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5 Presentations for Fishing Mangrove Edges

By Justin Willmer

Ever since I was a kid, I have always loved fishing mangrove edges and to this day it’s hard to beat a perfect cast into a pocket in the mangroves… especially when it gets eaten right in there. At low tide there can be no water in the mangroves and yet it’s still a secret world in there that is alive with activity. As the water rises and fills this world, it brings with it bait that is looking to feed and escape the predators, along with the predators that follow the bait and come to feed on the myriad of creatures that live in the mangroves throughout the tide.

Wherever you are in the country, there is no doubt that if you find the mangroves and fish the edges, there will be something feeding along there at some stage of the tide, just waiting to smash your lure presentation. In this article I want to break down five different soft plastic rigging techniques that have been effective for me when fishing mangrove edges around the country and how I fish these presentations. Firstly, let’s look at where to fish along these mangrove edges.

When and Where to Fish?

Depending on where you are around the country, at times you can be confronted by kilometres of mangrove edges. So, where do you start? I generally look for key structure, such as laydown timber and snag piles, breaks in the mangroves, drains coming out of the mangroves, mangrove points and areas where current or wind is pushing onto the mangroves or mangroves are creating breaks in the current flow. Another indicator to look out for is bait movement, with mangrove edges holding bait also often attracting predators.

The when is a little trickier as different locations will fire at different stages of the tide and with varying amounts of water. The more you fish an area, the more you will better understand the tides and water depths that suit it, allowing you to also apply this to other similar mangrove edges. In mangrove creeks the lower stages of the tide often expose the best snags and concentrate the fish, while in other areas you may not get within a hundred metres of the mangrove edge on the lower stages of the tide. On the other side of the coin, I have mangrove edges that fish well through the higher stages of an average high tide, however on the very big tides the fish disappear back up into the mangroves and out of reach, making the hour either side of the high tide unproductive.

Target species can also dictate the stages of the tide that you fish, with species such as whiting, barramundi, and mangrove jack often the first up onto the flats and into the mangroves, while a mate mentioned to me that grunter (javelin fish), are the last up onto the flat and into the mangroves and the first back out and off the flats. This has proven correct and if I wish to specifically target grunter, I know that I can focus on the end of the run in and start of the run-out tides when fishing around the mangroves. It really comes down to time on the water, however I can assure you that the mangrove edges are worth spending some time casting around. You can fish your standard jigheads around the mangrove edges, however for beginner soft plastics anglers this can mean plenty of snags, so let’s look at five presentations that have consistently produced for me, when fishing mangroves around Australia.

Slow Sink / Exposed Hook – TT HWS (Hidden Weight System)

Before you think I am just talking about species such as bream when I mention a Hidden Weight System, this jighead is available in some super-light weights and small hook sizes that are perfect for bream, however you can grab a 1/12oz in a 2/0H, a 1/8oz in 1 3/0H, or even up to a 1/6oz in a 7/0H, allowing you to take advantage of concealing the weight inside the belly of the plastic for a slow, natural and horizontal sink.

This has been the undoing of some quality fish around the mangrove edges, allowing you to cast tight to structure and let the soft plastic parachute slowly down, watching the line for any movement or premature stops. ZMan 10X Tough ElaZtech plastics are naturally buoyant, allowing you to further slow the sink or up the weight if you want a faster fall. The HWS is dynamite for slow sinking crustacean profiles and creature baits, such as 2.75” TRD BugZ and 2.5” TRD CrawZ for bream or step up to a 3” Scented ShrimpZ or 3.5” EZ ShrimpZ for larger species.

Soft plastics selection is up to you as most ZMan plastics will rig on a TT HWS jighead, remembering that the idea is to fish this presentation slow and let its natural fall attract fish and trigger strikes. Whether you’re shaking and sinking a creature, twitching and pausing a paddle or curl tail, or walking and gliding a jerkbait profile plastic, the HWS is dynamite for keeping the plastic up around the overhanging vegetation, where fish often feed, or drawing fish up out of structure to give you more chance of getting them out. This is a favourite presentation for fishing an exposed hook on a deadly, slow sink.

Ned Rig System – Rapid Stand Up – TT NedlockZ & NedlockZ EWG

The Ned Rig is another favourite of mine for fishing mangrove edges and it has both an exposed hook option and the EWG weedless option for heavier structure and weedier edges. The Ned Rig consists of a mushroom style jighead, that when combined with a naturally buoyant ZMan soft plastic creates a rapid stand-up presentation. I have found that even when rigged on the exposed NedlockZ hook this stand-up action assists in reducing snags and when on a NedlockZ EWG weedless jighead you can cast it right in there without fear. The Ned Rig is always working for you, whether it’s moving and fleeing on a twitch or shake or sitting on the bottom with a natural tail up or claws up pose and moving naturally with the water movement.

There are so many small creatures in around the edge of the mangroves, including prawns, baitfish, crabs, insects and more, making a small soft plastic presentation effective on species of all sizes. I like to fish the Ned Rig with a 2.75” TRD BugZ, 2.5” TRD CrawZ, 3” TRD HogZ, or other go-to smaller ZMan models, such as the 2.5” GrubZ or 2.5” Slim SwimZ.

If I am fishing the exposed hook I will cast in tight and wind and twitch the plastic out to the edge of the mangrove spikes before I allow it to fall to the bottom and then hop and twitch it back. This will avoid snagging on the mangrove spikes and it also attracts strikes from predators that are feeding aggressively in under the overhanging mangroves, such as bream, trevally, mangrove jack and barramundi.

If I am fishing the NedlockZ EWG weedless jighead, then I am less concerned about the mangrove spikes and other structure and will cast in tight and allow the jighead to fall in amongst this structure, hopping and twitching it through and over the structure.

Sometimes the choice can be dictated by the fish. If they are feeding aggressively, the exposed hook is fine and if they are really shutdown then you may need to slow things down and keep the weedless jighead deep in the structure for longer… which can also mean more smokings from fish. The decision can also be dictated by the structure itself, more open and the exposed hook is fine, denser and with more weed and it’s over to the weedless option.

Topwater Fishing Weedless – TT ChinlockZ & ChinlockZ Finesse

Fish feeding around the mangrove edges will often feed upward, eating insects and crabs that fall into the water, along with baitfish and prawns that ball up under branches and especially those where green mangrove leaves are in the water. This creates some topwater options and a weedless plastic is super-effective because you can skip it right in and under the mangroves, without the worry of trebles snagging.

You have probably seen plenty of footage of mangrove jack and barramundi smashing ZMan FrogZ and the GOAT family of plastics, however you can rig almost any ZMan plastic weedless for fishing topwater using a TT ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ Finesse jighead. The ChinlockZ starts at a 2/0H and has you covered for your larger target species and larger plastics however you can step right down to a 2.5” GrubZ or Slim SwimZ with the ChinlockZ Finesse available down to a #4L hook.

Whether you are buzzing FrogZ and GOATs, twitching and pausing a GrubZ, slow rolling a Slim SwimZ or darting and pausing a 3.75” StreakZ to represent a gar, there’s no doubt that a surface plastic can draw some explosive strikes. If you choose to fish sub-surface plastics, keep an ear and an eye out for fish busting up around the mangroves and that’s a perfect time to try fishing a plastic on top. Certain stages of the tide can fire up the surface feeding, so always pay attention to what the fish and bait are doing on the day.

A deadly technique along the mangrove edges, you can also fish this unweighted weedless plastic around pontoons, jetties, rock walls and other structure. I also love fishing them over mud, rubble and weed flats. With the breeze at your back you can throw a long cast over the flats on light spin gear, get the rod tip up and swim that plastic back across the surface, creating water movement, noise, and bubbles. I generally roll a 2.5” Slim SwimZ on a #2L ChinlockZ Finesse for fishing bream flats and a 3” MinnowZ on a 3/0H ChinlockZ for northern flats chasing barramundi and mangrove jack.

Topwater / Slow Sink Fishing Weedless – TT ChinlockZ SWS

The fourth presentation is my mangrove edge favourite when fishing north Queensland for barramundi and mangrove jack, however it can also be used in more southern waters for targeting everything, from bass and trevally to mangrove jack and flathead. The difference between the ChinlockZ and ChinlockZ SWS is the belly weight on the hook, which allows increased casting distance and control, while also allowing you to slow sink the plastic deep into the structure. This is the jighead that you will commonly see used by the crew skip casting under mangroves when buzzing ZMan FrogZ and the GOAT… and it gets eaten!

One of my favourite plastics to fish using this presentation is a ZMan 3” Scented ShrimpZ, a realistic prawn imitation, rigged on a 3/0H. With the large legs left on this plastic parachutes slowly and horizontally into the structure, which can really attract the bites when there is less current flow. Add a few twitches while its in there and it gets destroyed. When there is more current flow, I have another ShrimpZ ready with the legs trimmed off and I can fish this version faster, with a couple of flicks and then a glide back into structure. This presentation has produced a stack of species, including barramundi, trevally, mangrove jack, grunter, and flathead.

Other plastics that I like to fish on the ChinlockZ SWS are the 3.5” EZ ShrimpZ, fished much like the Scented ShrimpZ, along with a 3” MinnowZ rigged on the same head and fished like a baitfish, with a roll and pause, or twitches and a pause. Again, you can take almost any ZMan soft plastic that will fit a 2/0 upward and rig it on a ChinlockZ SWS, allowing you to get the rod tip up and fish it on the surface or slow sink it in and around the mangrove edges and other structure.

Deep in the Snags Weedless – TT Lures SnakelockZ, SnakelockZ Finesse & Snake EyeZ

Finally, I generally run the last option when fishing the mangrove edges weedless and wanting to spend more time with the plastic deeper in the snags and closer to the bottom. It is also a great option for fishing secondary structure out from the mangrove edges, such as laydowns and snag piles that have sunk into deeper water.

This option is the head weighted, weedless jighead that is available in a variety of head weights and hooks sizes, with the head weight being removable and interchangeable to mix head weights and hook sizes. If you grab a TT Weedless Rig Value Pack or a few packs of different head weights and hook sizes, you automatically have a selection of unweighted hook options, along with the myriad of hook and weight options that you can create.

The SnakelockZ Finesse is built on a light wire hook and runs right down to a #4L, allowing you to chase bream, estuary perch and other more finesse species in the mangroves, with your favourite 2.5” GrubZ or Slim SwimZ. The SnakelockZ is the heavy wire version, kicking off at a 2/0H for your larger predatory species and it is also available in a painted head version, with large 3D eyes, called a Snake EyeZ. I am a fan of painted heads and 3D eyes when I’m aiming for a more natural presentation, especially on a tough bite.

Again, one of my favourite presentations is a 3” MinnowZ, rigged on a 3/0 and I will fish this up north on a 1/12oz or 1/8oz, running and gunning mangrove edges, casting right in there, a couple of twitches and then rolling it out with the odd twitch and pause. In more southern waters it’s my go-to when focussing on a mangrove edges for big flathead, casting in tight and hopping and pausing it back out. When fishing weedless I will keep the pauses shorter to maintain contact and create a more positive hookset when the fish strike.

Depending on your target species you can rig anything from a 2” GrubZ to a 7” DieZel MinnowZ on this head weighted weedless jighead and it allows you to get the plastic down around deeper structure, stay wider of the mangrove edges and make long casts if the fish are spooky and to fish without fear of the mangrove structure, with more time fishing and less time removing snagged lures.

Overall, I hope this article inspires you to investigate your local mangrove edges further and consider the species you are targeting, what you are going to present to it and how you are going to present it. Give your standard HeadlockZ jigheads a go for starters if you already have some in your kit and remember that you also have these five proven presentation options at your disposal, should any suit your requirements. Get out there, get that soft plastic in amongst that mangrove structure and hang on!

See you on the water…
Justin Willmer

Gearing Up:
TT HWS (Hidden Weight System) Jigheads
TT NedlockZ Jigheads
TT NedlockZ EWG Jigheads
TT ChinlockZ Finesse Jigheads
TT ChinlockZ Jigheads
TT ChinlockZ SWS Jigheads
TT SnakelockZ Finesse Jigheads
TT SnakelockZ Jigheads
TT Snake EyeZ Jigheads
ZMan 10X ElaZtech Soft Plastics
Pro-Cure Super Gel Scent