Page 18 - Demo

Shallow water snapper in Moreton Bay
* from P17
started to fish with lighter jig heads as op- posed to the heavier ones.
or 1/3oz jig head rath- er than a 1/2oz – you might find you get bet- ter results.
pens more frequently than when fishing deep water.
cation of your fish- ing spot – what might work in one area might not be as successful in another.
or occasionally circle hooks.
The reason for this is because the light jig head has more hang time in the water and will sink at a slower speed.
Soft plastic fishing shallow reefs
Another method is trolling hard-bodies – you can do this in stealth mode by using an electric, if you have one.
But for what it’s worth, I use a Rapala X-Rap Long Cast 12cm because this lure looks very similar to a pil- chard.
Flasher rigs are great for shallow water – you can either fish them on a paternoster or with a running sinker.
So, try using a 1/4
The downside of fish- ing soft plastics in shal- low water is definitely the increase in the num- ber of times you snag the bottom, which hap-
In terms of lure choice, it probably goes back to the lo-
I switch out the treble hooks for singles and a better hook-up rate, and I often use a size 1 ball sinker to my main line, running directly to the lure.
In the shallows, I fish them unweighted with a chunk of pilchard or a nice piece of fresh squid.
Vic’s better than average size snapper.
You would be sur- prised how many fish I’ve picked up using this lure and method of fishing.
It’s a year-round ex- ercise, with the usual 1-4kg fish coming in during the cool- er months and a few stonkers over summer and autumn.
This helps get the lure near the bottom, and by adding a sinker I have caught many good flat- head as by-catch.
During the day, I use the standard flasher rigs because they re- flect the light well and seem to attract snap- per on a more frequent basis.
MARINE WINDOWS
Additionally, not only has it been a good snap- per lure but it has also attracted sweetlip.
The paddle time per fish increases during periods of warm wa- ter, as they are in close more often than not.
I always cast this lure on the way to my cho- sen fishing destination and on the way home too.
Interestingly, I seem to be able to bring fish home from the shallows on a far more regular basis than I first ex- pected.
& DOORS
Dropping unweighted bait in the shallows – a pilchard, a half pilchard or full squid in combi- nation with berley – is a method that should not be rejected.
Perhaps one reason for catching bigger fish during warm water pe- riods is because in the shallows, big snapper take the bait deployed, and they’re often en- countered when bait is set in 3-4m of water.
We make windows and windscreens for everything including:
• Runabouts • Half cabins • Walk-arounds • Cruisers • Trawlers • All over Australia
Free quotes from your templates. Acrylic or glass.
In or out of survey. Quality guaranteed. Very competitive rates. Excellent freight service.
9 Cameron St, Clontarf Q 4019 Phone 07 3284 5088 Fax 07 3284 5089 email amw@myaccess.com.au www.austmarinewindows.com.au
Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, January 2021
I use a twin-snelled hook rig and a 40lb leader for big fish, with anywhere between 4/0- 6/0 octopus beak hooks
Success will depend on how much time you spend fishing the bay’s shallow areas and learning the spots where snapper hang out. www.bnbfishing.com.au
I find by avoiding a gang of hooks and us- ing a single or at most a two hook rig, the bait will sink at a rate that lets the fish have a good look at it before it van- ishes.
There is no denying that snapper lie in the shallows far more regu- larly than we realise.