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Creek Hopping
By Nickfish
Creek hopping is a technique that works best when fishing a dropping tide, that will give you an epic little session on a variety of species. This article explains what it is, how to fish it, and what fish to expect.
I discovered how to fish this technique on a recent trip in the Fitzroy River, where we were fishing in a big creek that had smaller creeks and drains leading into it. The tide was dropping, which was exactly what you want when fishing this style of fishing. What happens is that all the bait pushes up in these creeks and drains during the high tide and as the tide recedes the bait is forced out into the main creek. The fish just sit there and smash the bait as it funnels out of the smaller creeks.
We had started our trip by chasing bait. It was a high tide, so bait was hard to come by. We kept moving up the creek to get some bait and by that time the tide had started to drop. By then we had come up to a point at a creek mouth and there was mullet everywhere, so it only took a few casts to get enough bait for a good session.
We started the trip right up the back and fished a good-looking snag there for about half an hour with no success. It was time to move on, so we moved up to the next creek and that is where the fish were. Within five minutes we had two schools of king salmon busting up jelly prawns on either side of us. No matter what we threw at them, they would not take a bait. Whether it was prawn or mullet, they were not interested in it.
As the tide continued to recede out into the main system, so did the fish. So, we followed them to the next creek and just like the last one, salmon were busting up everywhere. These were not the king though they were huge blue salmon smashing mullet. I had two mullet rigged for bait, sitting fairly shallow up in the creek mouth. The line started to move out of the creek, so I quickly wound up the slack. It was a very anticlimactic start to a fight, as the fish just started to come in easy until it was five metres away from the boat. It came up to the surface and I saw the forked tail. At this point the fish realised it was hooked and took off! I fought it back to near the boat and then the fish took to the air. That's when we realised that it is a huge blue salmon. The fish then had a few smaller runs, tiring itself out and sliding into the net.
On this trip we saw barramundi and blue salmon busting up mullet, while threadfin smashed the jelly prawns. You will catch everything from bream, mangrove jack and fingermark to flathead, as they pile up here in numbers to feed on the moving bait. On this trip though we had a rare problem as there was too much bait around. In this scenario your lures may be the best option for covering water and enticing a bite… but for whatever reason, I didn’t bring the lures on this trip!
Like any lure fishing, lure selection can be a difficult choice. I find the best way to pick a lure is by remembering to match the hatch. This is where you aim to mimic the bait that is in that area. On a day like this one, where the water was relatively clear for this river, I would have used natural baitfish colours. There was small mullet around, so I would have used a ZMan 3” MinnowZ, 4” SwimmerZ or a Scented PaddlerZ, in colours such as Smokey Shad, Pearl, Shiner or Opening Night.
Working these paddle tail lures is pretty simple; just cast up near the mouth of the creek / drain or any structure nearby, let the lure sink to the bottom and then commence a nice slow roll (wind) to get that paddle tail working. Another thing that you can do, if there are a lot of pop eye mullet being busted up, is to rig a plastic on a TT ChinlockZ jighead as this will allow the lure to sit on the surface. You can then shake the rod as you’re winding, which will create the look of a wounded mullet on the surface. The barramundi should suck it right in.
There were a lot of jelly prawns around, which is what the king salmon were gorging themselves on. The problem with jelly prawns is that they are too small to put a hook in. There aren’t a lot of lures that represent them well but the new ZMan 2.5” PrawnZ does the job. This little lure is killer for when the fish are zoned in on those little prawns. I rig it up with a TT HWS (Hidden Weight System) jighead and this then gives the lure a nice slow sink.
Once it hits the bottom, give it a short sharp hop, and then let it sink back down again. Wait for a tiny tweak in the slack line and this is king salmon sucking it up. It is amazing how such a big fish can have such a small hit. If there are larger prawns around then the ZMan 3.5” EZ ShrimpZ or 3” Scented ShrimpZ would be the go. You can work this lure the same as the PrawnZ, or you may also fish a slow roll across the bottom.
Prawns are great bait, and everything eats a prawn if you know how to rig it. There are two main ways I rig a prawn. One of the most common is to thread it from the tail and then out just behind the legs. Another is to rig them through the last segment of their tail. Both methods ensure that the prawn stays alive on the hook.
Mullet are a lot harder to rig and if you hit an organ then they're a dead bait. I find the best way to rig them is above their pectoral fins, ensuring that the hook goes through the fleshy section of the back, above the lateral line to avoid the backbone. This keeps them alive, so they look like a natural swimming mullet.
My favourite set up for this style of fishing is an Okuma Komodo 6-8kg rod, paired with a with a Komodo baitcast reel. The reel is spooled with 30lb Platypus Bionic Braid and 80lb Hard Armour Leader, to stand up to the abrasive mouth and head shakes of the barramundi. Another great setup, if you’re looking for something a bit lighter and budget friendly is an Okuma Cerros 7’, 3-6kg spin rod, paired with a 30 size Epixor XT reel, loaded with 15lb pound braid. This is a light and fun combo to fish.
Remember, when the tide is running out, the bait needs to head somewhere, and predatory fish will be waiting for an easy feed. Creek hopping, to hit the smaller creeks and drains, can turn into an epic fishing session.
Cheers, Nickfish