Saratoga
Matthew Langford
Fishing Guide And Tournament Angler
Matthew is a SEQ fishing guide who specialises in targeting Australian native fish in southern Queensland and Northern NSW dams and rivers. Southern saratoga is a species he regularly targets with his clients, along with bass, yellowbelly and soon, cod. Matt is also a regular on the tournament scene.
Matthew’s Top Tips For Boondooma Saratoga Fishing
- Saratoga fishing is all about having your lures on or near the surface. Fish tend to be near structure, especially in places where insects may fall or be blown into the water.
- Morning and afternoon are the best times, look for very quiet areas and be sure to take a stealthy approach. Saratoga are very aware of their surroundings and easily spooked.
- Saratoga have very bony mouths, so converting strikes to hook ups can be a challenge. Make sure your hook are sharp, especially when using spinnerbaits that have slightly larger hooks that take a little more to drive home.
Matthew’s Saratoga Tackle Selection
- When fish are in more open water and require longer casts, Matthew prefers a 7 foot or bigger spinning rod in the 3-6kg line class, with plenty of guts. He couples this with a 2500 size Shimano Stradic Ci4 with Yamatoyo 5-6kg braided line and 6-10kg fluorocarbon leader.
- His second outfit is a 3-6kg baitcast outfit with a Shimano Curado reel and a fast action 6ft rod for accurate casting in heavy structure. 6-8kg braid and 8-10 kg leader complete the outfit.
Matthew’s Top 3 Lures For Boondooma Saratoga Fishing
- Any surface lure that looks like an insect such as a Tiemco Soft Shell Cicada for working around bays and structure in the mornings and evenings.
- 1/4 to 3/8 oz Bassman Compact Spinnerbait with a single silver willow blade for when the wind picks up later in the day when the surface bite has faded. These are fished with the rod tip high, working then close to the surface.
- Shallow diving hard bodies such as the Norries Laydown minnow in gold or silver colour is perfect for in and around snags and structure.
Matthew’s Guiding Business
Australian Freshwater Fishing Charters specialises in giving clients a taste of the best that South-east Queensland’s dams and rivers have to offer. Packages are tailored to the clients needs and the fishing destinations include multiple dams and rivers in South East Queensland and northern NSW, depending on where the fish are biting. Target species include the mighty saratoga, Australian bass, yellowbelly and soon, Murray cod.
Matthew’s Sponsors
Ken Mills Toyota in Kingaroy is a local business that supports Matthew and other local sports men.
Tourism South Burnett showcase Matthews business and promote fishing as a tourist attraction to the region.
JML Anglers alliance are distributors of many popular brands that Matthew uses, including Norries, Ecogear and Yamatoyo lines
Bassman Spinnerbaits provide Matthew with many of the spinnerbaits he uses in his tournament fishing and guiding business.
Millerods handcrafted rods by Ian “Barra” Miller are Matthew’s weapon of choice for targeting Boondooma Saratoga
Fish’n’Bits online and brick and mortar tackle shop is owned by Matthew’s cousin and sponsors his fishing business also
Garmin Australia produce Matthew’s favourite piece of fishing tech, the Panoptix Livescope system that Matthew credits with increasing his understanding of fish behaviour.
Costa Sunnies Make some of the best polarised fishing glasses available and have supported Matthew for some time.