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Get in the Wash Boy
By Daniel Hutchinson
Everyone wants that trophy fish. That 12kg snapper, that cobia or 20kg kingfish, or that barrel tuna. Whatever it may be, many anglers and small boat owners feel 'That Trophy Fish' is out of reach for them for a range of reasons. With many of us becoming busier and busier, with work or family commitments, many anglers don't have the time to put in full or even half days to head offshore. But ninety minutes is all you need, sometimes less. The assumption that these fish are far from major cities or you need to book in for an expensive charter to remote places, along with the myth that a big fibreglass boat with state of the art electronics, expensive sounders and huge fuel bills are required to get you consistent solid results or that once in a lifetime trophy, are exactly that, myths.
That trophy fish is way closer than you think... usually in plain site or even a one or two minute drive from the boat ramp. This article explores the art of wash fishing. The who, what, where, why and how of fishing from a small boat in washy areas near coastal headlands or islands. The article will show you and explain techniques on how you can catch consistent quality trophy fish, without breaking the bank, while maximising your time and being home in time for breakfast and ready to take the kids to Saturday morning sport with a huge smile on your face.
Location
When getting the weekly, fortnightly or even monthly opportunity to get out on the water, many anglers will choose a variety of options. Many take the quick option of heading out on the river or lake and spinning up some bread and butter species like flathead, squid or whiting. Whilst this is a great option for many anglers, I'm sure many of them are thinking "Gee I wish I could get out for 2 hours and come home with that trophy I see in the magazines or fishing shows, but I'll stick to what I know".
Alternatively some anglers get their mates together with big hopes and head out for their full day on the ocean. Covering 50 kilometres exploring offshore FADS or far offshore deep reefs, only to come home disappointed with some barely legal dollies, pan size squire or trag that their sinkers weigh more than. Often anglers that take this option also face a $200 plus fuel bill, a solid case of heatstroke and a guilt trip from the wife that they were out for the full day. I have been in both boats hundreds of times.
Fishing the wash areas, near coastal headlands or islands, is not only one of the most productive forms of fishing, it is exciting, thrilling and not to mention cheap, in that only a few litres of fuel are usually required. This form of fishing has the added bonus that these sessions can be very quick. Countless times I've been returning back to the boat ramp after catching an 8kg snapper or metre plus kingfish before 8am, with a full day ahead of me and with many boats still getting organised to head out.
Any areas where deep water surges onto rocks is genuinely a hot spot for quality fish. Headlands, islands or even the tips of break walls can be potential goldmines. These areas usually hold schools of slimies and yakka as they find shelter from the open ocean. Where there's bait schools, the bigger critters aren't far behind. The best areas are usually tall headlands that stretch for a kilometre or two, that where the swell meets the rocks a deep drop off can be found of eight to thirty metres. These same areas can be commonly found around islands close to shore and often the tips of break walls can also be worth a look. If these areas are too shallow or with a sandy bottom, they generally don't hold bait or fish however.
Areas where you can safely situate your boat fifteen to forty metres from the rocks, off a headland or island and sitting in ten to twenty-five metres of depth, with a rocky/reef bottom and some swell hitting the rocks providing some background noise and some white water, is ideal. Wash areas can sometimes be dangerous, so please read the safety/conditions section carefully, along with what to look out for before heading out.
Time
Get up early. I'll say it again, get up early! If you want that trophy or those good fish, you need to be up early and in the zone with a rod in hand and ready to cast just before the sun has risen. When looking at when the sun rises, it may say 5:41am on the news or app, however there is usually first light forty minutes before that. That is when you need to be in position.
Snapper especially love that period of low light. Countless times I've caught big snapper on my first cast or bagged five or six solid fish within that first hour of light. Often after that, there is complete shutdown. Sometimes, when it is cloudy or overcast, the bite can last a little longer but when other boats start to zoom around in the sections that you're casting into or the sun is a bit higher, they move to deeper water and you're wasting your time. So, best to get out and get it done!
The added advantage of this is that you might have some quality fish in the hutch and you can either head home happy or try another form of fishing as the day has just begun. I often like to head out when there is a tide change around 9am. That way I can do my wash fishing for 2 or 3 hours, targeting my big snapper, kings, cobia or longtail tuna and then get some livies in the well and head to my favourite jewie spot up the river or inside the bay at 8.20am. Others might like to head wide if it's marlin season. Alternatively late afternoon and dusk times fish arguably just as well in the wash areas. Often I'll head out after work. It can be dead and quiet when the suns up but then the glory hour arrives just before dark and that period can turn it on. It can be frequent to hook up with every cast for that hour period.
Baits, Plastics, Lures
Dependent on what you're targeting out of the wash, obviously different baits and lures can target different fish species. For big snapper, the best bait to launch into the wash is an unweighted dead slimy mackerel with a fillet missing. This should be rigged on 3 strong 6/0 ganged hooks, with the top hook nearest the knot going through the slimies nose. It is very important that the bait is kept long, straight and natural looking.
A close second is a yellowtail, rigged with same method, followed by a long strip of bonito, once again on strong ganged hooks and ensure that the bait is long and straight, not bunched up on the hooks. If these are unavailable then the humble pilchard can always do some damage. I've caught hundreds of solid reds, including my PB snapper, on a floating pilchard. The bigger the better as they will sink quicker and be more visible to attract the fish. I often rummage through bait shop freezers for 5 minutes looking for the biggest, best looking pilchards (whilst getting odd looks from other customers).
These baits need to be unweighted, with no sinker at all. As they sink slowly and naturally through the water column, with the large fresh natural baits, big snapper find them irresistible. The slimies or yellowtail, with the fillet missing, has blood and so forth coming off it acting as an instant berley trail. I often try to gather slimies or yellowtail the day before and keep them in the fridge for a night or two before the session. This will ensure that they are slightly softer and stinkier, making them even more appealing to the big boys.
As for plastics, you will often hear different anglers talk about which colour or style is best. I do not have any distinct favourite and wholeheartedly believe that presentation, location and time are more important than colours and styles. When fishing in a wash area of around 10-20 metres of depth, I generally choose a 3/8oz TT Lures jighead or if conditions are exceptionally calm a 1/4oz.
When selecting a plastic ensure that it's natural and straight looking. If there are any kinks in it or the tails are missing then chuck them out. ZMan do a great range of plastics and the ElaZtech material that they use is generally a lot more durable and therefore cost effective. I always choose Platypus 20lb flurocarbon leader when flicking baits or plastics into the wash. Even when conditions are clear and calm you will still get hook ups on pannys and 20lb will allow you to really put some pressure on the big reds or cobia and put you in with a fighting chance of dragging them out of the shallow structure.
Technique
Now you know where to fish, when and what bait to use, this is all wasted without the correct technique. I've taken heaps of people wash fishing over the past 15 years and noticed very subtle things that are done incorrectly, or not done at all, resulting in no hook ups of quality fish.
When fishing as a kid at the local jetty I noticed that when throwing bits of prawn in the water they would sink down naturally and bream or whiting would come out of nowhere and go bang! However, when dangling your prawn on a hook, line, swivel and sinker over the side of the jetty, the same fish will come up and at the last second put on the brakes. They notice that something is unnatural. The exact same fundamentals apply in wash fishing for bigger fish.
I also cannot stress enough the importance of being out there and being prepared and in the zone before sunrise and other boats. Using that sunrise period to go and catch livies to use for bait is a big mistake with wash fishing, along with not having any rods rigged and gear everywhere. Many an occasion I've gotten to the spot and in the first few casts hooked a few great fish, with unprepared mates still feeding the line through their guides.
When approaching the wash section ensure that it's safe. Once you know a spot well there won't be any hesitation. Try and get within casting distance of where the deep water meets the cliffs or rocks and creates some white water. Possibly 30 metres if possible. The aim is to get your bait or plastic right into the wash section.
When I'm skippering my runabout I usually have ex professional footballer and old friend Jobe Wheelhouse yelling at me 'Get me in the wash boy!' That's where the big fish will be, waiting for an easy meal. Often, even if the wind is pushing you toward the rocks, the swell that hits the headland can push you back towards the open ocean and the boat can stay relatively still. Although I don't have an electric motor, using one to 'spot lock' would be very handy.
Once in position cast the floating bait as close to the rocks as possible, into then wash section. It is fundamentally important to let there be slack line. I often leave the bail arm open and strip some line off the spool. This allows your unweighted bait to sink down naturally, which is highly important. If fishing in 15-20 metres this can take around two minutes to get down toward the bottom with the swirling water. Fishing with plastics is generally easier as casting into these sections can be a lot more accurate using a 3/8oz jighead, rather than a floating bait.
Big snapper can be around 30-40 years old. They have been around the block a few times and if things aren't perfect, they won't bite. If your bait is weighted or being dragged through the water as the boat moves or your plastics has kinks or your leader is too heavy, they will have a quick look and move on. Another big mistake for inexperienced anglers is that they will cast their plastic and give it a lot of action as soon as it hits the water. That works great for small kings or tailor... but not so much for snapper. I would say that 99% of the thousands of snapper that I've caught or seen caught in shallow water have come from the plastic sinking naturally.
If your bait or plastic is presented perfectly and sinking naturally, it's just a case of waiting for that take whilst your bait or plastic is sinking down. They will strike hard and instantly hook up. The feeling is addictive. Unfortunately, in fishing in these shallow areas with lots of structure, landing the real big fish can be very difficult, with lots of fish lost. My only advice is to know the limits of your gear and leader and put some real hurt on the fish before they get you to the rocks.
Of a morning I generally use the method of casting floating baits or plastics and staying on the move. I will generally throw a floating bait or plastic for a snapper and then a stickbait for a king or tuna in a particular wash area and If I don't get a hit within 10 minutes, I'll move on to the next wash section and try again. This may only be a 30 metre move, but there is no good being where the fish are not. When fishing the wash on sunrise it is a race against the clock to find them before the bite shuts down. Sometimes it may take a few moves before you find a good patch of reds or kings.
When doing a late afternoon dusk session in the wash, I often try another technique - an anchored berley session. This involves anchoring just out of the wash section and having a constant berley trail. I then let my floating baits sink down the berley trail. This technique is not about finding the fish, but rather bringing the fish to you. Usually this technique can be pretty slow going to begin with, however the hour before sunset can result in a fish every cast as they come up into the berley trail in the dim light, even in 5-8 metres of depth. The reason that I don't choose this technique in the morning is that the big fish are right in the shallow wash sections and it's about hunting them down.
When big tuna are in season I will use the anchoring technique and have a bigger outfit rigged with a live bait 2-3metres under a balloon or float, using 40lb Platypus leader. The beauty of this technique is that you can target multiple fish at the same time. The live bait will swim itself 50 - 100 metres off the back of the boat, allowing you to still fish for snapper and kings with another outfit, using the floating bait technique. This live baiting technique can result in great catches of any pelagics that are in season and patrolling the inshore headlands, with bycatches of snapper taking the floating live baits also.
Safety and Ideal Conditions
Safety first. Always. Wash fishing in small boats (or any boat for that matter) can be dangerous, however when an angler chooses ideal conditions, there is very limited risk and epic fishing and great fun can be had. Often when the conditions are completely flat and perfect, and the ocean is a millpond, wash fishing can be slow. As a rule of thumb however I never go near the wash when the swell is at two metres or more, or when particular winds are heavy depending on the location.
In choosing an ideal wash fishing location there should never be breaking waves. Often the swells will surge up the rocks but breaking waves show that the swell is too big or the location is to shallow, so avoid these areas for safety concerns. It is hard to say what winds or swell size are appropriate and safe because every location is different and can react differently to weather patterns. Often when fishing an island it can be horrible on one side but excellent on the protected side. Similarly to winds, a south west wind can be ideal in fishing headlands and getting your small boat tucked right in close to shore, however that wind can batter an Island, making fishing it difficult and dangerous.
My best advice is to get as much local knowledge as possible from talking to experienced anglers and asking their advice on what winds and swells suits particular spots. Once out there in a new spot, for the first few times sit 100 metres off the spot and just watch. If the swell starts to peak or looks like breaking, avoid these areas. Once you have watched the wash zone for over 20 minutes and are satisfied that it is safe, then you can go in for a closer inspection. Keeping an eye on your sounder to ensure that you're in at least 8 metres of water. Often you can tuck right into headlands and be completely safe. This just takes time to learn and know the spots that you are fishing first.
Gear
When flicking floating baits or plastics into the wash a long cast is often required to get you right into the wash section. When hooking up to a decent fish you need some guts in the rod to work the fish out of the rocks and reef. You don't want to spend your days casting bulky rods but also want that confidence that when a trophy fish hits you can put some hurt on them.
When flicking plastics an excellent, affordable rod is the Okuma Azores Spin 7' 8-12kg. I originally purchased this rod for flicking lures off the beach or breakwalls, however one day, when having it in the boat, I found that I was getting at least 10 metres more casting distance than my other spin rods, while using a 3/8oz TT Lures jighead. I have this rod equipped with an Azores Blue 6500 spinning reel, loaded with 25lb quality casting braid.
With floating baits or even with plastics, I use an Okuma Pressure Point 8'3" PE 4.0-6.0, once again set up with the Okuma Azores. This slightly heavier rod allows you to flick dead slimies a real distance. I have never had any issues with this gear and have given it a good flogging over the years. They are well balanced outfits that give you an excellent cast and the grunt you require close to the wash.
Remember, safety first and 'get me in the wash boy!'