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Estuarine Trevally
By Jacob Iedema
The Key to the Cooler Months
Trevally are one of the most prolific sportfish, as well as recreational fishing targets, found along the greater majority of the east coast and many other parts of Australia. They can be plentiful in numbers when located and often put up an intense battle when hooked. Numerous species of trevally, as well as some interesting by-catch, makes fishing for them a bit of a lucky dip. Most species display a stunning array of vivid colours and intricate patterns when caught, making the capture even more rewarding. It is a common belief that trevally are predominantly a summer fish, however investing some time fishing for them in winter can be very productive.
As temperatures decline the approach of winter signals the arrival of tailor and salmon. Such large quantities of fish don't go unnoticed by other predators, and trevally are one of them. Tailor in such vast numbers need to find sufficient food sources along their journey and this is also what the trevally are after. As tailor flow through the gates of estuaries along the coast to find food, other predators will also follow.
Tailor boost the activity levels of all of the environments that they pass through and are often a sign that something bigger will be hanging around. Trevally can be caught out of feeding tailor schools or often sit below the feeding frenzy, picking off the scraps. Fishing for trevally in winter can provide some great mixed bag sessions, consisting of tailor, queenfish and an assortment of trevally species.
However this isn't always the case. Occasionally massive schools of trevally enter estuaries without the guidance of tailor. This is often the case with the less common species of trevally, such as diamond, golden and cale cale trevally, along with the usual giant and big eye trevally. These species will enter areas in large numbers, making for some exceptional fishing. Other species of trevally will generally only swim in small schools and for the angler this means spending more time on the water to increase the chances of presenting a lure to them.
Bottom Feeders:
Analysing the anatomy of a fish can provide accurate insights into how those fish feed and what prey they feed on. For example golden trevally have no teeth and blubbery lips that allow them to feed on crustaceans and prey that is hiding on the bottom. Diamond Trevally do the same and 90% of the time they will eat a stationary lure of the bottom and start running off with it. This is why soft plastics are so effective on diamond trevally. It's always important, for any target species, that you understand how they are going to eat your lure. This then allows you to present the lure in the best way possible. This will make the lure appear as an easy meal that the fish won't have to work as hard for.
When targeting fish that predominantly feed off the bottom it pays to use a lure that will give off vibrations even when siting stationary on the sea floor, such as a soft plastic. Curl tail soft plastics are super effective on bottom feeders, as their tail waves around with the slightest movement imparted by the rod or natural currents. ZMan soft plastics take this to another level with the 10X Tough ElaZtech material being naturally buoyant. This allows the soft plastic to have lifelike movements, even when sitting on the bottom.
Cold Water Techniques:
Shorter days and lower temperatures effect the feeding habits of trevally, along with many other species. They can be lazy and feed at different times of the day, often not feeding until the water temperature increases by at least a few degrees, especially on cold mornings. Finesse fishing really comes into its own on cold days. Sometimes making the switch to some light line and smaller lures can change the results of a session.
Hopping lightly weighted soft plastics is a go-to technique when targeting trevally in winter. Winter often presents anglers with exceptionally clear water and this can be both beneficial for the angler and a negative at the same time. Clear water often brings in some of the rarer species of trevally, however in turn it makes the fish very finicky. This is when good technique and fishing light comes into play. When the clarity of the water is high, matching the hatch couldn't be more crucial. Finicky trevally will attack a natural presentation in crystal clear water, if annoyed enough into eating it. It's all about getting the lure in front of their face.
Low Light Bite Periods:
A typical trait that fish demonstrate when water temperatures are exceptionally cold, is that instead of hitting a surface lure in low light bite periods they tend to shut down altogether. This can flip a day of fishing on its head if the chosen technique isn't suited to the conditions and fish activity.
Low light periods, which often provide the best fishing throughout an entire day, are often the slowest part of any cold water trevally session. This isn't to say that trevally won't hit a well-presented surface lure in winter, however certain conditions have to be aligned to have a successful topwater trevally session in winter. A humid day, that is hotter than average, paralleled with warm water temperatures, will greatly increase the chances of an epic winter topwater session.
On the other hand when the conditions don't line up for an aggressive topwater bite, other techniques can be used to make the most of these slightly quieter low light periods. Sub-surface lures can sometimes flick the switch to make a lazy predator attack a lure, along with deeper slow presentations such as soft plastics, if the fish are really off the chew or feeding deeper in the water column. Blades can also be effective when trevally are shut down as they trigger a reaction bite from any nearby fish. Blades send out tight, loud vibrations that stimulate shutdown fish, triggering them to investigate a lure's presence. Scent can stimulate shutdown fish to bite and can be applied to any lure. It can be the difference between catching fish and catching nothing.
Winter can be a slow grind when it comes to trevally fishing, however if the code is cracked then the rewards can be astonishing.
From Jacob Iedema
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