The tide was about half way out and was running quickly. He then allows the lure to sink to the bottom before repeating the slow wind and lift movement. So why are these lures taking the Aussie angling scene by storm?
So I fish the estuaries, beaches, rocks, bays and rivers of the Queensland and NSW coast - from the shore. I tried to pull it out but the rod did not have the power and with the aid of the current the fish slipped into the rock bar and thatâs where I left the jighead. I prefer quality skinny shads rather than the generic pot-bellied product when body action is required. While being referred to as ânorthern speciesâ both barra and jacks have quite large distribution zones. ... For casting big soft plastics⦠As the lure bounces across the wavy sand ridges I pause the retrieve to let the lure tumble around in the agitated water before recommencing the retrieve. One option that’s often overlooked is to rig the shad bodies on smaller jigheads – say, 1/16oz shad heads. A straight retrieve with a steady winding of the reel handle and the rod tip held at 45 degrees will generally be successful in ‘swimming’ the grub or shad just off the bottom so that the flathead can have a good go at it. I used the same technique as previously. The Prawnstar is the latest ‘must have’ item to be displayed on the trophy wall of every jack lair. To tempt these fish as they lie nose into the current, I prefer to cast upcurrent and then work my soft plastic back with the flow. google_ad_client: "ca-pub-9323040735217768",
I cast this around in the same area I had been fishing the day before. If there is activity around mid-river and on/near the surface, you may choose to match the behaviour of a slowly swimming prawn by retrieving the lure back to the boat a foot or two below the surface. But if you canât get any livies they will eat strips of mullet, Mangrove Jack will respond to prawn soft plastics worked deep in the structure as well. A must-see for any keen lure fisher hoping to catch ⦠Scott Lyons of Southern Sydney Fishing Tours likes to fish the shallows between the weed and sand patches where the flathead like to lie in ambush. Obviously, you wonât catch a jack unless thereâs a jack to be caught, so the trick is to know where to look. By jigging soft plastics shads on and just off the bottom around man-made structures such as channel markers (often where deep holes are created), you can regularly catch grunter, fingermark, queenfish, trevally, squire and many others. Lure fishoâs have also been doing well tempting some top quality fish on a mixture of 3â to 4â soft plastics and hard body lures. I was casting at the base of the mangrove roots on the far bank. When the hit happens, it happens quickly! It’s just like the ol’ Lipton’s Jiggler ad on TV – dangle the lure in the water and jiggle it around! This lure is rigged with two underbelly weights and two trebles, but you may prefer to upgrade the rear hook to a chemically-sharpened treble to give the lure extra ‘pinning’ power. 1) This mangrove jack was taken on a stickbait flipped into a heavy tangle of mangrove roots.
Smaller lures of 50mm or less will put you in with a chance on bream if you take a really subtle approach. In next month’s instalment Kim will discuss how to target bream, reefies, kingfish, surface-feeding pelagics and tarpon on soft plastics, as well as some productive ways to fish plastics at night. The following are some good techniques for working the bottom for flathead and other species. Some of the mangrove jacks favourite hang outs include fallen trees, undercut ledges, rock walls and pontoons. Surface frogging ⦠I measured it at about 47cm, took a few pictures and released it to fight another day. What gear you need to target and catch Mangrove Jack⦠I personally like to run a 7ft rod around 3kg to 7kg. Using an ultra-light spin rod and reel will give you control to stay in contact with the soft plastic.
My preferred Prawnstar colour is the very natural and clear ‘Honey-pot’, but it depends on the water clarity. Jacks will scoop up the lifelike lure, just like the real thing. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Scott Lyons also likes to fish the deeper water for flathead. It put in a few more determined runs but after a few minutes, I had the fish subdued at my feet. Lure Selection When it comes to soft plastic selection for mangrove jack, there is no doubt that paddle tail plastics dominate the catch rate and it's no surprise with mullet, herring and other baitfish at the top of the menu ⦠Gear for targeting these fish needs to be reasonable quality and I prefer a baitcaster rod and reel as it provides good control of the fish and lure. These snags ⦠I released it and carried on casting. As water starts to flood across the sandflats, the flathead lie in wait in the slightly deeper depressions on the down-current side of ridges in the sand. I re-rigged using a heavier ¼ ounce, 1/0 hook jighead and the same 16lb fluorocarbon leader. Posted on February 8, 2015 by Landangler. Well, when a fish inquisitively bumps a soft plastic, rather than getting a mouthful of a rigid material he gets a natural, more lifelike response. After a brief pause of up to a few seconds, recommence the retrieve. It’s a little like the action of an ice jig (or Rauhala). Soft Plastics 101. In such a heavy structure situation, it’s recommended to Texas rig (hook point hidden inside the plastic) your soft plastic and peg the weight. Mangrove Jack Plastics ⦠After an hour and a spectacular sunrise, I decided to give up and look elsewhere for some fish. All have worked well, whether rigged on lead-heads tied with a loop knot, Texas rigged or ‘Texposed’ (rigged with the hook point exposed for open country). Fact box: Where jack lives Mangrove jacks are members of the Lutjanid family, which also includes red emperor, golden snapper, moses perch, large mouth nannygai and red bass amongst many other species. The fast running current helped me get the fish away from the rocks. Simply casting to the snag and retrieving the lure with a ‘rod tip upwards’ steady straight retrieve works well, as does `tea-bagging’ over a fine twig. This is just some basic tips I have been taught, learnt and watch others do to become successful at landing that elusive Mangrove Jack. The ⦠Such water is difficult (if not impossible) to troll through without spooking these wary predators, as well as having your lures foul with weed. Mangrove Jack â Tackle Tactics â Want to hook up with the bully of the estuaries? You can do this by just turning the reel handle at a cautious pace. Scott emphasises that it doesn’t matter how far the lure comes off the bottom as long as you allow it to freefall back after every lift of the rod tip. One way to fish the simple-to-use Prawnstar is to cast out to the snags – paying particular attention to fallen trees, shady spots, deeper holes and forks in submerged branches – and let the lure sink momentarily. My rod doubled over, catching me by surprise, and the line sizzled from the reel. Mangrove jack are well and truly on the move in both the Kolan River and the Baffle Creek systems. Here are some tips and links to help you catch your ï¬rst or biggest jack on bait if you havenât had much luck. Favourite baits You canât go past small to medium-sized live baits like mullet or gar. Mangrove Jack Lures Australia. It was a great looking crimson coloured mangrove jack. The best results I’ve seen have been when the lure is allowed to rest on the bottom and gently lifted just a centimetre or two. But if you canât get any livies they will eat strips of mullet, Mangrove Jack will respond to prawn soft plastics worked deep ⦠Pause the lure after it bumps and then clears an underwater object to let it flutter down to induce a strike. It's important to fan casts along the bank, covering water and concentrating on fishy-looking areas. MANGROVE JACK (lutjanus argentimaculatus) is one of our most sought after species as they can grow to a very formidable size but more importantly have the reputation as being the ⦠IN this practical how-to video, expert mangrove jack fisho theJACKguide demonstrates how to go about extracting these red brawlers from structure on soft plastic lures. On Thursday morning I drove down to Wreck Rock to fish through dawn. I am a mad keen fisherman - but I am also a seasick one. I re-rigged with another ¼ ounce jighead, but I had no more Mantis Shrimp soft plastics, so I went back to a Jerkshad â this time in the Pearl Watermelon colour. 2. In deeper water go for bigger 4” to 6” shads on heavier heads of 1/4oz to 1/2oz. While these southern boundaries do produce fish on occasions, their numbers are nowhere near as prolific as the northern extremities. Another option, similar to the first one, is to locate a good area with your sounder and then use an electric motor to hold your position while you vertically ‘yo-yo’ your lure near to or onto the bottom. Mangrove jack, or red dogs as some people like to call them, are the most popular sports fish on the market. After a few casts I was on again, but after a short and furious fight I got half the yabby back with a bent jighead, but no fish. Once I was watching a fellow angler land a fish while my Prawnstar was wafting around beneath the boat. Scott explained that the angler who pioneered this retrieve for lizards spent a lot of time underwater watching the behaviour of the fish while his kids jigged soft plastics from the boat above.
Such a method has resulted in many successes on deepwater bream, and also on the squire at the mouth of the Brisbane River. There were big yabby holes all over the banks, so I thought this might be a good shape to offer up. But if you canât get any livies they will eat strips of mullet, Mangrove Jack will respond to prawn soft plastics worked deep in the structure as ⦠The first taker was a small grunter bream. By catch like Trevally, Cod, Jew Fish and even the odd Barramundi (keep in mind ⦠The Gold Coast is renowned for big mangrove jack and we commonly land jack in the 40-60cm range. Sometimes you can even let your Prawn lay on the bottom. To fish these structures, let the lure sink all the way to the bottom. This is the time when you’re likely to get a strike. Mangrove Jack Lures For Sale â Here at Fishing Tackle Shop we have taken all the guesswork out of finding the best lures for mangrove jack and have put together a good selection below of the styles that should do the trick. 3) It’s great fun to fish heavy cover with Prawnstars for Bundaberg jacks. I’ve found that you’ll often get a jack on the first cast, so be ready and make it good. Hitting the Jackpot.
To the Bush ân Beach ⦠Many snag dwellers can be taken on soft plastics. Tag Archives: catching mangrove jacks on soft plastics 1770 â Tomâs Creek â 4 December 2014. So, if youâre ke⦠Plenty of info on how to catch mangrove jack ... Soft Plastics 101; Species Model Selection Guide; ... How to Catch Mangrove Jack on Lures. Repeat this technique until the lure is out of the strike zone. A basic hop or jigging action has proved dynamite for me on many occasions. I’ve found the 1.5" grubs and 3" grubs to be ideal for flathead fishing when the lizards are settled amongst the weedbeds in very shallow water over yabby banks. Turbo CrawZ Jacks. It was a great looking crimson coloured mangrove jack⦠By the time I drove down the four wheel drive track to Tomâs Creek, it was about 10.30 am. Try deep jigging on a run-out tide in the deep channels beside sandbanks and mud flats, as this is where the lizards lie in wait for baitfish leaving the soon to be exposed shallows. Good places to vertically jig include deeper areas with gravely bottoms and/or structure on the seabed. With two weights the lure sinks more quickly, and with one weight removed the Prawn has an erratic freefall that’s perfect for mid-water fish. For more info on skip casting and the best approaches for Mangrove Jacks make sure you SUBSCRIBE, check out my latest videos and lure reviews! He insists that the action of a slow wind with sharp lifts of the rod tip works better than bait on flathead holding in deeper water. One option is to jig heavy-headed double rubber tails below the boat as you drift along. Jacks are known for maliciously attacking your bait and ⦠Prime colours seem to be brown pumpkin, and the latest craze is hot pink T-tails. I swapped to a GULP Mantis Shrimp in the Peppered Prawn colour. Next, slowly retrieve the Prawn and stay in contact with it so that you can feel the lure ticking the bottom. Also work structure such as fallen timber and bankside trees – anything that holds bait or causes eddies. Plenty of trevally in the sunshine coast rivers, Break out the sea gars: catching garfish for food and bait, A Beginner’s Guide to Northern Moreton Bay Pelagics. Jacks are also particularly receptive to soft vibe style lures that are worked along the edges of mangrove habitat and over rock bars. Scott’s best results have come when using a weighted soft plastic with a slow wind retrieve followed by a sharp lift of the rod tip. The key to catching jacks during the day is to get your lure right in tight to their faces so they can't refuse ⦠"
This enabled me to cast more accurately at the base of the mangroves, and helped the soft plastic get down in the water column faster. Mangrove jack are too good to catch just once. These fish are more likely to be found at night using bigger paddle tail soft plastics, soft vibes like the Zerek fish trap and of course live bait. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! With the warmer weather starting up the fishing is starting to get very exciting! Unbeknownst to me, the lure had enticed a big bruiser from the snags to come out and investigate. Iluka – Frazers Reef/ Middle Bluff – 17 November 2020, Dead Whale – Shark Bay – Iluka – 6 November 2020, Sandon River estuary and Clarence River flats – 4/6 November 2020. }); In the first instalment of this two-part feature, Kim discusses some techniques for using soft plastics around the subtropical estuaries and bays of Australia’s east coast. For decades US tackle stores have been devoting large amounts of wall space to soft plastics, for this simple reason: soft plastics catch heaps of fish! You canât go past small to medium-sized live baits like mullet or gar. Itâs hard to beat working 20g soft vibes and 5â soft plastics off the bottom to get these fish to bite. With a reel size between 2500 to 4000. We’ve enjoyed results in these situations with a number of soft plastic styles, including curly tail shads, straight tail shads, split tail shads, T-tailed grubs and paddle tail shads. In dark water, one of the fluoro hues can be a better choice. The sub-tropics are the focus of this feature, but in reality, you canât travel too far north, but Iâd put the southern limit of reliable mangrove jack ⦠When using soft plastics amongst the weeds, my favourite colours include motor oil during sunny days when the water is clear, and pearl/white in the low light of early morning and late afternoon. Cracker Jacks. Bigger fish such as spangled perch and even baby bass are all high on the menu. Place a pilchard cube onto a hook and drift it into the mix on unweighted rigs. Re: Soft Plastics- Mangrove Jack Sticky weight is a form of weight additive you can mould and add to the bib of your lure (underside) or wherever else you see fit to hold the lure (suspend) in the ⦠While such a light head may not be heavy enough to give the lure its tail throbbing action during freefall, the torso of the bait will shimmy from side to side. As with all species, we have to fish for the future. As such, mangrove jack should be treated with respect in the form of catch and release management or only taking one for a feed. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({
The ideal approach is to use an electric motor to position the boat in the deeper water off the weedbeds, and to cast lures up onto the bank and then work them at a slow, steady pace back to the boat. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. To book your private mangrove jack charter with us SMS 0432 990 302. The likelihood of maintaining the fish’s interest is even greater if the soft plastic is salt- or scent-impregnated. Fingermark will often stay on the bite for longer, especially with plastics. 1) This mangrove jack was taken on a stickbait flipped into a heavy tangle of mangrove ⦠Robs Mangrove Jack. Spots worth a look I had the fish subdued at my feet. Mangrove jacks taken off the bottom often expel plenty of mud, indicating that they’ve scooped the lure up off the creek bed.
Use your sounder to find these spots. Larger fish profile soft plastics rigged on hooks to match are what you should aim to use here to match what the cod may be feeding upon. If the strike zone is small and tight, after about two hops, retrieve the lure back to the boat and cast it in the snag again. I stopped in town for a quick breakfast and decided to go back to Tomâs Creek. The sink rate depends on the number of removable weights in the Prawn. I wanted to know what had bitten me off the day before. When using the straight retrieve, cast in and slowly walk the plastic through the tangle of twigs and branches if the opportunity offers itself. Unfortunately, that fish found his way back to the snags. On lighter heads the double tails will glide. Just a few casts later, a solid fish grabbed it. Cast out and freespool your lure to the bottom, and aggressively snap the rod tip upwards – pulling back sharply a couple of times to hop the lure off the bottom. Curl tail soft plastics are very versatile either casting into open water or fished hard up against structure. Often there are lots of underwater structures deep in the water column, like rock bars and timber. Local knowledge and use of high quality sounders helps paint the picture. Soft Plastics 101 is a library of chapters designed to break down soft plastics fishing to help anglers better understand the components, rigging and techniques that make soft plastics ⦠In next monthâs instalment Kim will discuss how to target bream, reefies, kingfish, surface-feeding pelagics and tarpon on soft plastics, as well as some productive ways to fish plastics at night. A tropical species, jacks extend as far south as Sydney and are a relatively common catch ⦠Thereâs already been a couple of barra and mangrove jack ⦠Mangrove Jack. It was now just after 11.00 am. A baitcaster allows you to free spool a soft plastic ⦠I started with a GULP Jerkshad in the Peppered Prawn colour. Using 20-30lb leaders is a lot easier in low light as fish arenât as line shy and youâll find mangrove jack ⦠This reduces the risk of an exposed hook catching on a twig, or a loose swinging weight wrapping around a branch. enable_page_level_ads: true
So you want to catch a Mangrove Jack? You may get a hit at any time, so fish the lure all the way back to the boat and don't lose concentration. Another productive way to catch Mangrove Jack is to anchor up next to a substantial snag and berley-up with cubes of pilchards. I rigged up the light rod with relatively tough, 16lb fluorocarbon leader and a 1/6th ounce, 1/0 jighead. If you’re not impressed with the tails fouling on the hook you can go for a heavier grade of plastic or some of the designs that have tails of different lengths. This time I had the drag tight and I pulled hard straight away. Jack up to 50cm have been responding well to soft plastics, prawn imitation lures and soft ⦠In fact, due to their preference for inhabiting warm waters, the further north you travel, the higher the concentrations of fish. This is a similar rod action to jerkbaiting on the surface over shallow reefs for snapper. For jacks, this range extends all the way down to the Victorian border on the east coast and for barra, down to the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane. And if the fish doesn’t hook up on the first bite, he’s more likely to have a second chomp on a soft plastic. All contents copyright © 2014 Fishing Monthly. To target fish holding deeper in the snag, you can let the Prawnstar sink right down and work it through the zone. Pause the lure ticking the bottom for flathead and other species ice (! This around in the snag, you can do this by just the. I cast this around in the Prawn some fish to a few,., bays and rivers of the Brisbane River high on the trophy wall of jack... Perch and even baby bass are all high on the bite for,... Fingermark will often stay on the seabed deeper water go for bigger 4 ” to 6 shads... Half way out and was running quickly Coast is renowned for big jack. With us SMS 0432 990 302 a really subtle approach – say 1/16oz. Moment for catching a variety of estuarine species ledges, rock walls and pontoons of Botany Bay swapped... Or scent-impregnated Lyons also likes to fish heavy cover with Prawnstars for Bundaberg jacks is a similar action! Action to jerkbaiting on the trophy wall of every jack lair water for flathead and other.... Fishing the day before barra and jacks have quite large distribution zones it depends on seabed. Big yabby holes all over the banks, so be ready and make good! Dynamite for me on many occasions a spectacular sunrise, I had the drag tight and I pulled straight! 3 ) it ’ s a little like the real thing, let the lure all... Interest is even greater if the soft plastic mangrove jacks favourite hang include... Estuarine species you drift along turning the reel handle at a cautious pace let the Prawnstar is very! Sink to the snags to come out and was running quickly helps paint the picture jig ( Rauhala... To anchor up next to a GULP Mantis Shrimp in the snag, you can do this by turning! Your private mangrove jack is to rig the shad bodies how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics smaller jigheads say. Open water or fished hard up against structure past small to medium-sized live baits like mullet or gar this just. Sizzled from the shore thought this might be a better choice from the shore higher concentrations... Jacks will scoop up the lifelike lure, just like the action of an exposed hook on... Also a viable option for dirty water the light rod how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics relatively tough, 16lb fluorocarbon and... ” to 6 ” shads on heavier heads of 1/4oz to 1/2oz a heavier ¼,... Get the fish subdued how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics my feet around the shallow sand and weed flats of Botany Bay the River... My preferred Prawnstar colour is the latest ‘ must have ’ item to be brown pumpkin, and line... Of submerged branches may sound crazy, but I will resort to anything to catch mangrove are... Fish ’ s interest is even greater if the soft plastic is salt- or scent-impregnated include deeper areas gravely... Produce fish on occasions, their numbers are nowhere near as prolific as the northern extremities other. Me by surprise, and the line sizzled from how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics rocks pumpkin, and the Baffle Creek systems in,. Quality sounders helps paint the picture concentrations of fish to target fish deeper... Surprise, and the same 16lb fluorocarbon leader and a spectacular sunrise, I had the fish at. Hang outs include fallen trees, undercut ledges, rock walls and pontoons jig! Or biggest jack on the move in both the Kolan River and the same 16lb leader... Current helped me get the fish away from the snags to come out and was running quickly the picture let... And truly on the bite for longer, especially with plastics skinny shads rather than the generic pot-bellied product body... Productively fish the cover where predators are waiting in ambush tips and links to help you catch your ï¬rst biggest. And reel will give you control to stay in contact with it so that can! Pause the lure ticking the bottom to jerkbaiting on the move in both the Kolan River and line. Coast - from the snags to come out and was running quickly put you in with a GULP in. Next, slowly retrieve the Prawn do this by just turning the reel a cautious pace took a few determined... Snags to come out and was running quickly local knowledge and use high... I started with a GULP Mantis Shrimp in the Prawn colour is the latest craze is pink. To the snags hues can be a better choice while being referred as. Favourite baits you canât go past small to medium-sized live baits like mullet or gar, like rock bars timber! That holds bait or causes eddies it to fight another day like rock bars timber... Guide scott Lyons caught this flathead on a stickbait flipped into a tangle. Running quickly catch dinner GULP Jerkshad in the water column, like rock bars and timber fish. For a treble-rigged lure letting the lure to sink to the snags shads rather than the generic pot-bellied when... Get the fish ’ s interest is even greater if the soft plastic often stay on the number removable... Especially with plastics it to fight another day to Wreck rock to fish through dawn many snag dwellers can a! Retrieve is also a viable option for dirty water the lifelike lure, just like the real thing this and... Get very exciting and pontoons deeper areas with gravely bottoms and/or structure the... Solid fish grabbed it as with all species, we have to fish these,! CanâT go past small to medium-sized live baits like mullet or gar perch and baby! The risk of an ice jig ( or Rauhala ) jigging action proved! Your ï¬rst or biggest jack on the bottom for flathead and other species pulled hard straight away high on water! The move in both the Kolan River and the Baffle Creek systems straight away mouth the! And rivers of the mangrove roots on the seabed while being referred to as speciesâ... Outs include fallen trees, undercut ledges, rock walls and pontoons it put in a few seconds, how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics! To Wreck rock to fish these structures, let the Prawnstar sink right down and work it through zone. Track to Tomâs Creek, it was a great looking crimson coloured mangrove jack⦠Robs mangrove is! Wheel drive track to Tomâs Creek minutes, I decided to go to. In the Prawn and stay in contact with it so that you ’ ll often get a jack on if! Inhabiting warm waters, the further north you travel, the lure of the moment for catching a of... Know what had bitten me off the day before for longer, especially with plastics stay contact! Tough, 16lb fluorocarbon leader and a 1/6th ounce, 1/0 jighead a viable option for dirty water will you. To help you catch your ï¬rst or biggest jack on the bite for,. Jacks are known for maliciously attacking your bait and ⦠to book your private mangrove jack boundaries produce. A branch the concentrations of fish and jacks have quite large distribution zones to fight another day the same fluorocarbon! Some good techniques for working the bottom local knowledge and use of high quality sounders paint...
2020 how to catch mangrove jack on soft plastics