Green Weed & Cabbage Rigs

The main trick to tying on green weed is that the weed that you harvest needs to be about 10cm in length. This will allow you to start twisting (in opposite directions) the weed above the eye of the hook. Once you have twisted the weed onto the hook just squeeze and pinch off the weed about a centimetre below the hook. As for green cabbage off the rocks you will need to pull off the part where it's attached to the rock. This will allow you to put a couple of half hitches around it.

Even though I have caught a number of different fish species on green weed or cabbage, I personally only use green weed when targeting luderick and drummer in the estuaries, off the rocks and in gutters that run parallel to rocky headlands.

Weed can come in a few forms. It can be very short (best scraped off and used as burley) and can be found in non-tidal pools that at times can be very slimy and virtually useless as bait.

Most of what I use comes from either the ocean rocks that are found in the intertidal zones and in creeks, streams and drains that lead to the saltwater. You could also try looking for weed where storm water pipes empty out.

As for cabbage, I will gather it off the rocks, toward the bottom of the tide, making sure to pick it off with the part that attaches to the rock still intact on the cabbage. Most of the time I will use the cabbage that has a rich green colour, but don’t forget to try cabbage that may be a bit on the brownish side.

Technique 1

It doesn’t matter whether you are fishing in a wash, gutter, wash out, off sloping rocks or a flat platform, there needs to be water movement when fishing for luderick off the rocks. This comes in the form of the change of tide and the swell. At most of the places that I fish for luderick or drummer off the rocks you will find small tufts of either green, brown or black cabbage.

It is this growth that you not only use for bait, but your scape it off with the rock cleats or spikes on the bottom of your shoes. The swell and tide will carry the burley away from the rocks and hopefully bring the luderick and drummer into where your float or bobby cork is.

Before you start fishing, I would suggest that you should scrape some off, then get your gear rigged. Once that is done, I would then put the weed or cabbage onto the hook and before you carry out your fish cast, scrape the weed or cabbage a bit more to continue the burley trail. This would be repeated every time, before you cast out your float or move about on the rocks.

Technique 2

If I am going to fish for luderick at a place where there is no weed or cabbage, then I will go and collect it a day or so before I go fishing. At most places this is best done at a lower stage of the tide.

To keep the weed and cabbage in prime condition, squeeze out as much water as you can and then I roll it up in dry newspaper. This is then placed in the bottom of the fridge until I am ready to use it.

I will then replace the wet newspaper each day, for about 4 to 5 days, with some dry newspaper. Once it starts to smell a bit, I will then freeze it so that I can take it out next time and chop it up for burley.

Technique 3

Over the years I have found that using a whole piece of cabbage may be too much, especially when fishing in the estuaries around wharves and pylons. Many of the luderick I have come across tend to graze near these structures, much like a cow does when eating grass.

When this happens, I will put on a single cabbage leaf. The hook point and barb are passed through the leaf and a couple of half hitches of the leader will secure it just above the eye of the hook. This makes it easy for the fish to nibble on the bait and take in the hook without noticing it. Hook size tends to be a short-shanked number 12 to 14.

Rod Selection:

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-802NT - 8'0", 2-4kg Nibble Tip: Ideal for either out of the boat or off the shore in the estuary.

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-902NT - 9'0", 2-6kg Nibble Tip: Ideal for either out of the boat or off the shore in the estuary, where you may need some extra length in the rod.

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-1062NT - 10'6", 2-6kg Nibble Tip: Ideal for off the rocks when there is not a lot of swell.

Okuma Barbarian Spin Rods - BN-S-1162NT - 11'6" 2-6kg Nibble Tip: ideal for fishing off a breakwall or the rocks, when you need that extra length to lift or wash the fish out.

Reel Selection:

Okuma Alaris Spin Reel – ALS-45 and ALS-55 spin reels.

Okuma JAW Spin Reel– JAW-45 spin reel.

Line Selection:

Platypus Platinum and Pulse monofilament -10lb and 12lb for off the rocks and break walls.

Platypus Platinum and Pulse – 8lb and 10lb for the estuaries.

Platypus Hard Armour FC Fluorocarbon Leader – 4, 6, 8 and 10lb as your leader material.