Page 22 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing mag

A solid hook set in the top of the mouth ensured this athead came to the boat.
Ron with a nice estuary cod landed after working a rocky edge.
Ron and a solid athead on his go-to Z-Man 3” MinnowZ Gold Rush.
A neap tide occurs just after the first or third quarters of the moon, when there is least dif- ference between high and low water, and anglers often use the phrase ‘no run, no fun’ because the bite can be a little slower.
By doing this, you may encounter good by-catch such as snap- per, estuary cod and mulloway.
It is amazing how often the bank hold- ing the bait is also the bank holding the fish, so keep an eye out for movement in the water and on the sounder.
Working deeper Redges for flathead
ECENTLY, while taking advantage of
Tackle Tactics
by JUSTIN WILLMER
the good weather and fishing local rivers and estuaries with soft plas- tics, we encountered a neap tide or two.
system or with the use of a sounder, and we generally drift or work the edge on the electric motor, targeting banks that drop to 2.5-5m.
will break the current up, provide ambush points for flathead and attract bait.
I love flats when targeting bream and flathead, and fishing depths of 0.5-1.5m.
My go-to technique when fishing this type of structure involves casting a Z-Man 3” MinnowZ onto the edge and hopping the lure down the drop-off, then back to the boat.
We commonly target the last couple of hours of a run-out tide and the first hour of a run-in.
However, a neap tide with less run allows me to work deeper edges of systems that with cur- rent, I would possibly struggle to fish.
This plastic has a good profile for fishing deeper water, appeals to a stack of different species and has loads of action to help the fish locate it.
We generally drift a cast distance from the edge, then cast back to the bank slightly ahead of the drift and tight to the edge, where we al- low the plastic to sink and hop it back to the boat.
Ron nailed this athead on a deep edge session.
Page 22 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, October 2020
I always apply Pro- Cure Super Gel Scent to my plastics, as I want the fish to commit to
Spring also lines up with flathead spawning season, meaning larger numbers of fish can be found along these deeper edges, including solid models in the mix.
I rig the MinnowZ on a 3/8oz TT Lures Big EyeZ jig head, with Black Glow EyeZ and Chartreuse Red EyeZ a couple of proven fa- vourites.
It’s important to give the plastic time to sink and once you get the cast angle right, you should be able to see the line go slack when the soft plastic has hit the bottom.
We simply locate deeper edges through prior knowledge of the
Gear wise, I run 7’ 2-4kg and 3-6kg rods, 20-30 size reels, 10lb braid and 10-15lb Plat- ypus Stealth FC leader.
The cool thing about this presentation is that it’s swimming on the drop, so often it won’t even hit the bottom be- fore you feel a tap.

The 2-4kg rod is fun to fish with, while the 3-6kg is handy when the wind picks up and you really need to punch a cast, and when fishing heavier struc- ture.
If you feel a knock, set the hook – more likely than not, you’ll load up on a solid fish.
Key things to look for when selecting edges include rock and rub- ble, drains coming off the bank, timber, points and other structure that
If you miss the hook- up, allow the plastic to fall back to the bottom because the fish will of- ten return for another go.
* continued P24 www.bnb shing.com.au