Page 26 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing magazine

70cm-plus of Moreton Bay snapper. The author with a solid longtail.
Tips for Moreton Bay snapper and longtails
* from P25
Some of the lures used or in the
The key here is not to panic and instead let the fish run as you take the boat out of gear. This first big run is exhilarating and gets your blood pumping, but it also tires out the fish, so don’t try to fight it at this stage, just make sure you keep pressure on.
schooled up in big tight balls, preda- tors are nearby. By spending five or 10 minutes searching, you will im- prove your chances of catching fish.
tackle box included Atomic Shin- erz (80mm), Zerek Ripper Di- vers (90mm), Killalure River Rats (125mm), Classic Lures Dr Evils (90mm) and Halco RMG Scorpions (90mm).
Once a large school of bait was found, we simply cast our plastics and let them sit in the rod holders as we had some morning tea. This is a technique George has used for years and one Joseph Cormack showed me a year or two ago.
By running light braid and leader you will be able to get these lures diving way deeper than quoted on the packet, especially when trolling with the tide or current.
Depending on the size of the fish and the direction of the tide, you may need to manoeuvre the boat to aid with the capture, especially if using lighter line.
And while it seems too simple to be true, it works. Within moments, George was on, with his 10lb outfit loaded up again, however this time we needed to chase it down.
So, what do I mean by light? Well, George had 10lb braid and 12lb leader on his baitcaster rig (for some reason he likes chasing them on that setup, but it works).
Before too long, we had 70cm-plus of snapper laying on the SeaDek and destined for the Esky. Thank- fully, our plan came to fruition, which was extremely rewarding.
After a relatively short battle, given the arsenal of choice, the longtail was in the boat. This process was repeated, and after finding the large school of bait again I hooked up to a better fish, but my time with Joseph meant I had 50lb gear on and it was brough to the boat in a flash.
One of the reasons I think this setup works is because of the fine line and leader and the fact George can easily adjust how much line he has out. This is where having a good sounder and being able to read it is important, as you can pick out bait- fish and single bigger fish and get your lure in the right spot or to the right depth.
Just to make sure it was not a fluke, we continued trolling, which resulted in one more snapper. It is important to remember when troll- ing that you mark any good-looking ground or structure you go over. Some of the by-catch we got while trolling included school mackerel and grinners, but I guess if you are getting these, you are in the right area.
The lures that did the damage were the Zerek Flat Shat in white rigged on a TT HeadlockZ in 3/0, 3/8oz and a Bubble Gum Z-Man 5” StreakZ rigged on a Barambah Flatty jig head in 3/0, 1/2oz.
Now, I did say you simply drive back and forth and that is true, but making sure you understand the key points related to lures, line and us- ing your sounder will improve your chances.
With the sun climbing a bit higher and an increase in boat traffic, we moved on to chase longtail tuna. A couple of birds were in the sky and we saw a very small bust-up in the distance, so that was the direction we went in.
Key take home message: find the bait and you find the fish. It is also important to watch your sounder and let line out to make sure you are in the strike zone and adjust the weight of your jig head as needed.
Thankfully, on this occasion everything went to plan and as the sun was just poking its head over North Stradbroke Island, George’s rod buckled over, with line peeling off the spool at a rate of knots.
Once again, the key was to find the bait. We came across small patches here and there, but we were look- ing for the mother lode. If bait is
By using very simple techniques and refining them a little, you should see your catches improve.
Page 26 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, June 2020
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