Surfcasting, Land based fishing and rock fishing specialist.Helping the Under Dogs of Fishing Win!
AT THE FOREFRONT OF SURFCASTING,ROCK FISHING AND MORE
ESTUARY FISHING
It is a challenging environment and a challenging sport. There are abundant fish stocks with nurseries, resident fish populations and fish constantly moving through trying to find an easy meal. A lot of anglers specialize in only fishing the estuaries.
Bridge Pylons are a good source of decent sized fish. Some fish likeTREVALLY sit in the pressure wave of a bridge pylon waiting for an easy meal, or resting before moving back up stream. Other fish like ludrick or parore in NZ and bream also like bridge structure. They tend to be in the tail eddies of the structure where it is easier to swim without wasting too much energy. Sit up stream and burley toward the structure. Cast your line in front for you first few casts. Then try casting to the side, letting the current take the line and naturally presenting it to the fish waiting in the eddy.
When fishing a river hole, a difficult thing to find, (watch for slowing or pooling of tidal currents or eddies that slow right down with the deepening water usually round headlands or small peninsulas) don’t cast your 3oz sinker straight into the center. Large old fish tend to lie in wait so cast upstream to the sides, so that the hook and bait drifts over the edge and hangs, just over the lip.
River bends normally have deeper water towards its opposite side where the current flows straight onto the bank. These are good places to try and if it has other structures like pylons, wharves ect this makes its much more worthwhile.
Submerged Trees and Rocks are also good producers. Soft baits are best for the trees as they are relatively snag resistant. Submerged rocks once again fish the upstream side and allow the bait to drift to the back eddy. Try using small Peeler Crabs as a starting point for your bait section.
When casting in search of fish try and use the diverse nature of estuaries to your advantage. Use bridge pylons ,wharves and other man made structures, also natural structure like submerged rocks and trees, mangroves, rock walls, weed beds, sand bars, holes and river joins and bends. These are the most likely spots to find bigger resident fish. They use them for shelter from strong tidal currents and for ambushing smaller fish passing by.Careful observation of the area will reveal its quiet secrets. A good pair of Polarized sunglasses are a must for reading the water, watching the tidal water currents can show an observant angler everything he needs to put him ahead of the bait soaker right next to him pulling fish after fish when the man right next to him, even people in his own party look at him with jealously. Whether or not you tell him your secret is totally up to you.
TACKLE FOR ESTUARY FISHING:
Estuary fishing does not require an extensive range of tackle. The selection of hooks, sinkers and swivels can be kept to a basic range. The preferred hook is the French pattern (Mustad 540, Eagle Claw 6045B), a fine sharp hook design that will penetrate with a minimum of effort. A selection of sizes #4 up to #2/0 will be adequate for most fish you will encounter.
A range of round sinkers from #00 up #3 will be all you will need. Don't forget to use as light a sinker as you can in the conditions you are fishing. Be prepared to keep changing the size of your sinker as the run changes at different stages of the tide. Small swivels are important to alleviate line twist, no bigger than #10.
The following is a suggested formula for swivel to line weights:
No. 14 Swivel - up to 5 kilo line.
No. 12 Swivel - 5 - 8 kilo line.
No. 10 Swivel - 8 - 15 kilo line.
No. 9 Swivel - 15 - 20 kilo line.
