Fishing Victoria Forum

What are the most common reasons that the fish/squid that you have caught gets lost at the boat/pier/shore/bank/beach?

1) The hook falls out, this can because it is blunt, breaks, or the fish wears a hole in it's mouth. Letting the line go slack increases the chances of this happening. Also having your drag setting on your fishing reel set too tight.

2) Your knot comes undone. This has happened to me, I bought some whiting whackers, I would get a strike then nothing as the knots failed in this rig. Sometimes the knots I tie are not up to the job.

3) The line or leader breaks. This could because it was not heavy enough for the job, or you unexpectedly catch a much larger fish, like a gummy shark on whiting gear. The line or leader, might have a small nick in it or a knot that weakens the line. When fishing at Marlo we were catching Bream and Luderick, and after each fish we would change the leader, because it was chaffed on the rocks.

4) Trying to used the rod and line to lift a heavy fish onto the pier or in the boat. Either the hook pulls, the knots give way or the line breaks.

Landing fish such as salmon or shark on the surf beaches needs a little different approach. With salmon, the technique is too wait until a wave breaks and rolls up the beach, this is the time to wind your line in and stop as soon as the water recedes. The receding water increases drag pressure and there by increases the chances of loosing your fish, with either a broken line, knot or simply a pulled hook.

Larger sharks, particularly the toothy variety a gaff is essential, it keeps you away from the teeth. Try and gaff the shark in the mouth, this way you can let it go if you desire.

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Landing your catch onto the pier.


The first and most common method, is to just lift your catch onto the pier using the fishing line/rod. This works well for small species such as Garfish and Mullet. Not a good idea to use this method if you have graphite rod. High sticking your rod will break your graphite rod.

It works for small squid, small pinkies and salmon.

Another method to use if your catch is large, is to walk it along the pier to the beach.

Using a long handle net, the handle must be long enough to reach the water, some piers have landings that are closer to the water level. Nets design for boaties are of no use.

Another method is to use a hoop net that is design to catch cray fish, so you lower it on a rope into the water and guide your catch into it. This method works well on Flinders pier as there is large distance between the top of the pier and the water level.

The next method is to use a gaff, again a long handle is essential. This is perhaps better for large species of fish. There are a number of different gaffs, there are ones fixed to the handle, the flying gaff, where the handle is used to put the gaff in and then the gaff head comes off, you must remember to hang onto the rope attached to the gaff head. Another style of gaff is mainly used from cliff tops and it is attached to a very long rope.

For squid, there is a gaff designed to be used. When they first were available prices were about $300 ( I think). Now there are much cheaper models for about $50. Again this comes in varying lengths and it is telescopic.

Top info Wolly! This is the kind of thing a lot of people, especially beginners don't think about until too late. You always need to be prepared as if you are going to catch the big one or you get super disappointed when you finally do and can't land it.

Funny you mention gummies on whiting gear, I have landed a few reasonable gummies on whiting gear and it's heart in the mouth stuff haha

Wolly Bugger wrote: Another method to use if your catch is large, is to walk it along the pier to the beach.

Just a note on this, don't be too hasty to drag the fish to the beach. Just do it gently, the hooks can pull pretty easily when you're trying to control the fish while up on the pier.

Lost a solid salmon on plastics the other week because I was too keen to land it and pulled the hooks by accident

if you're sure that you've got a decent hookset, you can "swim" faster swimming fish onto the pier. by which i mean get the fish to the pier and swimming alongside, then apply pressure up and in the direction they are swimming. Use the momentum of the fish plus the rod to arc them to the surface and onto the pier. landed plenty of couta and some decent salmon that i wouldn't have dreamt of deadlifting this way. no good on taller piers like flinders though

TrevKing wrote:

Wolly Bugger wrote: Another method to use if your catch is large, is to walk it along the pier to the beach.

Just a note on this, don't be too hasty to drag the fish to the beach. Just do it gently, the hooks can pull pretty easily when you're trying to control the fish while up on the pier.

Lost a solid salmon on plastics the other week because I was too keen to land it and pulled the hooks by accident

A few years ago, we were out with Tacklenut in his boat and came across a school of salmon and they were bending the hooks on the soft plastic rigs that we had with us and were using.

for those thinking about Kayak fishing

landing a squid safest way use a net that way it will ink in the net and less on you

Snapper - Landing net and larger fish leave it in the water in the net till you get your rod stowed out of the way and this gives you both hands to pull it on board
also if you are keeping this fish brain spike it before removing it from the net ( less fish dropped over board from bad juggling )

Gummy Shark - if tail roped by the leader just grab the tail and drag on board - in it's not tangled and coming up forward most times you can just drag it up on your legs by the leader
also remember that green gummies on board can be a handfull at any size - so play them for a while

most other fish caught in our bays ether just swing them in or use the net

don't use a small net mine is a larger net you would use for a boat and the handle cut down a bit , you can't move around like in a boat so a large opening is easier to use

hope that is some help

Cheater, what's a green gummy? Is that an undersized one? Btw, you wrote some great tips!

Top post again Wolly, you've been busy writing a few very important threads recently I.e. Rod holders.
Very important information for sure and essential to all beginners.

Like many, I learnt the hard way through making those very same mistakes. However I think I learnt more from making those mistakes, like knots. Now I double/triple check leaders, knots and hooks. You never know in fishing, you could be on your next PB or even fish of a lifetime!

seephil wrote:Cheater, what's a green gummy? Is that an undersized one? Btw, you wrote some great tips!

Top post again Wolly, you've been busy writing a few very important threads recently I.e. Rod holders.
Very important information for sure and essential to all beginners.

Like many, I learnt the hard way through making those very same mistakes. However I think I learnt more from making those mistakes, like knots. Now I double/triple check leaders, knots and hooks. You never know in fishing, you could be on your next PB or even fish of a lifetime!

A green fish is one which is not totally tired out and hence can be unpredictable when landing. Same goes for any large fish you want it done and have broken its will i.e a snapper will just lay on its side a tuna will do circles up to the boat.