Getting the small things right

FORSTER Luke

Austin

For many anglers, the weeks around Easter are the best and most productive out of the whole out from the gnarly structure that they love to hang about! Finding the happy medium between bites and bust-offs is the trick. This will vary from angler to angler but you will definitely see those anglers using 4-8lb leaders often be lure fishing using lightweight rods and braid. This method of fishing does two things: firstly, these anglers are actively searching about for fish that are ‘switched on’ and ready to feed, and secondly, they are fishing with lures that have been specifically designed to grab the attention of fish by mimicking a baitfish or prawn, as opposed to a motionless, dead bit of bait.

The other big thing to great day filled with fish or a long day of not much action.

Fishing the local beaches this month can be a real treat, with loads of fish on offer. While I have had reports from all over the coast recently, the best action has definitely been down south, with 7 Mile Beach producing some particularly good sessions. Most anglers have been finding mixed bags consisting of salmon, tailor, year. It’s when we get to make the most of two merging fishing seasons: the last of the summer and the first of the winter. There is a huge array of species on offer and plenty of tough fishing decisions to be made!

Estuary fishers are managing to find plenty of fish to chase out on Wallis Lake. Bream numbers are beginning to really stack up throughout the bottom of the system, with some great fish caught from the rock walls and down around the bridge.

If you really want to target these big, smart fish there are a few simple things that you need to remember. Firstly, the lighter you can fish, in both line weight and sinker size, will have a huge impact on how many fish you catch. Fishing a nice light line translates to more hits for one very simple reason: it’s thinner and harder for the fish to see.

The downside of going thinner and lighter is that it is a lot harder to pull the fish hooking many more fish than those fishing 10lb and up.

Secondly, presentation is key. Whether you are fishing bait or lure, your presentations have to look as natural as possible. These fish are insanely smart and if they can see too much hook hanging out of your bait, or if your soft plastic isn’t quite swimming right, they won’t even think about eating it!

FLATHEAD

I always find it amazing to hear the variety of flathead reports that come through during the autumn months. In a single day I often hear, “I have been fishing for flathead for three days and have not seen a single fish” along with “how amazing are the flatties out there, I must have caught 50 over the past two days!”

Trying to figure out why there is such a big difference in anglers’ outcomes is often puzzling, but there are definitely a couple of things that stand out. The more successful anglers (outside of the summer months) will think about is when to go flathead fishing. Unless we have had a huge amount of rain, the run-out tide is generally the most productive time to chase a bag of fish for the table. However, if you’re after a really big trophy fish, the best time is often right up in the shallows on the top of the tide!

Getting the small things right will nearly always be the difference in having a bream, whiting and even the odd luderick! The whiting that have been hitting the sand have been of a very good size, and nearly all of them are in great condition with anglers struggling to get their hands around the bigger 40cm models.

The local ledges are always busy in April. Now is the time to get amongst some cracking land-based action, and there have been plenty of anglers putting in the hours to try their luck. There have been some big tailor, kingfish up to about 14kg, mac tuna, cobia and the odd longtail tuna getting about. If the action is slow, soaking a bait for a bream, drummer, snapper or luderick is also a real option with some great wash areas persisting up and down the coast.

OFFSHORE

The ocean is absolutely alive at the moment. The pelagic fishery has definitely kicked in and plenty of anglers are managing to find fish. Longtail tuna are chasing garfish right up and down the coast, the FAD is producing plenty of mahimahi and the reefs to the north are holding spotted and Spanish mackerel.

If you prefer to target demersal species there have been loads of snapper on the inshore reefs. The average size has been around 1.5-3kg, which is a perfect size for the table. Those anglers that have decided to head south have had a lot more success than those that have headed north. The shallow grounds down south are holding some great kingfish up to 18kg, as well as plenty of solid snapper.

• Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle – your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region. It’s open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry. Phone 02 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!