Saturday 6th December.
Light Tackle in the Shallows.
This is My favourite type of fishing with out a doubt.
This time of year the fishing can be a bit tough sometimes – a bit hit & miss so to say.
With the water temperature rising above 18deg which puts the Snapper into spawning mode it can be a very fickle & short bite time so this is when I go super light tackle, well I fish it all year round but this is the time of the year when it comes into its own.
With light Fluorocarbon leaders from 10 to 15lb & small Zman softies (3.75″) to match the hatch weighted with as light as possible jig heads, I use the 1/4oz Ocean Angler Pink Lightbulbs, short & strong so the smaller Zman plastics still have a very good action, Snapper just love these things & smash em.
Line weight is 4 to 6lb on 8′ plus rods so you can cast as far away from the boat as possible , I love this style of fishing, its so exciting when you get that hook up & the reels starts to scream as strong scrappy Snapper take off trying to gain their freedom.
I cast well forward of the boat & slowly twitch it back to Me, the fish will take it anywhere from on the drop to the first couple of twitches to right under the boat, just keep working that bait all the way back to You & then start the whole process over again, be patient.
Also its a good time to start dragging those Zman Curly Tails behind the back of the boat plus add a bit of Secret Sauce just for an added incentive for the Snapper to bite harder.
I was out the other day fishing in 4 to 7m & was getting banged one after another only for them to spit the bait after some screaming runs, they were just mouthing the baits & this was the case for another fishing Buddy of mine who had the same thing happening to him.
You have to be patient & the fish will come back for another shot sometimes, just leave it there & see if they come back for it, if not start again.
I caught Snapper from the low 30’s to the mid to high 40’s but it was hard fishing until the tide started to flow/move them it was all on.
Some of the Snapper have already spawned & are feeding up hard & some are still full of milt & roe but its happening, so soon they will be back on the charge feeding up hard on whatever they can find.
So get out there & fish those little drop offs, worm beds & shellfish beds & get into them.
One more thing.
Its the start of the silly season out there with boats everywhere, so please be safe, be mindful of fellow boaties & fisherman/fisherwoman.
Be nice to one another & please respect other peoples fishing space.
So get out there & get em folks.
Happy Days…………