A Summer Night on the Reef - Part 2

Last week we looked at why it is worth targeting your shallow reef systems in low light periods. Let’s now take a look at how to best fish these areas for good results.

Tackle:
Standard tackle for fishing the reef from my point of view, consists of a dropshot rod in the 6 to 10kg range (heavy outfit) matched with an 806 Abu Cardinal or a Pro Tactic in the 4 to 7kg range (light outfit) matched with an 804 Abu Cardinal. My heavier outfit is loaded with 20 to 30lb Stren High Vis braid and the lighter outfit is loaded with 10lb Stren Microfuse braid. I adopt 20 to 30lb leaders on the heavy outfit and 10 to 14lb leaders on the light outfit.
I carry a full range of jigheads including 2/0 and 3/0 hook sizes on 1/6th Oz through to 3/4Oz (only come in 5/0 hook size) weights. My soft plastic arsenal includes all things Gulpy ranging from 4 inch to 7 inch plastics. If you get too confused with all the colours out there opt for a natural colour and a bright colour in each of the different soft plastic profiles. By this I mean a small profile like the 4 inch Pogy or Goby, a middle range plastic like the 5 inch swimshad or jerkshad and a larger profile like the 6 inch grub or 7 inch jerkshad. If you have two bags of each profile in a natural colour like Camo or Smelt and a bright colour like Nuclear Chicken or Mango Ripple you are well on your way to success. Here’s another good little secret (don’t tell your mates this one so you get the upper hand early!) - When you are fishing in small moon phases you can encounter a lot of phosphorus glowing in the water. When you see this – don’t tell your mates – quietly take off the plastic you are using and reach for the bag of Gulps that says GLOW! On the bag. Sneakily put your head lamp on the plastic for a few moments and then cast it out. By the time your mates have worked out all the fish you are catching are taking glowing plastics you will have the upper hand in the competition!

Rigging:
I typically use 2 metres of the lightest leader I can get away with. When the fishing is tough, light leaders will catch more fish, it has been proven time and time again. If you are worried about using light leader around the reef, don’t be – the fish will do you over just as fast on 30lb as they do on 14lb! The secret in getting back big fish around the reef is knowing when to back off on them to stop the panic factor. I have found the harder I go on fish these days, the quicker they find reef or straighten hooks (like I said I go pretty hard on some of them!). Alternatively, I have found that when I ease off the pressure, many fish have proceeded to move back to mid-water and eventually the net. It’s worth thinking about your approach!
When rigging plastics make sure they sit straight on the hook. Pierce the face of the plastic with the hook point, and thread the hook through the plastic so when you pull it through the back of the bait it lies straight on the hook. It has to look and sink naturally in the water.

Approach:
There are two ways to approach fishing the reef with soft plastics. You can opt to anchor or drift. I have published a detailed article on the merits of both techniques in this years Fishing Monthly Annual – “Catch”. Both techniques have their Pro’s and Cons.
This week let’s look at anchoring a boat and fishing soft plastics on the reef.

Anchor Fishing Soft plastics:
The first task is to locate the patch of reef you wish to fish. Following this, anchor the boat up wind of the reef and position the boat a cast length away from your prime fish holding location. Then choose the lightest jighead you believe you will need to just reach the bottom with your offering. Typically you will find it takes a few changes of jigheads prior to getting the optimal sink rate correct. The optimal sink rate should be a very, very slow sink. This is very important! A wounded or dead baitfish does not plummet through the water column. They sink, or sink and pause at a slow rate. Mid water fish such as snapper that watch a plastic sink too quickly won’t go anywhere near it. I have fished using plain Gamakatsu hooks before to achieve a dead slow sink. By pulling the plastic over the eye of the hook, the plastic will stay in place.
Having rigged your plastic, cast it out as far as possible over the top of your prime location. Then engage the reel and allow the plastic to sink with the line kept tight. The taut line will decrease the sink rate of the plastic and the movement of the boat will quite often allow the bait to pause in the water column as would a wounded baitfish. By keeping the line tight you will also be able to detect bites. Fish (especially snapper) will typically bump the plastic and then mouth it prior to moving away with it. This is very much the same as a fish taking a natural bait – the Gulp is that good!. What this means is that by striking at the first sign of a bite will inevitably result in a failed hookup. Be patient and give the fish plenty of time to take your offering. To facilitate the process I often keep my rod tip high and allow it to be pulled down to water level prior to striking.

This technique is very effective! I have taken some good bait anglers out fishing with me recently and they have been amazed at how well this technique works. One of them described it as some of the best snapper fishing he had ever seen! Take some time to practice the technique and you will quickly become proficient at it.

Happy Fishing,
Nige