KISS
Over the years of beach fishing in my local area I have gradually simplified things to a minimalist state.
In WA we use a burley blob (float) to attract the fish. Flotation is necessary as we often fish over reefs.
Over the years I have gone from using pollard mixed with fish oil and maybe a few drops of aniseed to dry bread crumbs mixed with a little olive or canola oil and a few drops of aniseed. I graduated from there to bread crumbs with a few drops of olive or canola oil to bind and preserve the bread crumbs. A bucket of this burley lasts for weeks without deteriorating. The bread crumbs was the least messy I could find. I reduced additives to be environmentally responsible and to take out any risk of attracting sharks to nearby swimming beaches. I never clean fish at the beach as I don't want to put fishy remains into the ocean.
One of my favourite beaches is also a beach for walking dogs free of leads. I had a small raised table that carried my burley and bait, usually maggots. I also had a large white bucket with lid into which I put the fish as they were caught. The dogs would rush up to my gear when I was at the waters edge fishing. They loved the smell of the burley and have been known to knock it off my table. They have also been known to cock a leg on my fish bucket. There had to be a solution that enabled me to fish at the waters edged without worrying about what the dogs might do. There is no way I could leave my bag containing spare gear on the beach next to my table as the dogs would urinate on it.
Solution: I purchased from my local Compleat Angler store two plastic boxes with lids that thread onto a belt. One is small and contains my maggot bait. I use cryopacked maggots obtainable from my local tackle shop. Used to breed my own and thread them live on the hook. The dead maggots work just as well and I place these in the bait box with some bread crumbs. The other plastic box is larger and is for my burley, which has now become stale bread from home : easy and clean to use. Thus on my belt are the bait box and the burley box and a pair of pliers in a pouch. I have a bag slung over my chest for the fish thus eliminating the need for a bucket on the beach. All I need is my plastic PVC pipe rod holder stuck in the sand which is the only item likely to tempt a dog to cock its leg. My fish bucket and bag containing replacement gear are placed on a large high rock out of reach of dogs.
It is so easy to rebait and reburley after retrieving a fish and I can be at the waters edge without having to worry about dogs.
By the way the cryopacked packet of dead maggots is $6.00. I cut each packet in half and keep each half well wrapped in paper and plastic frozen in the freezer ready for use when the weather and tides are suitable. My bait cost for each fishing event to catch my 12 herring (the current bag limit) is $3.00. Pretty cheap along with using up our stale bread as burley. I learnt of the suitability of the stale bread from a fellow beach fisher.
This is my KISS solution. Hope it helps.
In closing I urge readers to lobby the WA Department of Fisheries to ease their total ban on catching the Southern Gharfish to 6 per person per fishing occasion. Did you know that the total ban won't be reviewed until 2020? My reasons for allowing the six per person are to reduce the risk of returning injured Gahrfish to the ocean. They are very fragile and shed scales when being taken off the hook They also often swallow the hook thus causing the need to swiftly dispatch them to get them off the hook. I am not putting dead and injured fish back into the water. It is polluting and could attract sharks to swimming beaches where I legally fish. If you agree please take the time to lobby those who control the ban.
May the Force be with you as you responsibly savour, with gratitude, the fruits of the sea.
GD
In WA we use a burley blob (float) to attract the fish. Flotation is necessary as we often fish over reefs.
Over the years I have gone from using pollard mixed with fish oil and maybe a few drops of aniseed to dry bread crumbs mixed with a little olive or canola oil and a few drops of aniseed. I graduated from there to bread crumbs with a few drops of olive or canola oil to bind and preserve the bread crumbs. A bucket of this burley lasts for weeks without deteriorating. The bread crumbs was the least messy I could find. I reduced additives to be environmentally responsible and to take out any risk of attracting sharks to nearby swimming beaches. I never clean fish at the beach as I don't want to put fishy remains into the ocean.
One of my favourite beaches is also a beach for walking dogs free of leads. I had a small raised table that carried my burley and bait, usually maggots. I also had a large white bucket with lid into which I put the fish as they were caught. The dogs would rush up to my gear when I was at the waters edge fishing. They loved the smell of the burley and have been known to knock it off my table. They have also been known to cock a leg on my fish bucket. There had to be a solution that enabled me to fish at the waters edged without worrying about what the dogs might do. There is no way I could leave my bag containing spare gear on the beach next to my table as the dogs would urinate on it.
Solution: I purchased from my local Compleat Angler store two plastic boxes with lids that thread onto a belt. One is small and contains my maggot bait. I use cryopacked maggots obtainable from my local tackle shop. Used to breed my own and thread them live on the hook. The dead maggots work just as well and I place these in the bait box with some bread crumbs. The other plastic box is larger and is for my burley, which has now become stale bread from home : easy and clean to use. Thus on my belt are the bait box and the burley box and a pair of pliers in a pouch. I have a bag slung over my chest for the fish thus eliminating the need for a bucket on the beach. All I need is my plastic PVC pipe rod holder stuck in the sand which is the only item likely to tempt a dog to cock its leg. My fish bucket and bag containing replacement gear are placed on a large high rock out of reach of dogs.
It is so easy to rebait and reburley after retrieving a fish and I can be at the waters edge without having to worry about dogs.
By the way the cryopacked packet of dead maggots is $6.00. I cut each packet in half and keep each half well wrapped in paper and plastic frozen in the freezer ready for use when the weather and tides are suitable. My bait cost for each fishing event to catch my 12 herring (the current bag limit) is $3.00. Pretty cheap along with using up our stale bread as burley. I learnt of the suitability of the stale bread from a fellow beach fisher.
This is my KISS solution. Hope it helps.
In closing I urge readers to lobby the WA Department of Fisheries to ease their total ban on catching the Southern Gharfish to 6 per person per fishing occasion. Did you know that the total ban won't be reviewed until 2020? My reasons for allowing the six per person are to reduce the risk of returning injured Gahrfish to the ocean. They are very fragile and shed scales when being taken off the hook They also often swallow the hook thus causing the need to swiftly dispatch them to get them off the hook. I am not putting dead and injured fish back into the water. It is polluting and could attract sharks to swimming beaches where I legally fish. If you agree please take the time to lobby those who control the ban.
May the Force be with you as you responsibly savour, with gratitude, the fruits of the sea.
GD
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