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What's in My Kit - Justin Willmer - River & Estuary

By Justin Willmer

Hey Folks, hope all's well and you're catching a few. We had plenty of positive feedback on Warren 'Wazza' Smith's 'What's in My Kit' article from guiding in the NT, so while we're waiting for a few of our Pro Team to put together what's in their kit, I thought I would run through what is in my river and estuary kit. I will restrict my kit to focussing on 10 items, otherwise I could probably keep on talking for days. As I fish from a boat, kayak, SUP, float tube and land based, I will focus on the absolute go-to items that will make even my smallest and lightest dry bag kit of gear for the SUP.

I will run through the how, when, where and why of each item and hopefully you may find something worthwhile including in your kit, that suits your applications and gets you hooked up to a few. When fishing the river and estuary, my primary target species are flathead, bream, grunter, mulloway, trevally and snapper, along with plenty of by-catch that comes when targeting these species. For someone looking to set up from scratch I will cover rod, reel, line, leader, scent, plastics and jigheads. Fish on!

Rods

I have always been about bang for buck when it comes to a rod for fishing the river and estuary. For what some people pay for a rod, I could have everything in this kit and most likely catch the same fish. Since I discovered the range of Okuma Cerros Spin Rods, my collection has rapidly grown to about ten rods and I have plenty of people asking me what rod they were using after a session in my boat, in turn tracking one down for themselves.

For offshore and spinning the surf I have the heavier models in the range, for the river and estuary though, the 7' 1-3kg, 2-4kg and 3-6kg would pretty much cover all bases, with the 2-4kg a great starting point and a versatile option. I fish the 1-3kg when using lighter jigheads, from 1/20oz - 1/8oz and when fishing the Ned Rig on the 1/15oz and 1/10oz TT Lures NedlockZ jigheads. I spool the reel with 6-8lb braid and this finesse model casts light lures extremely well, is soft enough to allow the fish to eat the lure and also soft enough in the tip to ensure you minimise pulled hooks from lip hooked fish.

The great allrounder, the 2-4kg, I utilise for fishing jigheads from 1/20oz to 3/8oz and with the reel spooled with 10lb braid you can handle most species you encounter. Lastly the 3-6kg is an excellent rod for fishing 1/4oz - 1/2oz jigheads and is my go-to for fishing deeper water structure for mulloway, snapper and trevally, as well as working steeper edges with current when chasing flathead on 3/8oz TT Lures HeadlockZ or Big EyeZ jigheads and ZMan 3" MinnowZ.

Reels

Almost all of these rods are teamed up with Okuma Epixor XT spinning reels as they haven't missed a beat for me, are feature packed and offer excellent value for money at around a hundred dollars. Even a larger model Epixor XT combined with a Cerros rod and you're still under $250 for a combo that features 30T Toray blank and a 7BB + 1RB reel.

I team a 20 size up with the 1-3kg rod, loaded with 6-8lb braid, a 20-30 size on the 2-4kg rod, loaded with 10lb braid and a 30-40 size on the 3-6kg rod, loaded with 10-20lb braid. If you started with the 2-4kg and ended with this set of three, you would be covering all bases for fishing from shallow flats to deep structure, for the species mentioned earlier.

Line & Leader

In terms of line and leader I fish Australian made Platypus braid, from Australia's oldest fishing tackle brand and one of the world's most experienced line manufacturers. For the two lighter combos I run Platypus P8, Platinum or Platinum Plus braids.

Tip: If you run a bunch of combos you can run different coloured braids for different breaking strains, for example my 6-8lb may be P8 in orange and my 10lb may be Platinum in Yellow or Platinum Plus in hi-vis green. Other anglers who have one favourite line and different breaking strains often put a small sticker inside the side of the spool, utilise different reel sizes or only team a particular reel / breaking strain with a particular rod.

For my heavier combo I run an old favourite, Platypus Bionic Braid in pink, which is also a favourite for spinning offshore and from the beach, thanks to its strength and durability.

Monofilament leader is the go when fishing surface lures, however most of my river and estuary fishing is sub-surface with plastics and TT Switchblades, so I utilise the near invisibility, density - faster sink, clarity and abrasion resistance of Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader. The bulk of my fishing is with 10lb, however I carry some 6 and 8lb in case the finesse bite is tougher, along with some 20lb in case I find myself specifically targeting structure for species such as mulloway and snapper.

Scent

I always scent my lures to mask foreign odours, such as fuel, sunscreen and soaps, while also attracting fish and triggering strikes, thanks to the real ground bait, powerful amino acids, bite stimulants and UV enhancement. My go-to scents for river and estuary fishing are Pro-Cure Super Gel in Mullet, Pilchard / Sardine and Inshore Saltwater. There are a bunch of flavours that work in this environment, however these have become my favourites. I also ensure that I have at least two different flavours to mix things up. Apply a small amount to each side of the head and smear it right down to the tail, every thirty to fifty casts.

Tip: You're Pro-Cure Scent will last for ages, however when a bottle runs low you can keep it dispenser down in your pocket and your body heat will cause what's left to flow down to the dispenser for use. Some anglers will also attach the bottle, dispenser down, to a tackle box or the inside of the boat and allow the sun to warm the scent and help it flow toward the nozzle ready for use.

Storage

I store my jigheads in Moncross tackle trays, however these will soon be unavailable so make sure you grab a couple of your favourite model before they disappear. ZMan 10X Tough soft plastics are best stored in their own packets, to keep them in the best condition and you should avoid mixing them with other plastics as they may react. I either store them in the cheap clip lock plastic containers from the supermarkets, and there are some models that fit them nicely, or alternatively the new TT Deluxe ZMan Binders are awesome, available in a single or double and they make storing and accessing your plastics quick and easy. These are also great for putting together session kits for the kayak, SUP or land based, with 10 or so packets of plastics in the small (single) model, along with a small jighead tray, leader, scent and snips. The larger holds 20+ packets of plastics, along with a couple of small jighead trays, a couple of bottles of Pro-Cure Scent, a couple of spools of Stealth Leader and a Boomerang Tool Snip! Everything you need in the one easy to access bag.

ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ

A go-to for me on the bream, grunter, flathead and almost anything that eats small baitfish, the 2.5" Slim SwimZ has accounted for the bulk of my fish since its release. It has an under hooked tail design, that sees it swimming on the drop and with a crazy tail action, even at slow speeds. I will roll this plastic over the weed and hop it across mud and sand.

I rig this plastic on a size 1/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse or DemonZ jighead, while it can also be fished on a size 1 or 2 if you prefer. I commonly fish fast and will rig it on a 1/4oz jighead, while also carrying some 1/8oz and 1/6oz in my kit for more finesse applications. This plastic also fishes well rigged weedless for flathead, fishing through heavier weed and structure, with a 1/6oz #2 TT Lures SnakelockZ Finesse my preferred rigging option.

A few of my favourites would include Midnight Oil, Motor Oil, Bad Shad and Pink Glow colours.

ZMan 3" MinnowZ

A step up in profile size and the ZMan 3" MinnowZ is my go-to for flathead, mulloway and other large predatory species. It too has a lively paddle tail action and the larger profile seems to attract the bite when the fish are looking for a larger meal. I will fish it alongside the 2.5" Slim SwimZ in shallow water, however as I move past a couple of metres deep I will commonly step to the 3" MinnowZ for most applications.

I rig the ZMan 3" MinnowZ on a 3/0 jighead in the TT Lures HeadlockZ Finesse and HD, DemonZ and Big EyeZ jigheads. It is also perfect for weedless rigging, with the hook point slotting neatly into the split fin on the top, and I will rig it on a 3/0. Generally I will fish this plastic on a 1/4oz in the shallows, 3/8oz on the drop offs and 1/2oz around deeper structure in current.

A few of my favourites would include Midnight Oil, Purple Death, Gold Rush, Opening Night and Sexy Mullet colours.

ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ

Another plastic that has been added to my kit since its arrival is the ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ. This is the perfect jerkbait profile for the river and estuary systems that I fish, accounting for flathead, snapper, mulloway, trevally, estuary cod and more. Due to the lack of built in tail action, this plastic is ideal for fishing heavy current and deeper structure, getting down there quick and allowing you to target where the fish are holding. I will generally fish it on a TT Lures HeadlockZ HD jighead in a 3/8oz or 1/2oz 4/0 for these applications, however this plastic is versatile and can be rigged light and fished in the shallows for flathead, or even rigged weedless.

A few of my favourites would include Shiner, The Deal, Coconut Ice Glow and Atomic Sunrise colours.

TT Lures Big EyeZ Jigheads

In my kit you will find a comprehensive range of TT Lures jigheads and there is no doubt that the bulk will be HeadlockZ and HeadlockZ Finesse as they are built on quality hooks, feature the 'head lock' keeper and they are tested and proven. Since the addition of the Big EyeZ jigheads though, I always ensure that I have 1/4oz 3/0 and 3/8oz 3/0 sizes to team up with my ZMan 3" MinnowZ.

It's often said that the eye acts as a strike trigger and to date these jigheads have landed me some solid flathead, along with mulloway, snapper and other species. My two go-to colours have been the Black with Glow Eyes and the Chartreuse with Red Eyes. Team the Black up with a Gold Rush 3" MinnowZ and you have a deadly dirty water, weed bottom and deeper water colour, especially with those Glow Eyes.

Team the Chartreuse up with a Purple Death 3" MinnowZ and you have one of the coolest looking presentations out there and one that has slayed the bigger flathead for me, while also nailing mulloway and cod. The UV of the Chartreuse head and the darker back and UV reactive belly on the Purple Death colour combine to make a presentation that really pops and draws reaction strikes.

Ned Rig

Okay, I'm cheating a little here using the Ned Rig as one piece of kit... but it really is a system, and a system that has been deadly in the rivers and estuaries that I fish. If you only want me to have one item, I'll take the TT Lures NedlockZ jigheads and rig my 2.5" Slim SwimZ on them.

You can keep it really basic, with a single packet of jigheads and plastics, or build a bit of a Ned Rig kit with a variety of jighead weights and colours, along with selection of ZMan colours and models.

In its basic form the Ned Rig consists of a TT Lures NedlockZ (mushroom style) jighead that helps promote a rapid stand up presentation, teamed up with a naturally buoyant ZMan plastic that assists with this rapid stand up on the pause. The theory is that the plastic is always attracting fish and triggering strikes as it flees and then rapidly hinges back up as if feeding in the bottom or defending itself.

The Ned Rig has landed me bream, flathead, grunter, trevally, flathead and more, with my go-to NedlockZ being a dark colour (Black or Green Pumpkin) with the Orange to switch things up. I fish the 1/10oz on the flats and switch to a 1/6oz or 1/5oz for fishing drop offs. My go-to ZMan models for fishing the Ned Rig are the 2.5" TRD CrawZ (Drew's Craw, Motor Oil & Greasy Prawn), 2.75" TRD BugZ (Hot Snakes, The Deal and Motor Oil) and 3" TRD HogZ (Drew's Craw, The Deal and Motor Oil, sometimes cut down), however don't be afraid to put your favourite ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ on the NedlockZ and hop it through some sandy pockets, drains and broken weed flats.

That's a wrap on some of the key items that are currently in my 'River & Estuary Kit'. Items will likely change over time, however all of these are tested and proven and likely to be in my kit for years to come. If you're into lure fishing or keen to give it a go, these may tick the box for your local area and hopefully land you a few, becoming a favourite for you in the process. Give them a crack and let me know how you go.

See you on the water...
Justin Willmer

Justin's Kit - River & Estuary

Okuma Cerros Spin Rods
Okuma Epixor XT Spinning Reels
Platypus Braid and Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader

Pro-Cure Scent

TT Deluxe ZMan Binders

ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ
ZMan 3" MinnowZ
ZMan 4" Scented Jerk ShadZ

TT Lures Big EyeZ Jigheads
TT Lures NedlockZ Jigheads