Page 71 - Bush 'n Beach Fishing magazine
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Techniques for Gladstone Harbour gold
* from P70
I catch the majority of my finger-
most common strength. This will stop any fingermark you hook in the harbour.
time on the water, be patient and try different techniques.
mark on two lures. The first is a 95mm Zerek Fish Trap (any good vibe will work).
The fish will range from just legal to mid-60cm in size. I am still on the hunt for a fish over 70cm.
If you crack the code you can expect to consistently catch finger- mark, at times in good numbers.
The other is a 3” Berkley Gulp Shrimp on either a 3/8oz or 1/2oz jig head, depending on depth and current flow.
While you will get bigger ones on the outside or Curtis Island and the wrecks offshore, the appeal of using little fuel and being able to start fishing within minutes of leaving the ramp makes up for the lack of really big fish.
Get out on the water, enjoy the hopefully more stable conditions during winter and explore the har- bour.
If I could only take one it would be the vibe due to its ability to get down into deep water quickly and stay in contact with the bottom.
Cheers and happy fishing from Gladdy.
The Gulp Shrimp will get a bite when everything else has missed out or if big schools of herring are present.
You will catch many other species while targeting fingermark in the harbour. I have caught plenty of reef species, with sweetlip, parrot and coral trout all an option.
I have only started using the Shrimp in the past few years and am still trying to understand why they work so well with so little action, but they definitely do and it would be rare to find none tied onto at least one rod in my boat.
Typical by-catch includes the ev- er-present estuary cod, grunter, blue salmon and the odd jewfish and barramundi.
Plenty of other lures work and everyone will have a favourite or different opinion. I still use paddle tails and jerk shads, these are just my go-to lures.
It has taken me plenty of time on the water to figure out fingermark in the harbour, so I won’t give out exact spots but suggest you spend
A fingermark hooked on a vibe as the sun was rising.
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Don’t rule out trolling a deep-div- ing lure over structure. Many lures will dive to 5-8m and the hit from a good fingermark on the troll is impressive.
For live baits, I find it hard to go past a large live herring, but finger- mark will take just about anything, with mullet and gar a good back-up.
Fresh cut baits and pilchards will also get a few fish but I prefer live bait. My tackle ranges from spin gear to barra baitcasters.
I will change depending on the location I am fishing and whether I am lure or bait fishing. I find 30- 40lb leader is enough to deal with most situations.
A slightly lighter setup with 20- 25lb leader is my choice if they are hard to get a reaction from.
When bait fishing, I will use 40- 50lb leader because at times the fish get a head start with loose line and can have you in the structure before you can react.
I have braid on all my reels rang- ing from 15-30lb, with 20lb my www.bnb shing.com.au
Bush ’n Beach Fishing, June 2020 – Page 71


































































































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