11 minute read
Fishing for snag dwellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Justin Willmer
Sean with a flathead landed fishing the mangroves and snags with a NedlockZ EWG jig head and TRD BugZ. Lubin Pfeiffer with a flathead landed fishing weedless around the weed and rubble bottom.
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Fishing for snag dwellers
THE weather is warming up and our favourite snag dwellers are starting to stir, shake off the colder winter months and smash up the local herring and poddy mullet population.
The ability to entice a bite from snag dwellers, such as flathead, bass, barramundi – impoundment for those chasing them during the closed season – and mangrove jack, often hinges on getting your presentation close enough or deep enough into the structure to attract their attention and draw a strike.
In this article I want to run through some weedless rigging and how to effectively fish the structure that is holding the fish, to maximise your chances of winning the battle.
The weedless rig
For much of our fishing we can rig our plastics on a standard jhook style jig head and fish without snagging or fouling.
Entering the arena of species such as bass, jack and barra though and a casting with a standard jig head could see your presentation snagged or fouled before you’ve even turned the reel handle.
Timber, weed, lilies, reeds, overhanging vegetation and snag piles all provide shelter, create breaks in the water flow, attract and hold bait, and provide ambush points for these predators to strike from.
Weedless rigging is actually quite simple, with many anglers finding it easier than having to feed more of the plastic onto a standard jig head.
Rigging weedless involves capturing the chin of the soft plastic, by feeding the hook a short distance into the plastic and then popping it out of the underside of the plastic.
The section you have pinned is then slid up into the section of the weedless hook that holds it in place, we measure out where the hook needs to exit the back of the plastic and feed the hook point straight up through the plastic.
The plastic will then sit straight on the hook, with the ‘chin’ held in place and the barb and hook point sitting against the top of the plastic to drastically reduce snagging and fouling.
Weedless jig heads
There are a variety of weedless jig heads
Tackle Tactics by JUSTIN WILLMER
* from P12 available, including unweighted, belly weighted and head weighted options and they each allow us to fish different structure and use different techniques.
Unweighted – unweighted worm hooks, such as the TT Lures ChinlockZ jig heads, are designed with minimal to no weight and are ideal for fishing plastics across the surface or on a dead slow sink.
These are often the go-to for anglers fishing soft plastic frogs on the surface, over lilies, weed and other structure.
Try grabbing your favourite paddle or curl tail and rig it on an unweighted weedless jig head and you may be surprised at the awesome action that it can create on the surface, inspiring some brutal surface strikes, for a wide variety of species.
Belly weighted – weedless jig heads with weight added to the belly of the hook, such as the TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS, allow more weight for casting, assist in keeling the plastic on the surface while working the frog feet harder and can also be used to create a slow and natural horizontal sinking action in a variety of soft plastics.
This is the go-to for surface frogs when you require more distance in the cast, especially when battling wind.
By lifting the rod tip on the retrieve, you can ensure that the plastic still gets up and rides on the surface.
Not just for frogs though, this jig head can be used with your favourite curl tail or paddle tail for slow rolling structure and weed on the flats or working tight in around heavy cover.
It’s a bit of a secret weapon paired with a jerkbait style plastic, accounting for plenty of jack and barra with the dart, dart and glide on the sink.
Finally, one of the deadliest ways to fish this jig head is rigged in prawn and shrimp imitations, such as Z-Man 3.5” EZ ShrimpZ.
Prawns love holding
* continued P14 Barramundi are a species that love structure and Reece pinned this one on a Z-Man and TT Lures Snake EyeZ.
Baitcast gear is often popular for barramundi and mangrove jack as it allows you to thumb the spool and lock things up.
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Josh from the Bivouac Boyz extracted this mangrove jack with a TT Lures Snake EyeZ and Z-Man MinnowZ.
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Weedless rigged paddle tails are dynamite on barramundi and mangrove jack. Winnie with a nice fish.
Fishing for snag dwellers
* from P13 tight in around cover and this jig head creates a slow and natural horizontal sink, a natural flick and glide when the rod is twitched and a buoyant plastic, such as Z-Man ElaZtech, will sit horizontal at rest on the bottom, attracting fish and triggering strikes.
Head weighted – weedless jig heads are also available with a fixed head weight, such as the TT Lures NedlockZ EWG, or freeswinging head weight, such a TT Lures SnakelockZ and these allow you to sink the plastic head forward to get it down into the structure quicker or hop and roll the plastic with a more head down diving and feeding action.
This is a dynamite presentation for hopping, flicking and rolling paddle tail plastics, imitating a baitfish swimming over and through structure, for species as varied as flathead on the weed flats, bass among the reeds and lilies, and barra and jack around heavy timber.
Though not only an option for paddle tails however, and you will find anglers rigging almost any style of soft plastic on a head weighted weedless hook for fishing structure.
The NedlockZ EWG is a smaller and often lighter finesse option that is ideal for bream, bass and other smaller predatory species.
It is commonly rigged with a small, 2-3’’ crustacean or creature bait to fish slow and tight around structure, while also being suitable for the vast array of different plastic styles available.
Five tips to help land fish from structure
Fish low light – by fishing in lower light conditions, such as dawn and dusk, these snag dwelling predators are often patrolling further out from the snags, giving you more chance of encountering them further from the structure and keeping them out of their snaggy home.
Pepper the edges – when I approach a large snag pile or other prime fish holding structure, I will start by making casts around the edge of the structure or even running a couple high
* continued P15
* from P14 in the water column and over the top of the structure.
If I get the bite further from the structure, I have more chance of keeping the fish out and if I don’t get the bite, it’s time to get the lure right in there.
Watch your line – I have fished with anglers and seen them get the bite through their line, however they don’t pick up on it and by the time the line becomes tight, the fish is already well back in the structure and it’s an instant bricking.
If you see a tug or ‘tick’ on the line, or if the line speeds up or stop prematurely, strike.
Remember, strikes are free!
Keep on knocking – I stood there once and watched my dad throw ten casts at a snag for bass and I said, “Come on, let’s keep rolling”.
He thought the snag looked good and wanted to throw a few more casts, landing three bass from the next half a dozen casts.
I was running and gunning, while he thought the snag looked prime and he kept peppering it from different angles and mixing up the retrieve until he switched them on.
Scent up – if the fish are aggressive then you may not need scent to fire them up, however when they’re shut down and especially in cooler months, scent can get them to bite, bite more aggressively and hold onto the lure longer so that you can get a solid hookset and get them out.
Hopefully this article inspires you to rig a few weedless plastics and throw them into the structure you’ve been looking at but have never been game to fish.
Remember to be ready for the bite, strike hard and wind if you suspect a bite, while also being prepared to lock things up.
You will win a few epic battles and you will also likely build a vivid collection of mammoth bust offs – but that’s fishing.
See you on the water…
The softness of the Z-Man 10X Tough ElaZtech plastic clears easily on the strike for a solid jaw hinge hook set.
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