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Curl Tails in the Estuaries
By Paul Chew
In this article I’m going to cover curl tails in the estuaries, the easiest (and cheapest) way I know to catch some fish, along with some tactics to get you hooked up in the dirty water.
Hi all, again it’s that time of year when we are battling a bit of freshwater flowing into the estuaries, although throughout this year that situation has been pretty constant. While I haven’t been out too much, on the occasions that I have managed a fish there has been a common theme, that being success coming while casting curl tail soft plastics.
For anyone that has been following along, it’s no surprise that this style of plastic is my favourite and certainly my most productive. For anyone just getting into soft plastic fishing, or trying to catch a few fish with the kids, this is easily my pick for simplicity and cost. I just find them an easy presentation to catch a fish with.
My staple go-to plastics were of course the ZMan 2.5” GrubZ, the 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ, and a few fish on the 3.5” GrubZ. More recently though I have had some great sessions on the newest GrubZ, the ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ. Species encountered of late have included trevally, mangrove jack, cod, flathead, whiting, bream and of course grunter. Tailor have been a surprise, having landed more legal tailor in the last couple of months than I have in the last couple of years.
As I alluded to earlier, I fish GrubZ, and I fish them a lot. Generally, I will have three rods rigged as I start up any given creek.
Combo 1 - One will be rigged with a ZMan 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ, fished heavy on a 3/8oz 3/0 TT HeadlockZ HD jighead and Platypus Hard Armor Leader.
Combo 2 – The second outfit will be a 2-4kg spin combo, rigged with the new ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ, on a 1/4oz 2/0 or 3/0 Demonz jighead, with a bit of 15lb leader attached. I find the ST’s a little big for the 1/0 hooks that I normally fish, with the ribbed body of the plastic suiting the 2/0 best for me.
Combo 3 - The last outfit will be a 1-3kg spin combo, 10lb leader, and a 2.5” GrubZ rigged on a 1/0 1/6oz TT HeadlockZ HD jighead. This is my favourite to use, not necessarily the most productive, but its super light and easy to use.
The outfits are set up for specific areas of the creek and I will start with the heaviest outfit first.
I use the 3/8oz jighead as I am coming into the deep outside of any bend in the creek, as its likely where there will be schooling fish, along with landslides and the like that I will have to contend with. As soon as the water gets over around three metres deep, I will pick this combo up and work the bend over as I move up the creek.
Also on the dropping tide, when the water is pouring out of the drains into the main creek, I will use this rod, casting up onto the mud edge and then hopping the StreakZ Curly TailZ down into the main creek. It’s also a good choice when the tide is running hard, keeping the plastic in the bite zone for longer than a lighter presentation.
The new kid on the block, the ST GrubZ, on the 2-4kg outfit is probably the most used now, even though it’s a little heavier than the 1-3kg to use all morning. The 15lb leader gives me a fighting chance if a threadfin or barramundi feels like a snack.
This outfit I will use along the mangrove fringes, away from the deeper corners in the creek, casting slightly upstream and just hopping the plastic back to the boat. I find the ST has a little more bulk than the standard 2.5” GrubZ, with its ribbed body, and split tail it seems to attract bites even when the fishing is a bit quiet. I think the reason is twofold, with the split tail flickering more, and the ribbed body pushing more water as it moves. I cannot wait to give these a try on the local bass population, married up to a TT Jig Spinner.
Additionally, air seems to become trapped in the body, creating a tiny bubble trail as it sinks after it is initially cast. It is also very productive on the ‘dead stick’, where you have gotten some smaller bites and short strikes. The play is to cast, do a couple of hops along the bottom, and then just let the GrubZ sit on the bottom, with the buoyant tail waving enticingly in the current. I am sure grunter in particular sit and watch until it all gets too much, then they just smash it off the bottom. It’s a deadly technique when the fish are short striking.
A liberal application of Shrimp Pro-Cure Super Gel is always a go-to for me when dead sticking plastics for grunter. It has been working well in the dirty water in the Sandy Straits in recent times, if not for the bigger fish, certainly the quantity has been up there. I guess in a nutshell my 2-4kg outfit is what I use most when I am covering lots of water, making long casts and steady retrieves. I am looking forward to developing my technique on the ST GrubZ some more. Stay tuned.
Last, but not least, the baby in the quiver and one that bats well above its size, the 2.5” GrubZ on the 1-3kg outfit. While light and comfortable to use, it certainly can pack a punch when needed, with this size outfit and 2.5” GrubZ landing a barramundi not far shy of a metre last year. I will be honest with you I think more fish are lost by trying to muscle them to the boat rather than taking your time and going steady. I just don’t lose that many fish getting busted off through the mangroves.
The 2.5” GrubZ is still the plastic that I have caught most fish on, but I guess that will happen when that’s what you throw the most. I do use it in a lot of situations, but specifically I will throw the 2.5” on a 1/8oz jighead, either TT HeadlockZ HD, HeadlockZ Finesse, or sometimes a DemonZ, when the tide is in the last hour of the run-in tide, and I am looking to fish the flooded bays where the drains enter the mangroves.
The grunter, flathead and salmon mill here about the top of the tide, often just doing circles in the bay, I think waiting for the tide to turn and push the bait back out. Finesse is key here, staying well out in the channel and making long casts. With the light weight, the GrubZ will waft down super slowly. Generally, this area is only a metre deep so stealth is key, and once a fish is landed you will usually have to move onto the next bay as the remaining fish will have spooked.
The best time for this is definitely before sunrise, but it’s worth it as the results can be outstanding. As mentioned above, a long cast and a couple of small twitches on the drop will often result is a solid hook up before the reel is even turned. It’s by far the most productive fishing, also with plenty of variety. Trevally can sometimes become a pest when fishing this sort of area, spooking the better fish, but they are still good fun to catch.
Currently I am running a combination of Okuma Cerros and TT Black Mamba spin rods, fitted exclusively with Okuma Epixor XT spin reels. Platypus braid and Hard Armor Leader make up the rest, but this story is about the GrubZ. To round this out I will run through some of my favourite colours and when to use them.
Let’s Start with the 4” StreakZ Curly TailZ, and there are 3 colours I will not leave home without. Firstly, Midnight Oil I find a great choice first thing of a morning. Fishing the deeper water it seems to go pretty well. On the hard run out tide, when the sun is up a little, New Penny catches more fish for me than anything else, probably again, because I throw it a lot. Last, but not least, in the 4” is Space Guppy. Everything seems to eat it, and I probably should use it more. Salmon in particular seem to like it and it’s a great clear water choice.
In the ST GrubZ range, while its relatively new, I have a couple of standouts so far. The first is the colour I received a sample of before the official release and that’s Sexy Penny. I only had two to try and the pair of lures accounted for around 40 fish, before I lost them to a hungry school of tailor. My next choice would be Midnight Oil, as it’s just a fish catching machine. Everything eats it and it is good in low light or during the day.
The last colour that I am currently having a little success with is Watermelon Red, proving what’s old can be new again. It was always a good fish producer when I first started using the GrubZ, all those years ago, and it’s also a good choice if you are fishing late in the afternoon, with the red flecks adding something, I believe.
In the 2.5” GrubZ, my first choice generally will be a Copper Penny. It’s a big fish colour, with big grunter, barramundi and threadfin all falling to the Penny. Midnight Oil is a close second (yes, it’s a fave colour in any plastic I throw) and has probably produced the most fish since I have been fishing. Last, but not least, is Greasy Prawn. This colour shines when the fish are feeding on the jelly prawn at the drain mouths on the last half of the down tide. I think the new colours Dirty Oil and Blood oil will be great early in the morning for grunter, just offering a slightly darker presentation.
There is one combo that I will throw out there, and it’s a bit of a special for some reason, getting bites when its super quiet. It seems to shine in a specific situation and that’s when we are fishing sandy shallow creeks, where schools of hardy heads are being eaten by the grunter on the rising tide. This special is a 1/4oz 1/0 Demonz jighead, with a 2.5” Midnight Oil coloured GrubZ attached. I am sure that for a bigger offering the 2/0 DemonZ with an ST GrubZ would be just as successful, but the smaller plastic is what we have had good success on when the going is tough in the clear water. I am unsure as to why, but it gets the bites.
Anyway, hopefully there’s a few tips there to get everyone onto a few fish. In my opinion the GrubZ are the easiest for kids to fish also, having plenty of action without any special retrieves.
Until next time. Tight Lines.
Chewy