HOME »
Saltwater »
Bream
» Back to Basics with the ST GrubZ
Back to Basics with the ST GrubZ
By Lee Major
Over the years, improvements to technology in the fishing industry have been quite amazing. Everything from upgrades to lures, lines, rods, and reels, to some mind-blowing technology when it comes to sounders. I love having plenty of options when it comes to fishing, however more gear usually means more time involved with pack up and maintenance. Sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics with minimal gear and just enjoy the adventure. With the recent opening of bass season in Queensland, it was time to check out some new spots and go on a bit of a back-to-basics adventure.
Google Maps is such a fantastic tool for finding new ground to explore. It is relatively straightforward to use the maps to scan a waterway for likely spots and, probably more importantly, locate areas with likely access to water. Using a combination of satellite images and street view, you can usually find an area that you can either access on foot or launch a kayak. To avoid any problems, be sure to check that the areas aren’t private property and if there are any relevant fishing regulations that might be applicable in the area. With a bit of Google searching, we found a couple of likely bass spots and it was just a matter of packing up some gear and exploring the area.
Given that I wasn’t 100% sure how much water there was to explore in these tight creeks that we identified, I really wanted to take minimal gear so that I could spot hop as required. I enjoy fishing with my 7’, 2-4 kg, Okuma Cerros spin rod, paired with a 2500 size Okuma Ceymar HD reel, spooled with 8lb braid and leader, so that was a no brainer.
In terms of lures, all that I packed was a packet of ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ in Blood Oil colour, a packet of ZMan 2.5” Slim SwimZ in Bloodworm colour and one packet of 1/12oz TT HeadlockZ HD jigheads with 1/0 size hooks. I was unsure if there were fish in these areas, so I went with lure combinations that I was confident would catch a range of species. I find that the Blood Oil colour is a great option in dirty water, while Bloodworm is a more natural colour that would cover a clear water presentation. The small profile of these 2.5” plastics are compact enough to tempt small fish, while also accounting for plenty of larger specimens. One rod and reel, a couple of lures, a set a pliers, kayak, and paddle. I was good to go!
Dale and I arrived at the spot just on sunrise to find fog on the water and some picturesque conditions. We are fortunate to have some spectacular country in Australia and I was happy just to get out and do some exploring; any fish were going to be a bonus! On launching the kayaks, I could see plenty of laydowns (trees and branches) in the water and high undercut banks with holes and pockets in them. If there were going to be fish in these creeks, there was a high likelihood that they will be hanging around this structure.
The side of the creek with higher banks generally indicates deeper water, and the undercut banks are great little hidey holes for predatory fish ready to ambush any food that moves past. When fishing this kind of structure, it’s important to get your lures in as close to theses holes and undercuts as possible. I like to try and skip the lure into the holes, allow it to sink, and then hop the lure 20-30 cm a few times, before pausing and slowly winding the lure back.
With bass and bream, the erratic hops can lure in a fish, but they will often follow the lure back and hit it at the last moment. If I do get a half-hearted hit on the retrieve, then I’ll often dead stop the lure, allow it to sink, and then give it a few erratic hops. Fish will often come back and have another go at what might look like bait that they have just injured.
Fishing laydowns can be tricky, due to constant snagging, particularly with sinking lures like soft plastics. When fishing this structure, I like to slowly wind the plastic either along a submerged branch or over the branch and then stop, allowing the plastic to sink immediately after clearing the branch. When you have a range of jighead weights you can usually experiment and get the plastic running at the depth and speed that you want by adjusting the weight of the jighead. In this case, with only one weight available, you can also adjust the depth by holding the tip of the rod higher or lower.
After launching, I rigged up a ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ in Blood Oil colour and got to fishing. It only took three casts with the GrubZ and I was onto a bass. Sure, it was close to one of the smallest bass I’ve ever caught, but it didn’t matter. Just getting out and finding some new water was reward enough and the fish were just a bonus. We fished through the first stretch of water for a few upgrade bass and each fish came from either a lay down or undercut bank. We scrambled over a few rapids and fished a few different pools, but unfortunately there was a lack of fishable water due to a lack of rain over winter. Fortunately, with minimal gear, it was easy enough to pack up the cars and spot hop to a few different pools along the system.
We ended up spot hopping along the creek until we reached brackish water. The freshwater pools that we fished along the way were challenging, however we did see a few platypi sunbaking in the middle of some pools, which made it totally worth the effort. In the brackish water there was a mixture of bream and bass, holding to similar structure, undercuts, and laydowns. It wasn’t until the end of the session that I realised I had only fished one single plastic all day. The same ST GrubZ accounted for every single fish and was still good to go. It appears that I actually overpacked 😉
As anglers, with the myriad of options for tackle, I think that we can sometimes overthink things and take everything including the kitchen sink. I certainly appreciate going back to basics every now and again, and just enjoying the adventure. Having good quality gear, that you are confident will catch fish, is an important piece of the puzzle. Give it a go. You never know what you might find... it could be your new hot spot.
Cheers, Lee
Gearing Up:
Okuma Cerros Spin Rod – CER-S-701ML 7’, 2-4kg
Okuma Ceymar HD Spin Reel – CHD-2500HA
Line & Leader – 8lb
ZMan 2.5” ST GrubZ
TT HeadlockZ Jigheads – 1/12oz 1/0