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Urban Ghosts - Canal Mulloway

Jacob Iedema

Silver ghosts, a rarely encountered species that predominantly hunts its prey at night, with red glowing eyes and a sheen of purple. Haunting the depths of canals and rivers, in well organised packs, they can appear and disappear without a trace. However, there are a few tips and tricks to learn when it comes to hunting down these fish in the canals. Mulloway or jewfish are on the bucket list for most anglers and catching them in the canals presents its own set of difficulties. Although, it can be done and often requires a lot of patience.

A common misconception is that without an expensive boat and a fancy sounder, you can’t catch mulloway. However, while a sounder may help, the canals hold a few secrets of their own and provide the telltale signs to assist you when targeting jewfish (mulloway). Canals are a complex of dug out channels and deep holes, lined with oyster encrusted rock walls and littered with artificial structure.

Pontoons provide shade and often big boats do also. Jewfish take advantage of the shade as the sun rises, searching through the shadows of a long line of boats and lapping the area on certain phases of the tide. These shadowy areas, adjacent to or under boats, can house many more species than just jewfish, however this is a likely spot to find these silver ghosts. The bait that lurks in the canals also prefers the cover of the shade, and this in turn is what predominantly attracts the jewfish.

Most people cast up into the shallows when fishing in the canals and while this is a great way of targeting other species, the jewfish prefer a little deeper water. Fishing on the outside of the pontoons and boats is often how more jewfish are caught while fishing the canals, with soft plastics a standout lure type when targeting them.

Lure Choice

Paddle tail soft plastics are irresistible to jewfish as they are tempted by a thumping tail and baitfish profile body. A paddle tail plastic is my go-to jewfish lure, with my favourites for canal fishing including the ZMan 3” Slim SwimZ and ZMan 3” MinnowZ. These lures have accounted for all the jewfish that I’ve ever caught while fishing in the canals. To achieve the best action from your soft plastic, selecting the appropriate jighead weight is vital. This is dependent on the size of the soft plastic, water depth, and amount of current. I generally stick to a 1/8oz, 1/6oz or 1/4oz jighead, when using the lures mentioned previously.

The fish that dwell in the canals often range from around 40cm to 60cm and anything above that is considered a trophy fish for the area. Therefore, without the need for a lot of stopping power, a light set up can be used and this often increases the chance of a hook up. Not only is a light setup more finesse it also reduces the risk of pulling hooks out of fish, increases casting distance when using lighter presentations and improves the responsiveness and feel through the rod. These attributes are crucial when feeling for a timid jewfish bite as they often eat a soft plastic on the sink and it’s also not uncommon for a jewfish to follow a soft plastic off the bottom as it is bounced up and then eat it at the apex of the motion. Increased feel allows you to detect the subtle take and set the hook… then the fun begins!

Lure Action

Hopefully by now you’ve started to develop a mental image of how to target these fish in your local system. However, the action of your soft plastic can go a long way when enticing that elusive jewie bite. Contact with the bottom between hops is crucial, to know that your lure is in the zone. When it comes to hopping the soft plastic, two to three flicks in quick concession has proven effective, getting the plastic up to about a metre off the bottom. Furthermore, let the lure return to the bottom on a tight line and repeat the process. Alternatively, a slow roll at a similar water depth, before allowing the lure to sink again, is a great way to mix up a retrieve.

Time of Year

Jewfish make the visit to the canals every year, usually following an influx of baitfish that arrive in early autumn. The abundance of small and shimmery baitfish reinforces the lure selection of a quality ZMan paddle tail soft plastic. The jewies are usually around until late winter and this autumn to winter period is the prime time to target these sly fish.

Tides

Tides impact jewfish differently, depending on the size of a system and this is due to the variation of tidal movement. There is generally an increased amount of water movement in a larger system, due to more water having to make its way in and out of the system, when compared to smaller systems. It’s often considered a well-known fact that mulloway turn on the chew during a turning tide, however in a system with little tidal movement they are often more willing to eat a lure on a running tide. This is especially the case if the fish are hanging around the mouth of a system.

Time on the Water

Time spent on the water is crucial to unlocking the canal jewfish puzzle and this puzzle often differs for each individual system. Success targeting these fish is all about figuring out your system for yourself, with time put into chasing these fish being the only way to do it. On the other hand, bycatch species such as trevally, javelin fish and flathead can make for some exciting sessions, even when to jewies aren’t on the chew.

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This phrase is true of just about any form of fishing and it is especially so for jewfish as they love an early morning bite. Low light, timed with a turning tide, is the perfect recipe for a jewie session.

When getting up early to go fishing, the last thing you want to do is tie a leader knot or prepare your gear. Therefore, preparation is key. Setting up your gear the night before means you're not fumbling around in the dark and wasting the most productive time of the day. Be prepared and get out there early.

Gearing Up

Gearing up for canal mulloway isn’t as expensive or difficult as some may make it out to be. I generally fish a 2-4kg rod for canal mulloway, purely for the purpose of casting slightly larger lures than a 1-3kg rod is capable of. A 2500 size reel is ideal, spooled with 8lb braid with an 8-10lb leader. Throw in a handful of soft plastics and jigheads and you have the perfect canal jewie kit.

My go to mulloway gear is…
Rod: Okuma Cerros Spin Rods – CER-S-701ML 7’ 2-4kg
Reel: Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels – ITX-2500
Braid: Platypus Pulse 8X Braid - 8lb
Leader: Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 8-10lb
Lures: ZMan 3” Slim SwimZ & ZMan 3” MinnowZ

Cheers, Jacob