Unleashing Fingermark Fishing: Emu Park’s Prized Golden Snapper

Liam’s Top Tips For Fingermark Bream Fishing

• Contrary to popular belief, fingermark fishing is not necessarily always associated with structure. Liam consistently finds finger over rubbly bottoms 100m or more up-current of structure such as islands. Look for water of 15-25m depth with rubble not much bigger than a house brick and plenty of bait showing on the sounder.
• Fishing away from structure allows Liam to fish lighter, which results in more bites and not too many losses given the relatively clear habitat with not too much to get bricked on.
• Working the lures very slowly is important when fingermark bream fishing. Liam likes to use a long, slow draw and stay in touch with the lure on the drop. Lures like vibration baits that create plenty of vibration are good.
• Sometimes at night when the three spot crabs are on the surface you’ll find fingermark smashing crabs off the surface. Casting a lure nearby will usually draw a strike.
• Putting the boat on spot lock and casting upcurrent and hopping lures slowly back towards the boat is effective.
• The bigger tides tend to fish best, especially if there is a high around 6am. Most quality fish come in during the pre-dawn period, with the action usually over by 9am. Glassed out days with very little wind are Liam’s favourite conditions.

Liam’s Tackle For Fingermark Fishing

• A 6-7ft Spin rod in the 8kg line class with some whip in the tip is perfect for jigging and will handle the vibration baits too. A 4000 size reel and 20 or 30lb braided line with FC Rock 50lb fluorocarbon leader completes the outfit.

Liam’s Fingermark Bream Lure Selection

• Sumaki Thumper 90 or 120mm vibration bait is a great option. Drop them straight down below the bait and raise them a couple of metres off the bottom, then allow to drop back down. Work them just fast enough to get the lure to vibrate. These lures can also be cast well up current of the boat and hopped slowly back along the bottom. These are a great fingermark bream lure for fishing after dark.
• Anglers Republic Palms Slow Blatt Cast spoons in the 40-60g range are good, but even smaller ones will work. Get the flatter models that really flutter slowly and drop them beneath the boat maintaining contact with the lure the whole time. These can get hit on the drop, so be ready. Once the lure reaches bottom, work it slowly back up on a constant speed wind. Repeat.
• The Berkley Gulp 5” Jerk Shad is a good fingermark bream, but this lure also works well in the 4-7” range, so experiment with sizes to see what works on the day. Cast well up current and allow to sink to the bottom. Give a couple of quick rips and allow it to sink back to the bottom again. As the lure falls, wind slowly to pick up the slack line as more often or not the fish will come on the drop. Depending on conditions and depth, ⅜ to ½ oz jig heads with 4/0 to 5/0 hooks work well for the 5 inch lure with up to 7/0 for the 7 inch lure. Preferred hooks have a wider gape, so the point sits well clear of the plastic. This lure casts very well and is great for covering ground and finding fish.