with fisho-ron , lately the dhuies have been scarse on our boat as we mainly fish deeper waters but when they do come up there generally all in the 8-14kg size with maybe a just size one thrown in some where and also agree with Sunshine we've been letting our drifts run longer and picking up some surprising fish you just have to be paitent and sit out what looks like flat ground in between { just a tip dont miss interperate your sounder screen showing no bottom structure, due to the cone shape and angle the transducer puts out }..
cheers fishfish...
surfer
Posts: 47
Date Joined: 03/05/07
Thanks for the replies
Thanks for the replies guys.
Seems to be some contradicatory schools of thought out there on the matter.
grayzeee
Posts: 2283
Date Joined: 09/07/09
Ha . thats fishing.
Ha . thats fishing.
If I spent half as long fishing , as I do reading this bloody forum , I'd be twice the fisherman I am.
Ryan Thipthorp (not verified)
Posts: 16
Date Joined: 01/01/70
Dhufish!
I have caught bigger dhufish with smaller fish but in general..........not too often!
Quote " we've probably been doing more sounding and driving than fishing"
Dont loose focus on that as I have racked up many good spots from doing the same!
Often the more smaller none descipt ground holds the bigger Dhufish where the bigger "or" more common spots has been fished hard so the biggens have been taken as mentioned!
I fish shallow most of the times ie 35-45m North of Rotto and fish the 40-50m South of Rotto!
All the best!
biggerfish
Posts: 669
Date Joined: 02/03/09
I have done a post on this
I have done a post on this once before i think and had much the same feed back but over the last few years i have noticed that it depends a lot on time of year we can fish one spot in the 40s at a particullar time of year and get double figure duhies consistently but go there another time of year and only catch hordes of undersize duhies its a matter of keeping a track of what u catch where u catch and what time of year. I know where they are now pity im stuck at work for another week and a half. good luck keepnsounding and fishing and cause u cant cvatch a fish with no bait inn the water.
Play hard fish harder