Going light to get the bite
For anglers all over Australia, using light gear to entice more bites is extremely effective, fun, and a great way to put your angling skills to the ultimate test. When using light tackle you need everything to be in your favour, and a big part of that is choosing the best rod and reel setup to use.
I’ve found that the Abu Garcia Veritas Tournament spinning rod is suited perfectly for this style of fishing. As well as having a great action, this rod has the ability to cast light lures of 2-8 grams, or 2-10 grams depending on which model you opt for. The spinning reel that I’ve been using is an Abu Garcia ALX Theta in the 2000 size. These reels allow anglers to cast further and manage their line more effectively due to their bail arm angle and spool lip design. This really gives me the upper hand when using lighter line and lures.
When fishing my local system (the Noosa River), it can often prove difficult to entice a bite from fish once you’ve finally found them. Downsizing the gear I am using and taking a ‘finesse’ approach often turns a below average session into a successful one.
I’ve found that when targeting pelagic species in the Noosa River over the last couple of years, most of the quality fish have been caught using no heavier than a 6lb leader. The combination of the Abu Garcia Veritas Tournament Edition spinning rod’s soft, sensitive tip and the Abu Garcia ALX Thetas spinning reel’s carbon fibre drag system allows me to feel confident that I will land anything that eats my lure. As well as this, it feels light and comfortable to fish with all day!
The lures that I find are most successful when chasing pelagics in the Noosa River include the Berkley PowerBait Power Minnow, Berkley PowerBait Hollowbelly, Berkley Pro-Tech Slurp, as well as the Berkley Shimma Shad and Berkley Shimma Fork vibes. The lure I use is heavily dependent on where and how I am fishing. For example if I’m fishing around moored boats or deeper tidal areas, I tend to use the Berkley PowerBait Power Minnow in Pearl Blue Shad, Emerald Shiner, and Casper Clear colours. I usually run a 4lb leader when using these lures.
When fishing deeper drop offs and manmade structures like bridges, oyster racks, and so on, I like to use the Berkley PowerBait Hollowbelly soft plastics and the Berkley Shimma Fork soft vibes. The action of these lures creates a distinct vibration underwater which fish will hone in on when looking for a feed. These means that if you don’t manage to find pelagic species in these areas, you can usually rely on picking up the odd flathead or some other fun by-catch. I run 6lb line here, which gives me some extra strength to turn these fish away from the structure.
During low-light or overcast periods, I like to use the Berkley Pro-Tech Slurp surface lures. These are the perfect presentation to entice an exciting top-water strike. Using a 6-8lb leader and attaching your lure with a loop knot when using this technique works well.
When fishing different structures and depths, the technique and speed of my retrieve differs to suit both the location I am fishing and the conditions. When fishing deeper locations with more tidal flow or moored boats, a fast ‘stop-start’ retrieve is the best to trigger a reaction bite.
Usually I like to give my Berkley PowerBait Power Minnow 3-6 fast hops off the bottom, and then make sure to keep tension on my line while it is fluttering back to the bottom. This style causes your soft plastic to have a more controlled descent and allows you to feel any bites. Being able to feel your lure the whole time will maximise your hook-up ratio.
If the fishing is tough due to heavy boat traffic or conditions that aren’t ideal, I tend to slow the speed of my retrieve down and only give my Berkley lure a couple of hops. This more finesse style of fishing works best in heavily pressured waters where the fish are being fussy or holding closer to the bottom.
To chase these elusive sport fish, you must take into consideration many variables like tides, weather, seasons, and water clarity. These different factors can either lead to a great session, or cause the fish to completely shut down. Luckily, Berkley have a wide range of styles and colours in their different lure ranges to combat unfavourable conditions. And Abu Garcia have the rods to do the trick.
At low tide, water visibility can be reduced as the run-out tide collects silt, mud, and other sediments. As the run-in tide starts pushing back in though, you will usually find distinct tidal lines or dirty water lines where the clean water meets the dirty water. Pelagic fish often feed along these tidal lines.
Weather conditions and seasons are also highly influential factors when chasing pelagic fish in the river. Winter is the most productive time of year, with these fish being much harder to catch consistently through summer.
Some of the best sessions I have had while targeting pelagic fish have been days where we catch multiple species such as GT (giant trevally), golden trevally, diamond trevally, tailor, queenfish, and so on. This is because lures such as the Berkley PowerBait Power Minnow and Berkley PowerBait Hollowbelly soft plastics imitate small baitfish perfectly, which is the main food source for practically all pelagic species. The Berkley Shimma Shad and Berkley Shimma Fork soft vibes are obviously well known for attracting fish through their vibrating action, but their realistic baitfish profile is also what makes them irresistible. Pelagic fish are also well known for being excited by an erratic retrieve, which is why the Berkley Pro-Tech Slurp is so successful being walked side-to-side along the surface.
My confidence in these lures was reiterated when I took a younger friend out recently in an attempt to land his first pelagic fish of any kind. Our line-up of Berkley lures and Abu Garcia rod and reel combos helped my friend land a large number of fish including several species of trevally and a solid 50 centimetre tailor.
If you want to chase pelagic fish (or any estuary species), you’ll soon learn that you often have to go light to get the bite. The Abu Garcia Veritas Tournament Edition spinning rods and Abu Garcia ALX Theta spinning reels are perfect for this style of fishing, as you will feel confident to land any hard fighting fish while casting comfortably all day. Match these up with some of the fantastic Berkley lures mentioned above and there is no doubt that you will be landing some great fish in no time. Good luck!
By Flynn Sinclair – Abu Garcia Pro Team
