Episode 306: Holiday Season Estuary Fishing With Greg Vinall

Greg’s Tips Fo Estuary Fishing During The Holiday Period

1. Get up early. The ramps and waterways will still be busier than normal, but at least the less dedicated anglers will still be sleeping in! Give yourself extra time to get to your spots, even if it means waiting it out on the water!

2. Be prepared to work a little harder to find fish that haven’t been harassed by holidaymakers masquerading as anglers. Travel further, get away from the crowds, look for lesser known spots and lesser known pieces of structure.

3. Look at the most common and popular lures in use at your fishing destination and look for alternatives that are similar but might have a different sound or vibration signature. Fish that have become wise to the commonly used lures might be more likely to take a slightly different lure.

4. Experiment with lure sizes. A common ploy used by smart anlgers on pressured waters is to size down lures compared with what the majority of anglers are doing. However, sometimes sizing up your offering might do the trick, so be prepared to try both.

5. Focus on lure presentation. If you’re fishing plastics, be fastidious about hook placement. Make suer your lure is moving naturally and is mimicking whatever prey item it is supposed to imitate.

6. Finesse it up, especially if the water is clear and there isn’t any wind or cloud cover. A fine leader is less visible, creates a less noticeable shadow and allows the lure to work more naturally due to less inhibition.

7. Apply a scent/attractant to your lure. Scents not only mask human ans unnatural odours, but may also create the tipping point that convinces a less committed fish to take your lure. Small amounts applied regularly is the trick.

8. Stealth is important. By being as quiet and discrete as possible, making long casts and operating your boat/kayak in stealth mode you’re more likely to be putting lures in front of fish that are unaware of your presence.

9. The wind is nearly always your friend, but never more so than during the holidays when waterways are busy. Use the wind to increase casting distance or drift your boat quietly, and enjoy that the wind helps to keep less knowledgeable anglers either off the water of fishing in all the wrong places. Also enjoy that the wind provides cover that makes skittish fish relax and feed more freely.

10. Try avoiding well know structures and hotspots (eg artificial reefs) and look for lesser-known places where the tourists and weekend anglers are less likely to to aggregate.