Winter fishing in the Far North shallows with Zman softbaits has to be one of the most exciting ways to fish as far as I’m concerned, with BIG Kings & BIG angry Snapper just waiting to take you to the cleaners.
Thats the challenge when you fish the shallow foul (under 10m), these fish now there surrounding areas very well, all the nooks & crannies & you certainly need a little bit of lady luck on your side to land them.
Well after 10 weeks on dry land it felt bloody good to be back on the old briny & with a few new goodies to try it was time to go chase some big angry Winter Reds (Snapper).
A new Rod (OceanAngler Microwave V2) & with a few new Zman softies to try out I just couldn’t wait to get out there amongst it, like a young boy with a new toy, a very nice new toy I must say but more on that later.
Once at My selected spot I always like to start with the softie that caught My last fish & the Bleeding Banana Curly tail didn’t disappoint catching some nice Snapper to 65cm (great smoking size), then a couple of bigger fish that just dusted Me off, no stopping them in the shallow foul that I like to fish, thats the price you pay, ya win some & ya lose some but thats fishing for ya.
So after retackling up yet again I was into another solid fish, I would have to say it was one of the best fights on light tackle (6lb) I have ever had with storming runs that just kept going & going, took it for an angry Kingfish at first but then the big head shakes, Snapper time, after it settled down a bit it was gently bentley & after 5min up popped a very nice 8.5kg Snapper (19lb).
Not the biggest Snapper I have caught but one to remember thats for sure.
So after a few pics it was back into the sea to fight another day, just love it when you can see them swim away, always try to release anything over 10lb if possible, thats just Me so each to there own.
So with a very nice bin full of fat Snapper & a couple of small Kings (80cm versions) it was time to head home, another memorable day on the water.
The next trip (4 days later) I decided to fish with just the new Zman Shrimps & man do the Snapper love these things, catching snapper from 35cm to 75cm, smashing them on the drop with very aggressive takes & good solid runs, the kind of fishing I just can’t get enough of.
So the new Zman Shrimps get the big tick from Me, weighted with the lightest jig head you can get away with (1/4 to 1/2oz) to get you to the bottom with maximum hang time, they are lethal, just another top tool in the fishing arsenal.
Now just a quick note on the new OceanAngler Microwave Rod V2.
Great colour & excellent finish, longer top forgrip which I like a lot, very good action with plenty of grunt at the business end, it casts light weighted jig heads effortlessly & makes easy work of big Snapper, a pleasure to use & well worth your hard earned dollars.
Match it with a 2000 to 4000 series reel & light weight braid & you have got yourself a Snapper slaying machine.
So if ya heading up to the Far North don’t forget to grab your OceanAngler supplies plus your Zman softies as the Snapper up here love em & there is plenty of them around at the moment.
Happy Days.