Have fun throwing loops for weed munchers BRISBANE
Lachlan Hickey
Luderick (or blackfish) have to be one of the most underrated and under targeted fish on fly gear.
anglers who choose to chase them with centrepin reels, long rods, pencil style floats and weed baits – a technique almost as old as European influence in Australia. This traditional form of fishing may seem completely alien to most
wanting a new challenge, the good news is that luderick can be taken on fly tackle! Even better, the setup is pretty straightforward as far as flyfishing goes! BASIC IS BEST There is no need for
Tom is a trout angler and took to fly fishing for luderick like a duck to water.
Luderick Rig Flyline
Leader knot
Tapered leader
Indicator
specially designed glass rods upward of a thousand bucks, or flies that are so small and complicated they need to be studied under a microscope before they can be tossed into the water. Given that you will be fishing in a saltwater environment, sometimes in areas where your rod and reel will cop a bit of spray, an outfit you don’t mind getting dirty or even damaged is a good idea – at least in the beginning. Anything between a 3-8wt is fine for rods, with an 8wt occasionally becoming
necessary when these dirty fighters approach 50cm. There’s no need to spend more than $300 on a rod. Basic fly reels can be very cheap, and for a technique that only requires the reel to hold the flyline, there’s probably no need to fork out any more than $150. The equipment I use regularly gets a run on other species, so by my own standards I have a fairly fancy blackfish rig, but it’s definitely not necessary. For 95% of your fishing, a floating line is all you need. Luderick regularly feed in shallow water, and they can also be easily brought into your area with berley, and I usually find myself fishing in 10ft of water or less. It’s easy to get into arguments about leaders, but my preference is a tapered leader around 8-9ft long – about as long as the rod blank – made up of fluorocarbon and finishing up with a 6-10lb tippet section. I like a tapered leader because it allows the fly to turn over, and prevents it from falling in a heap and tangling. Flies aren’t as important as you might think. In turbulent washy areas or in a well-constructed berley trail, anything green is on the menu if the luderick are hungry. Small green weed patterns between size 4 and size 10 are fine. They’re easy to tie, and are even available from certain tackle shops and online retailers! The colour of your fly should match whatever is growing in the area, or whatever is in your berley if you’re berleying, but quite often it isn’t vital to success. The weighting of your fly is important, and getting it down to where the fish are can be the difference between success and failure. While you
can use a weighted fly, I prefer to use a small split shot just above my fly, about six inches or so. This helps to get the fly down to where the fish are, and not having it directly above the fly means it will waft naturally in the current, rendering the piece of green fluff all the more appetising. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE There is more than one way to fly fish for luderick. Where I fish in Southern Queensland, I like to anchor
Keeping a good bend in the rod is the key to staying connected with such small hooks.
6lb tippet
Splitshot
Unweighted fly
This is the author’s preferred rig when fly fishing for luderick. Readily available from about Hervey Bay in Queensland and down to most of Victoria’s coastline, vast populations of these wily little omnivores go about their days unbothered as anglers fixate on other species. There is, of course, the community of mostly older 8
AUGUST 2021
lure and fly anglers, but there is considerable overlap. Its similarity to flyfishing is undeniable, and in places where trout are only a short drive away, luderick fanatics will divide their time between these two cult favourites. But if traditional methods of blackfish angling aren’t for you, or you’re a fluff swinger
the boat in a channel, get a berley of chopped weed and wet sand going, and drift a weed fly under a large indicator perpendicular to the boat. However, you don’t necessarily need a boat, or berley for that matter. What you will need though is an area where luderick are gathering in good numbers either to feed or to spawn. Breakwalls, retaining walls, collapsed mangrove banks and weedy sand
The author with a typical estuary luderick, which ate an unusually bright coloured green fly.
channels are classic haunts for blackfish chasers in the estuaries and bays, and in the cooler months these fish will gather in the channels that these structures create. A bit of current in these channels is always a good thing. The lower ledges on the ocean rocks are a great place to target larger fish, which are usually there specifically to feed. It goes without saying that this is a potentially dangerous activity, and shouldn’t be done alone, or without local knowledge. As far as extreme sports go, wobbling around on slippery rocks fighting a 2kg fish on a noodle as a wave rushes past your thighs is up there with bull riding, boxing and gymnastics. And yes, I’ve seen old people doing this. With that said though, fly fishing in the wash is an awesome challenge, and it’s well worth doing if you are set up to fish the ocean rocks.
