Episode 549: Northern NSW Land-Based Jewfish With Josh Annand

Josh’s Tips For Land-Based Jewfish On Lures

• Persistence is key with jewfish on lures. Keep trying and keep experimenting until you catch your first fish. For some reason once you get the first one it seems to be a turning point and subsequent jewfish come much more easily. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t catch jewfish every trip.
• Jewfish in the coastal areas of the north coast of NSW are primarily a winter species if you’re targeting the 20kg plus fish, but smaller fish can be taken all year round. The estuaries are affected more by seasonal influences, though.
• Jewfish have a habit of being unpredictable, so fish for them any time you can as they often surprise you. However, Josh finds that an overcast day with a light southerly wind, medium swell with a little foam on the water surface. A Low tide at around 3-4pm is great as the first hour of the run in will bring clean water around dusk. A late moon rise doesn’t hurt, either. Josh doesn’t usually stick around more than an hour after dark unless the fish are biting.
• Nine times out of ten the most effective technique for working jewfish lures is to make it super slow and subtle and stay in contact with the lure at all times so you don’t miss subtle strikes.
• Be careful. It’s very easy for adrenaline to kick in and common sense to go out the window when you hook a fish. Be aware of long period swells and never lose sight of the fact that rock fishing is dangerous and needs to be done with care. Stay cool and don’t take risks, no fish is worth dying for!

Josh’s Land-Based Jewfish Tackle

• Josh likes the Shimano Grappler and has a PE 2.5, PE 4 and PE 6.
• The PE 2.5 Grappler is paired with a Shimano SW Stradic 5000 loaded with 40lb braid and 80lb leader.
• The PE 4 Grappler rod is paired with a Shimano Saragosa 8000 reel, 50lb braid and 80lb leader
• The PE 6 Grappler is fished with 70lb braid and 80lb leader on a 14000 size Shimano Saragosa. This outfit is too heavy to fish for long periods, but has occasional uses and enables Josh to cover all situations

Josh’s Top Lures For Jewfish

• The Berkley Gulp 7’ Jerkshad in Pink Shine or Yakka Snack colours, rigged on a 3/4oz to 1 1/2oz jig head. This lure can be cast over structure on the lighter PE 2.5 outfit, winding the lure as soon as it hits the water, then allowing it to sink for 2-3 seconds. The rest of the retrieve is a slow roll with occasional gentle 50mm twitches. Be sure to allow occasional pauses, as the jewfish often take it on the drop. Expect to get snagged occasionally. In the surf, where the waves break and stir up lots of sand the fish will often be in the shallow water and will smash this lure before you even start the retrieve.
• Berkley Gulp 6” Paddletail in Pink Belly Shrimp colour on a 1 to 1.5oz jig head can be fished in much the same way as the jerkshad, but is especially good cast over deeper, sandy areas. Allow this lure to drop more often as the paddletails swim well and are often taken on the drop. This lure can also be worked by slow rolling and raising the rod tip simultaneously.
• Leavey Lures and Croaker Lures 180mm shallow diving hard bodies are always rigged on one of Josh’s combo’s. If the plastics aren’t getting taken he’ll usually start throwing the hard bodies around. It’s important to have both lures in your kit, for some reason the jewfish are sometimes super fussy and will take