Page 53 - Demo

Fishing plastics around natural structure for bream
* from P52
is either a Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ or GrubZ, rigged on a 1/4oz 1/0 TT Lures DemonZ jig head.
Mangrove edges
on the bottom.
I will fish the above
especially true for big bream or any snapper that may be holding in the area.
where fish will school. At times you might want to fish as light as 1/16 or 1/12oz to make the most of a slow fall and give the fish plen- ty of time to see the lure coming, especially when there is less tidal
That’s a quick look at targeting bream around natural structure on soft plastics, and while this is a simplified look at what could be a mon- ster volume written on bream, I am confident that these plastics and techniques will work throughout Austral- ia, having been lucky enough to have caught bream in most states.
Bream love feeding around mangrove edges on high tide and you can often combine a weed flat and its sur- rounding mangrove edges into one session.
plastics on a lighter 1/12-1/8oz TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse jig head, or alternatively throw my go-to Z- Man 2.5” TRD BugZ or TRD CrawZ on a 1/10oz TT Lures Ned- lockZ EWG.
Make casts up onto the shallow side of the drop-off and then work your soft plastic down the edge.
flow.
My presentations for
I typically work the same tides as the weed flats, however on very large tides bream can disappear back into the mangroves and out of casting reach, so it’s worth working the edg- es a little earlier on a run-in tide and even a little later on a run-out.
This NedlockZ rig presentation is dyna- mite – resembling a cr- ab or other crustacean, it can be hopped and shaken around man- grove edges and then allowed to fall to the bottom where the buoy- ant claws will stand up in a defensive pose, at- tracting fish and trig- gering strikes. Drop-offs
If it isn’t too snaggy you may wish to stay in contact with the bot- tom, otherwise try and keep the lure as close to the structure as pos- sible.
flats will generally be fished fast, looking for actively feeding species, rather than working hard to switch on fish that don’t want to play.
Get out there, hit your local rivers and estuaries and get ready for a lot of ninja rod work battling bream around structure.
It is also important to fish the bottom edge of the drop-off, as there may be a basin and break from the current
At times though, the ‘go light to get the bite’ scenario may be your only option.
See you on the wa- ter...
Many systems have acres of mangrove edg- es, so look for stand- out features such as points, breaks in the mangroves, laydown timber, drains and sec- tions where the green mangrove leaves are in the water as these may pay dividends.
When my local wa- terways get busy with boats and jet skis, bream are often spooked off the shallow flats and mangrove edges.
It is also important to pay extra attention to areas that have ac- tive bait, and where the wind blows onto the mangroves, stirring and oxygenating the water, offering cover for fish and allowing long casts.
If these drop-offs have structure such as weed, rock and rubble, even better.
This solid bream had big blue lips.
When fishing man- grove edges, the aim is to get the plastic in tight to structure, hop, twitch and roll it to avoid snag- ging on mangrove root spikes.
This type of area is excellent for bream, while also potentially putting you onto snap- per, trevally, tailor and a variety of other spe- cies.
Once clear of the spikes, you can mix up the retrieve between the previously mentioned technique for flats and a hopping and pausing www.bnbfishing.com.au
When approaching these areas, try not to drive through where you want to fish.
If I can’t find fish in these areas, I will seek out drop-offs and edges that fall to 2-3m deep.
Combine this with wa- ter movement and breaks and eddies created by the structure, and you are onto a winner.
Even though it is deeper, the fish will still spook and this is
Sheri with a bream landed shing from the stand-up paddle board.
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, January 2021 – Page 53