HOME »
Saltwater »
Mulloway
» Land Based Lure Fishing Tips
Land Based Lure Fishing Tips
By Cameron Cronin
Although getting out on a boat is an exciting and productive way to fish, the time and effort associated with preparation and cleaning up can often make it difficult to fit in a session, especially during weekdays. On top of that, there are cost involved with owning a boat, which can add another barrier to getting out on the water for many.
For years, I keenly looked forward to the day that I would own a boat, and eagerly anticipated the opportunities that this would create. In the interim, I began spending every opportunity that I could fishing from the shore, quickly stumbling upon just how productive land-based fishing can be. Fast forward to the present day and I’ve become so caught up in the world of land-based fishing, that I still don’t own a boat!
In this article I hope to share a few tips that I have picked up from my years of being confined to the shore, that have helped me to become more successful as a land-based angler. No matter what your reasons for fishing from the bank, this style of fishing can be extremely productive, and with a bit of hard work absolutely anyone can get amongst some of the great fishing on offer.
Put in the Prep
Like any sort of fishing, successful land-based fishing begins with plenty of prep work. Since you are confined to a limited number of fishing locations in many cases, you really need to put a lot of consideration into when and where you are fishing. Turning up to the spot on a whim and fishing might work on the odd occasion, however consistently finding success will take a bit more effort.
Before I go out fishing, I am always carefully taking into consideration the conditions I will be presented with at a particular location. Depending on where I am fishing, swell size and direction, tidal phase, tide height and current speed, wind speed and direction of cloud cover, moon phase, temperature and time of year are just some of the variables that I might consider.
This can be overwhelming at first, especially considering that every spot will often have a combination of variables that produce the best fishing conditions. My advice here would be not to spread yourself too thin when starting out. Pick a handful of locations within close proximity, and fish them hard. Take careful notes of the conditions each time you fish, and over time you should be able to uncover what conditions work best for each spot.
Once you know this, you can then fish other locations in the less productive periods, until you find more spots that produce during these conditions. Over time, this method will allow you to build up a solid list of spots that will provide you with options no matter what the weather is doing. This is how I have personally found consistent success while fishing off the bank.
Stay Mobile
Continuing from the previous point, once you have a few different spots and a good idea of how to fish them, don’t be afraid to chop and change spots several times in a session. Although there is sometimes no need to move if there’s plenty of fish about, I will generally fish many spots during a single land-based session, which creates new opportunities as the day or night progresses.
The main advantage that we as lure fishers have over bait anglers is that we can pack light and move far more quickly. I think it only makes sense that we should be trying to utilise this in one way or another. Whether it be walking along a bank and firing out casts for flathead, gutter hopping along a beach for pelagic species, or following the tide up or down the river for estuary perch or jewfish, staying mobile has always been a way that I have maximised my catch rate.
In many cases, going for a walk away from popular access points can often mean reaching locations where the fish are less pressured. For freshwater species that live in a relatively static environment, such as bass, trout, and Murray cod, this can often be the difference between an average session and one to remember. Packing light always makes it easier on the body to go the extra mile, and recently I have really enjoyed throwing the TT Tackle Sling Bag over my shoulder, with a small selection of gear, and getting amongst some great land-based fishing on both our fresh and saltwater species, minus the hassle of a heavy pack.
Be Versatile
Knowing how and where to fish land based is all well and good, but when the going gets tough sometimes it pays to have a plan ‘B’ or ‘C’ up your sleeve, just in case your first plan doesn’t work out. The advantage of not having a boat is that you are able to switch from system to system with ease, opening a lot more opportunities to mix up your day. An example of a recent session I had involved spinning up a heap of nice tailor off the rocks on first light, then switching to wading the freshwater to target bass and carp, before finishing up the day fishing for mulloway up the river during the evening. I find this type of variety to be a heap of fun, while also giving you options to save a slow day, especially if the weather takes a turn for the worse at the last minute.
As a result, I like to carry a few different rods and reels with me when I go fishing. Most of the time I’ll take a 7’, 2-4 kg rod to target smaller species, such as bream, flathead, estuary perch or bass, a 7’, 4-8 kg rod for mulloway or pelagic species, like small kingfish or salmon, as well as a longer 9-10’ rod that can be used for casting lures off the beach or rocks, if that is an option near you. In some freshwater applications it may also pay to utilise a baitcast outfit. At the end of the day, the take home message is to really have a good think about all the possible back up options around your primary aim, making the extra effort to pack accordingly.
Take Advantage of What Boat Anglers Cannot
Becoming a successful land-based angler is all about understanding the advantages and limitations of fishing from the bank. While spot access is lost in many cases, there are plenty of instances where fishing land based is undoubtedly more productive and sometimes even the only way to access certain fish. One example of the latter is beach and rock fishing, which in most cases is only realistic from the shore.
There are more lure casting opportunities than I can list here, when it comes to this style of fishing, and if you are interested, I’d recommend checking out some of my other articles where I cover the subject in detail. Additionally, wading the flats is an exciting option for those of us who don’t have to contend with crocs, and will allow you to sneak up on your quarry in shallow water far more stealthily than boats will allow. In many cases, for whiting and flathead in my part of the world, I have seen such an increase in catch rates that even when boat or kayak fishing, I will pull up and wade wherever the opportunity presents.
Another excellent land-based option, that excludes boats in many cases, is fishing for our freshwater species such as bass, Murray cod and trout in skinny creeks. Sure, you can access some great water for all these species by boat or kayak, however when the creeks become narrow and crowded with snags and boulders, grabbing some gear and going for a hike is the only way to access some of the most untouched and productive water that we have available for these species.
While there are plenty of other examples to contemplate, the point I am trying to convey is that to maximise your results, consider situations where being land based is an advantage, instead of trying to compete with boat anglers.
Select Your Gear Accordingly
Whist in many respects the gear used for land-based fishing is relatively similar to boat-based fishing, there are several tips that I would offer to any angler looking to rig up for bank-based fishing. Firstly, with regards to tackle, I would consider using heavier gear for most species than you might use on the boat. This may be as simple as changing from 4 to 6lb leader if you are looking at chasing a few bream, or on the extreme end of the scale this may involve upping the ante to 60-80lb leader for mulloway off a wave lashed breakwall.
Generally speaking, when land-based, you don’t have the luxury of gently coaxing the fish out into deeper water with the aid of the boat, so heavier line can be used to put additional pressure on fish, while also resisting breakage for longer if your line does come into contact with structure. Personally, I like to use the Hard Armour Tough range of leader from Platypus and have been very impressed with its ability to stand up to some serious punishment from big fish around structure.
Lure wise, I think it is very difficult to go past soft plastics, due to their extreme versatility and endless rigging possibilities. This is especially important if you intend to fish for different species in varying locations over the course of the day. I think it is very difficult to pick favourites, however if I had a few packs of ZMan GrubZ, Slim SwimZ and Diezel MinnowZ, in various sizes and colours, there would not be a predatory fish that swims that couldn’t be fooled by this arsenal.
When it comes to rigging, I prefer using TT HeadlockZ jigheads on all my soft plastics. One consideration to make, when fishing land based, is that you may have to use a heavier weight jighead than you would on the boat. While boat based, you can cast your lure ahead of the drift and sink the lure down with little resistance on the line. While standing in a fixed spot, the current will create far more line drag, altering the sink rate significantly in many cases.
A heavier lure also comes in handy when trying to cast out to fish feeding offshore, or to combat wave action off the beach and rocks, so be sure to pack your jigheads accordingly. You don’t need to go crazy with the weight, however a selection of jigheads from 1/12oz to 1oz will get you out of trouble in most situations. Finally, I will nearly always carry a selections of other long casting presentations, such as metal slugs and stickbaits, for when maximum distance is required. I use the TT range of Hard Core slugs in 20-40g sizes, as well as the Fish Inc Wing 120mm Sinking Stickbait and Winglet 87mm Zinc Stickbait. I have had great success with these lures on all manner of pelagic species, especially off the beach and rocks.
So, there you have it, my five tips for land-based fishing with lures. While this style of fishing is far too diverse to comprehensively cover in one article, I hope this gives those who are starting out a few pointers to help kickstart their land-based fishing journey! If you are still keen and looking for more ideas, be sure to check out the rest of my articles on the Tackle Tactics website, which offer a more in depth look at some of my favourite styles of land-based fishing.
Happy fishing and thanks for reading!
Cam