COUTA TRACE- Live bait

[John F]

Nice info there dugong...

I like the look of that couta... staring right at you!

[nico]

I like the trebel to be in the middle of the baitfish or just forward of middle pinned near the top. (couta will attack the front of the bait more often than not)

Great post dugongboy!
 
Can we agree to disagree on something? In my experience, couta will most often attack the bait:
 
Most often: in the middle to back
Then: from the back or short
Least: head area
 

 
 

[dugong]

Without a shadow of doubt in the middle!!! (possibly 80% of the time) If I only had one hook it would go in the upper middle of the baitfish next to the dorsal.

[Prego]

Great post.

Have some cred.

How long do you usually make the wire from the single to the swivel?

[CLS]

Dugong, a question. The wire from the eye of the single hook to the treble/trebles do you pass it through the loop of # 4 bite wire as well ?? so that the trebles are attached to the bite wire (as most singles the eyes are not soldered)

[dugong]

@ Prego, I have always done mine about 1m as I don't usually use leaders for couta but some guys use only 15-20cms.
@ CLS, You have to go through the loop if not soldered, I actually solder them so that there is more freedom, it makes it easier when pinning the livebait.

[CLS]

Hi Dugong. Do you use normal solder ??? or silver solder ??. As I tried normal and could not get it to bond. The leader issue is a well talked about one on my boat, My brother dosn't use a leader (from old school) and uses longer wire as you mention, I use a leader with a short wire - last season we had about the same amount of pulls each (couta that is)
 Another question, does the colour of your nylon make any difference, I use pink and yellow, mainly so I can see where they lie in the water.

[benniejordaan]

Excellent post bud, Thanks!

[sea sick]

great post.

if i may ask.
why when down rigging do you put the sinker 10-15 meters before the bait?
can one not shorten this to about 450mm or trace length?

have you found, that if it's closer to the bait, that you get no pulls?

ss

[Prego]

The reason for putting the weight so far is to keep the bait presentation as natural as can be, as couta can be very shy at best of times.

[Timothy Scriven]

..also don't want the sinker too close to your trace when you have a Cuda on as the sliding sinker could aid with pulling your hooks out the fish.


Easiest way to do this is when wrapping your elastic, do so just above your knot joining your leader and main lines. That way the knot will keep your "down rigger" at the same distance from the bait.

[sea sick]

i do understand. Thanks.
Another question, on a 7 ft rod, how long leader do you need? And what lb, should the leader be.
My main lines are 2 sets, shimano talevera 20-50 lb, 6,6ft, grandwave 40, with 30lb, mono, and the other 2, kingfisher snoek, 7ft 7-10kg, spinning rods, paired with shimano sedona 4000, 14lb fire line and 15lb power pro.
Ss

[Timothy Scriven]

i do understand. Thanks.
Another question, on a 7 ft rod, how long leader do you need? And what lb, should the leader be.
My main lines are 2 sets, shimano talevera 20-50 lb, 6,6ft, grandwave 40, with 30lb, mono, and the other 2, kingfisher snoek, 7ft 7-10kg, spinning rods, paired with shimano sedona 4000, 14lb fire line and 15lb power pro.
Ss

SS - The purpose of the leader is to make the section before your trace "invisible" to the fish as well as to adsorb the shock from the fish's run.
I find that twice the length of a 7ft rod and three to 4 x winds around the reel to be ok.
This also allows you to have the Cuda at a manageable distance from the boat when landing as well as have some leader on the reel to adsorb the next possible run.

As for what lb the leader should be, kind of depends on the fish biting or not.
Like Q. Mackerel, Cuda are also sometimes skittish. So sometimes we need to down-scale.
I use 2 lb leaders : i.e 17kg & 22kg depending if I am getting bites or bitten off.

Main bite trace wire of No 6 is perfect to mach to both 17kg & 22kg.

[sea sick]

TS

dankie
i will then stay with my normal 0.70 mm leader

ss