Episode 76: Manning River Jewfish With Adam Maddalena

Adam’s Top Tips For Jewfish

• Don’t give up. It’s normal to have many fruitless hours when you’re fishing for jewfish. Patterns in their habits are very difficult to pick, so putting in the hours is the only option.
• Sometimes you’re on bait and convinced there are jewfish there but can’t get a bite. Move off and try another spot upstream or downstream then return and try again two or three hours later. Sometimes conditions have changed and the fish come on the chew.
• Try around bridges as a first option. If the bridges are not holding bait go looking for natural structures such as rock bars and deeper holes where there are bait schools present.
• Winter is the best time to find quality fish in the Manning system. Still, slightly overcast conditions with a bit of water movement give the best results. In terms of tides, the best bite windows down near the mouth tend to be on the change of tide when there’s not much water movement. Upstream at the corresponding tide is about half run out – yet it seems to be the best bite time. Go figure!
• Don’t spot lock the electric or anchor the boat. It’s best to allow the boat to drift and to cast at 90 degrees to the boat, let the lure sink and bump it along the bottom. Done correctly, the boat and lure are drifting downstream at the same pace.

Adam’s Preferred Tackle For Jewfish

• A 6’ 9” to 7’ rod in the 3-4kg line class and couples with a 4000 size reel, 15lb braid and a 30lb leader is a good combination that allows the relatively large lures used for this style of fishing to be cast comfortably.
• Adam also uses a second. lighter outfit for soapies and school jew comprised of a 4-6lb Sumaki Zing rod with a 2000 size Okuma Epixor XT 20 which he uses for chasing soapies and school jew.

Adam’s Best Jewfish Lures

• Keitech Swing Impact paddle tail plastic is great for creating vibration and is Adam’s go to lure for when the water is less than clear. Adam generally uses these on a ½ oz jig head with a 7/0 hook.
• The 4-5” Kytec Easy Shiner in shrimp oil or lime chartreuse on 1/4oz jig head and 6/0 hook is good when the water is clearer and a more subtle presentation is required.
• A 6” Gulp Nemesis in white glow is a subtle presentation and is a great choice for fishing in low light around dusk. Adam generally uses a 1/2oz jig head and 7/0 hook for this lure.
• All lures are weighted to get them to the bottom, but not so heavily that they plummet straight down. Allow lures to fall to the bottom and rest there for a second or two. Lift the rod fairly slowly to move the lure forward a metre or so, then wind down slowly to allow the lure to sink back to the bottom on a semi-taut line. Repeat.