Andrew McGovern looks at the various fresh and saltwater species susceptible to a surface lure or two and explains how best to target them in various situations.
There is something special about wild river bass. The power and beauty of each fish makes it all the more exhilarating when you get to experience the visual delights as the fish takes your lure off the surface.
Surface fishing with lures provides the biggest ‘rush’ you will experience form our sport. Regardless of your level of experience, getting a surface strike always gets the heart pumping and hands shaking. Be warned that once you have experienced a few successful sessions on different species, it can become down right difficult to get as excited using sub-surface techniques for the same fish. So, if you want to risk becoming addicted then here are a few proven methods to entice some of the more common species in both fresh and saltwater.
QUEENFISH, GTS, AND MACKEREL – FAST AND BRUTAL
For those fortunate enough to live adjacent to the warmer waters throughout northern Australia, the gambit of surface options is endless. The three most common pelagics, which are possibly the easiest to target due to their schooling nature and relentless pursuit of baitfish, are queenfish, giant trevally, and Spanish mackerel. Quite often these three will mix in together as they round up huge schools of smaller fish and force them to the surface. It is not uncommon to find other species of trevally and mackerel in the larger schools too.
Large poppers are the most user-friendly option if you intend to target them off the surface, as they are easy to cast, simple to retrieve, and perfectly replicate a fleeing baitfish. It is just a matter of casting out and working the popper violently back to the boat. Strategically cutting the outboard before the school is spooked and goes down will take some time on the water. The best option is to anticipate the path of the school and cut the motor forward of where the school is heading.
A highly successful method I have used on numerous occasions, particularly when the schools have been skittish at the sound of any motor, is to troll only one rod (usually a shallow running minnow) and to have another angler ready with a popper rod. Once a fish is hooked on the trolling rod, wait until the fish is within sight and quite often the fish will have three or four other predators ‘shadowing’ it. Once the hooked fish breaks the surface immediately cast out and start working the popper. It amazes me how many times this has resulted in a solid hook up off the surface and then triggered another feeding frenzy on the surface. To keep the school around always attempt to leave a hooked fish in the water near the boat while the other person releases their fish and starts casting again.
Surface fishing, no matter what environment you are in or what species you are targeting, is without doubt the most addictive style of fishing available. It doesn’t matter where you live in this country, you can bet your next pay packet that there is an area and a species nearby that will lend itself to some heart racing, adrenalin fuelled surface fishing!
Bass – Bronzed Warriors
There is no doubt that chasing bass on surface lures is the most exhilarating way to catch these hard fighting natives. Fishing for bass on the surface has been around for decades and they are possibly one of the first species, along with barramundi, that were regularly spoken about as a genuine surface target by sports fishers in Australia. Bass of all sizes will strike something off the surface and over the years we have had cricket scores of hand-sized bass taken from a few of my local bass haunts. Regardless of the size of the fish, the surface strike from wild bass is always highly aggressive, ferocious and at times brutal.
The bulk of my bass fishing is undertaken in rivers and creeks so we will look at the key areas to subdue fish in these environments. Undercut banks, back eddies and fallen trees are possibly the primary areas to find bass. These areas are particularly productive during daylight hours, however casts must be accurate and within half a metre of that feature if you want to generate a strike. As the sun dips down and the shadows lengthen, bass will move away from their daytime lair under the cover of darkness. At dusk, work areas within the direct vicinity of these features, as bass will be more alert and willing to hit a surface lure. The darker it gets, the more areas will open up for bass strikes. Deep channels or gutters running close to prominent snags as well as mid-stream boulders or trees will come into their own during the night. Any feature that will divert the current and create a sanctuary from the moving water is worth concentrating your efforts around.
The author polaroided this quality whiting and then coaxed it into nailing his Lucky Craft Sammy.
Whether you are land based or fishing from a canoe or kayak it is important to vary the angle of your retrieves. Like many species, trout in particular, bass will generally face a certain way when holding on a snag or under an overhanging bank. Ensuring that you retrieve your lure at all different angles will guarantee that any bass in the area will get a good look at your lure. In saying that, if you are fishing fast running water, always work your lures either with or across the current, particularly those first half a dozen casts.
If the bank side terrain will allow you, get out of your watercraft and make casts as far upstream of the feature as possible. For a stationary position on the land you will be able to make the initial two or three casts count. Like bream around snags, most lures are hit on the first or second cast so be ready to load up your rod and attempt to turn the fish’s head as quickly as possible. Most bass are lost in that first few seconds after hook up as they desperately attempt to get bank into their snag. As with most surface fishing, try a variety of retrieval styles, varying the pace and direction of each retrieve.
WHITING – CASTING AT SHADOWS
Polarioding whiting on the flats is commonly referred to a poor man’s bonefishing. If you add surface action into the equation you have close to the ultimate sport fishing experience for a southern estuary fisher. Sand or mud flats common in most estuary systems in New South Wales, northern Victoria and southern Queensland, will attract whiting. If the flats are fertile with nipper holes, small crabs, interspersed weed clumps, and broken shell grit then rest assured there will be whiting poking around at some stage of the tidal cycle. Normally a building tide leading up to the top of a high is the best time as the whiting have vastly more area to explore and find food.
A key element of whiting on the surface quests is pinpointing the fish. Whiting are so well camouflaged that at time they are almost invisible. This is where you need to look for the moving shadows because as good as whiting are at hiding themselves, they can’t hide their shadow. ‘Casting at shadows’, as I often refer to it, often means using your powers of observation before casting. Watch the fish for a few minutes before starting to cast as it is important to get an idea of where and how the whiting are moving around.
If you cast at the shadows you will generally spook the fish because your lure will land behind the fish, or at best, on top of them. Attempt to cast well in front of them to give your lure time to land and settle before the fish has a visual cue at your lure. Once the fish is within a couple of metres of your lure commence your retrieve. In many cases the whiting will power straight towards your lure and have a slash at it. If the fish are interested, yet won’t strike your presentation, it is a matter of trying various retrieval speeds and styles to generate that all-important strike. The two crucial factors is to keep your retrieves slow, with the occasional burst of speed, as well as mixing up the number of pauses and duration of each pause for every retrieve.
Double hook ups are common on salmon off the surface through winter.
If you opt for a popper style surface lure, keep your ‘pops’ short and slow. Pause after each pop and pay attention to the area behind your lure as whiting are notorious for nosing up behind a lure for metres of a single retrieve. If your preference is for a ‘walk the dog’ style lure then again keep it slow, with intermittent pauses along the way. The key to these retrieves is all in the wrist and keeping a taunt line to the tow point of the lure. The retrieval styles associated with a popper style of lure are far easier to master than the surface stickbaits (walking the dog). Start with a popper and then once you have the hang of the popper give a stickbait a go.
MURRAY COD – GREEN FISH THAT GO, BOOM!
Murray cod are the apex predator in our waterways that flow west of the Great Dividing Range. Taking cod on surface lures takes freshwater pursuits to an entirely new level. There has been plenty written over the last few years relating to cod on the surface and one fallacy that is worth dispelling here is that it is not as difficult as many would have you believe. In fact you don’t actually need fancy retrieves as the quality of ‘walker’ and ‘wakebait’ style cod lures does all the work for you. You do not need to contend with underwater snags, which can be cumbersome, to put it mildly, when working diving hardbodies or spinnerbaits. Finally, casting accuracy is not a paramount as with other styles of lures because the surface lure will entice that big cod out of his home and smash it. The key element to catching cod off the surface is all about the location.
Some of the best areas to work surface lures include the edge of banks and shorelines where terrestrial life can be blown into the water. Overhanging tea trees and scrub, branches of trees and elongated canopies of eucalypts that are within close vicinity of the water’s edge are prime areas. Another proven feature to target cod in rivers and impoundments are rock formations that jut out into the main body of water. These spots offer ideal launch pads to nail any prey moving past.
Possibly the most consistent feature of a river are mid-stream boulders. Mid-stream boulders will produce fish at all times of the day and night; however, late evening and early morning are both prime times. If you are fishing during the middle of the day, work your lure across the shadows cast by the boulders. Other shadow lines worth prospecting are those cast by large trees that will provide shade for several hours during bright, clear days.
Cod are opportunistic feeders, particularly when it comes to surface tucker. Lizards, water rats, large beetles, small birds and mice are all high on the list of the green fish’s diet. If you observe any of these creatures in the water you should be able to replicate the way they move across the surface and adapt that to your retrieve. However, as mentioned before, in many cases, a straight, constant retrieve will generate plenty of interest. A few pauses at different intervals during the retrieve will help, and most importantly, keep all your retrieves to a very slow pace.
I gauge the pace of my retrieve by how my lure is swimming. If it is swimming correctly then I will continue to reduce the pace of each rotation of my reel handle until it begins to glide through the water rather than swim or paddle. The key is to ensure your lure is swimming correctly at the slowest possible speed.
SALMON AND TAILOR – MINI TORPEDOES
I have to confess that chasing salmon and tailor in estuaries isn’t my cup of tea unless they are taking lures off the surface. I’d much prefer to be hopping plastics for frogs or silver slabs, or flicking hardbodies at snags for bream. However, when these nomadic pelagics are slashing, ripping and dicing up poor defenseless schools of baitfish on the surface, it is one of my favourite styles of estuary fishing.
To successfully catch tailor and sambos on the surface you need to be ready and able to chase down the school, which diving birds and splashes on the surface will indicate. With one hand on your spin rod and the other on the throttle you need to be able to get into position quickly as schools will generally not stay on the surface for long. Occasionally you will get lucky and a school will start busting up around you but in most cases it’s a matter of being primed and ready to move and fire off casts at the drop of a hat.
My approach is to get the boat into position about 30 to 50 m from the school and then use my electric to move to within casting range. The other option is to determine the direction the school is moving and position the boat within the path of the busting fish. I will then use the electric to hold the boat in position while waiting for the school to get to me. Once the school is within casting distance make as long a cast as possible. Casting across the school is advantageous as it gives you a few metres of the retrieve to get your popper working correctly. The first few casts should be slightly in front of the school or through the middle section. Do not cast into the middle of the school if you can’t make it all the way across. I have experienced, on a number of occasions, instances where a popper lobbed directly into the middle of a school has pushed the fish down. Use relative fast retrieves with long downward rips of the rod tip to impart an exaggerated pop and forward water spurt from your lure.
Releasing a beautiful cod taken after dark.
If the school has gone down, continue to cast in the area you think the fish may have moved to. The predators will still be switched on and on the look out for any baitfish that may have been stunned or wounded during the frantic boiling and slashing of fins, tails and scales. We have taken some of the biggest salmon and tailor using this method. Finally, slow your retrieve down and impart a few long pauses if the school has gone off the boil as this will give the predators marginally more time to find your presentation.
Andrew has been fishing the Canberra, Monaro, Snowy Mountains and NSW south coast region for over 40 years and is considered one of the country’s most innovative and competent anglers. He is AFNs most published writer and now takes up a key position as Field Editor with AFN. Along with two extensive books, Andrew has featured in numerous AFN Tactics DVDs. Andrew is currently a Pro Angler with Jarvis Walker Australia and endorses their range of products.
