4 minute read
Shut-down bite makes offshore fishing tough
Have you ever experienced a shut-down bite?
I think we all have at some stage or other and, if you’re putting in a big fishing effort over a whole day, there will almost certainly be a period when the fish will shut down.
In the estuaries, the wrong tide is the biggest factor but even when the tide is right, the fish don’t always bite.
Mackerel are a funny species that seem to come off and on the bite as their mood dictates.
Out on the deeper reefs, I find the fish tend to have a quiet period in the early afternoon from 1-2.30pm, and this can vary a little either side.
I call this period ‘the doldrums’, as I never seem to do very well during this time.
I had a day’s fishing out wide recently and the fish were shut down for the whole session.
I headed out at 10am, when the southwesterly wind backed off and headed straight to the 42-fathom line.
I did get one run and was subsequently busted off in the reef.
The day spiralled downhill from there as I progressed to rock hop along the 42 and 50-fathom lines.
I kept persisting thinking that the fish would wake up and come on the bite at any moment.
I thought the tide change might possibly be the catalyst, yet it came and went with no improvement to the fishing.
The sounder was reading great shows of fish, so I stuck it out waiting for the sunset bite to change my fortune.
There are definitely prime bite times for fish, however in my experience, dawn and dusk are without doubt the best times to have a line in the water.
Whether you’re up a little creek or out in 50 fathoms, dawn and dusk always give you that 30-60 minute window when the fish are more aggressive.
So, I ground my way through the afternoon and thankfully just before sunset, the fishing did improve a little.
Compared to the rest of the day, it was definitely a better bite period, though only just.
It was probably the worst sunset bite on record, still I did put a few in the boat at last.
I continued to fish after dark thinking they’d come on but, after 10 hours of fishing, I went home with a very sad looking ice box.
It turned out they did get on the bite!
To rub salt into the wound, my friend headed out late the next morning to the same areas and couldn’t get away from the fish.
The switch had been flicked and he caught some great pearl perch and snapper.
Shut down periods happen, sometimes for reasons we can’t understand.
I was expecting a great day because I’ve fished identical wind conditions on the exact same moon phase at that time of year previously for excellent results.
The take home message is to get back out there.
Yes, it’s a hard pill to swallow after you’ve invested all that time and expense, you’ve put a big day in and come home with a doughnut.
Don’t beat yourself up because these days do happen.
Sooner or later the fish will come back on the bite.
Fortunately, I had a good afternoon soon afterwards, heading out with Toby and Damien onboard.
The plan was for Toby to hopefully jig some kingfish and, while that strategy was a total bust, we float lined some beautiful snapper.
The good days help take the pain away!
September won’t change things too much offshore from the past couple of months.
In the rivers though, flathead, whiting and trevally will begin their spring advance, so it’s a great time to get the lures and bait in the water after these critters.
