Catching big jewfish requires dedication and effort. Blokes like Forster Tuncurry local Chris Deland have done the hard yards and have amassed vast amounts of info on these iconic sportfish. Here Chris shares some of his secrets with Fisho’s SHANE CHALKER.
I STILL remember my first jew off the wall. It was a dark night about 20 years back, when my mate Andrew and I were on our pushbikes riding around fishing the wharves around Forster Tuncurry for bream and flathead or whatever else was around. We stopped off under the lights at the fish co-op and after a few throws with no results we thought we would move on up to the breakwall. As I wound my bait in, a just legal chopper tailor grabbed my hook. I was about to throw it back when a light clicked in my brain. I should the keep the tailor alive and take him up the wall with us. With rods over our shoulders and water splashing all over my clothes and bike out of my bucket we rode up the wall in the dark.
I put on a larger sinker and the biggest hook in my kit and threw the live tailor out. No sooner than it hit the water I was hooked up. I frantically yelled to Andrew “I’m on! I’m on!” with so much excitement I probably woke up the people who lived nearby.
My old Seascape reel had never seen a fish with such strength. After a fairly short battle, Andrew lifted the jewie out of the water (no gaff) by putting his hands up in its gills. At the time it looked as if he’d done it a hundred times before, but it was actually his first attempt. The fish weighed 13 kilos. Although it was more “arse then class”, I claimed it. The excitement of landing that fish and the sight of Andrew riding his BMX back across the bridge with this fish over his shoulder is still with me today.
Jewfish can become an addiction; they are a most impressive species for a lot of reasons and catching them land based is a great sport. I recently sat down with local jewie gun Chris Deland, a guy I know has had many encounters with these magical fish, and asked him a few questions on how to target jewies from landbased locations like breakwalls.
Q: So, Chris, what’s the fascination with jewfish?
A: It seems once a fisherman has landed their first jewfish (off somewhere like the Forster breakwall) they become hooked; most seem to be back up the wall on a regular basis after they get that first fish. Some come and go, some are there all the time. The breakwall is an amazing piece of man-made fishing structure that can hold an array of large fish species, but big jewfish seem to like to call the breakwall home. For me, there’s no better feeling than pulling a big jew from the wall.
Q: Starting with the basics, what should a person look for in an outfit to target jewfish off breakwalls?
A: I like to use a rod around 14-feet long so I can hold it out off the snags that are at your feet; breakwalls are a tackle shop’s dream – you have to be prepared to lose some gear. I use a big eggbeater reel around the 8000 size, although the old school Alvey is still a very popular reel as well as they make it easy to cast big heavy baits and hold plenty of line. I like to fish around 50lb mono so I can give the fish some stick when I need to.
Q: What is your preferred bait? How do you like to rig it?
A: Good size pike or large yellowtail are personal favourites, along with slimy mackerel if they can be kept alive. Large livebaits are the go for me. I generally fish the smallest sinker that can hold onto the bottom but with the strong tides at the mouth of the breakwall this is often a quarter pound and occasionally more. I use a short leader around 60lb with the large sinker just running free above the swivel so that when a fish picks up the bait it can run with it without feeling too much resistance. I use a single size 4/0 to 6/0 hook (depending on bait size) mostly but also use a two-hook snooded rig for the long thin pike.
Q: Catching bait from the breakwall can be hit and miss a lot of the time. I know you put in extraordinary efforts to get your bait some days. What are some of your livebait catching methods?
A: To spend two or three hours chasing bait isn’t rare at all. Some days I will put my boat in, go and jig my bait and keep it alive back at home for the day before fishing the wall late at night. Some days we will cast small minnow style lures for pike for hours to only get three or so baits but still keep them and make the long walk up the wall to have a throw. But with this said, some days the bait can be really easy as well. You never know! One thing I do know though is that if you have fresh live bait you are in with a good chance of a bite.
Q: What’s your secret to keeping your baits alive?
A: I use a fish tub with an aerator. We regularly change the water and always check that the baits aren’t dying. To have close to 20 baits in the tank is great.
Q: A lot of people throw large soft plastic lures for jews off the wall these days. What has your experience been fishing with these? What is your preference: bait or lures?
A: I’ve caught a lot of fish on the large 6” and 9” plastics. I found fishing the really large tides a good time to be throwing these. It is really good to have these on standby so if you don’t have any luck catching bait you can still have a fish; the softies are very convenient. But I am a lot more confident in a bite if I have good livebait to use.
Q: Ok, so we’re rigged up, we’ve got our fresh bait and are ready to fish. In a perfect world what would the conditions be like in order for you to be confident of catching a fish?
A: The best time I think to fish is the eight days around the full moon. I like light SW or offshore winds and nice warm water with a bit of colour to it. Jewfish, being ambush predators, like water that is a bit murky so they can surprise the baitfish. I always fish the run-out tide. The best time to have a chance at a monster jewfish is around the time of the mullet run. I always consider this to be the first cold snap after ANZAC day. Large jewfish are always around at this time waiting for this abundance of food to pass through their domain. I’ve seen jews blast completely out of the water while feeding on the mullet, an incredible sight.
Q: Everything is falling into place, we have lobbed our big live yellowtail out in the outgoing tide, it settles nicely into the eddy and the waiting game begins. What are the tell-tale signs that you are about to get some action?
A: I have a strong belief that if the fish are there and you have good bait and favourable conditions, you have a good chance of hooking up on one of your first few casts. You can often tell when a jewfish is targeting your bait; you will often feel it frantically swimming for its life; it gets all agitated. When the fish picks up your bait it’s really important not to strike too early. Many people get too excited and although it’s only a matter of seconds you just need to wait a little bit before striking. The bite can vary from something that feels like a bream killing your bait to your line slowly moving off. Often you will feel distinct heavy bumps before the fish runs off with your bait. When hitting the fish strike firm but don’t go crazy, wind into a second lift with your rod and all going well you’ll be on.
Q: How should you fight the fish?
A: Most big jewfish have around three good runs in them. If they head out into the clear water away from the snags it pays not to go to hard on them and to wear them out in the safe water. You have to always be ready, though, as often when the fish seems to have given up and is gliding into your landing spot without a kick left in them they have one last short run and can bust you off at the rocks at your feet. I have seen this bring grown men nearly to tears.
Q: So now the fish is beaten on the surface what needs to be done to land it?
A: Well, the most important part at this stage of the fight is to keep an eye on the waves. Fishing the breakwall at night with strong run out tides can be a recipe for disaster. Jewfish like the rough water; when the weather isn’t at its best, rocks are wet and slippery. Don’t rush things – no fish is worth ending up in the drink for. Bring the fish into the gaff on the back of a smaller swell; a good gaff shot will present itself if you are patient. Be ready to assist the guy with the fish so he can get away from the wave zone. Always keep an eye on the swells and remember that safety always comes first, always!
Q: I have heard before how fish will spook if a big jewie is lost, have you experienced this?
A: Yes, I find that if you’ve hooked a good fish and fought him for a while and he gets away the fishing will always go quiet. I think this wounded fish goes off for a sulk and the others follow, whereas if the fish is landed, another fish will often be caught. You may still get a fish after losing one but often you wish you had packed up and gone home early.
Q: You often fish with your twin brother Dean. Who is the better angler? Who has the biggest fish to date?
A: I think Dean has caught more fish than me over the years and he also has the biggest coming in right on 30kg. It’s always tough competition between us; both of us want to be the one who gets the fish. We put the long hours in and are rewarded for our efforts. To have someone there to put shit on you at 3am in the morning helps to get through the late night sessions.
Q: Do you have any interesting jewfish facts or stories you’d like share with us?
A: I like how unpredictable jewies can be; I’ve had them run right up into the channel against the tide and then come running straight back at me, making me think it’s got away, just to have everything come up tight again and nearly rip me off the rocks. I’ve had big fish that are unstoppable spool me. I have had small fish of 13 odd kilos fight harder than 25kg fish. Once you have set that hook you never really know how it’s going to go.
Q: Any advice for the keen angler wanting to have a go at a jewfish off a breakwall?
A: To get your first fish might take 10 trips or you may get lucky and get a fish the first time you go but one thing’s for sure and that is that you will never forget the first time that big bronze beauty pops its head out of the water and ends up in your hands. They are a beautiful looking fish, hard fighting, challenging to work out and on top of all this are a great table fish. They sure do tick a few boxes. There’s a comment often said that it takes 100 hours to get your first jewie and it’s probably right … unless you get lucky.
Q: You are the owner and head chef of the well-known Forster restaurant called Box Fish. What could you recommend to our readers on a good way to cook jewfish?
A: It’s important if you plan on keeping your fish to eat to bleed it out. I like to fillet the jewfish then cut it into generous size proportions. Grilled on the hot plate and finished off in the oven, fresh jewie tastes pretty good! A lemon butter over the fish is good or we do a Thai curry sauce to go over it also. Serving the fish with a fresh salad and chips at lunch time is a good option as well.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this incredible species.
No worries. Go get ’em, guys!
