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Breamin' Boat Hulls
By Tomas McIntosh
In almost every saltwater lake in Australia, you will find a secluded cove where yachts and other boats are moored. Some stay secured for year and year on end, without the thought of maintenance, accumulating a considerable amount of growth and build up on the bottom of them, while others are taken out and used by the owners almost daily. These areas offer anglers a brilliant fishing location to target fish like bream, in fact at specific times throughout the year they fish exceptionally well. Fishing around these areas is referred to as fishing 'boat hulls' and it can result in some impressive captures. Boat hulls provide fish and bait alike the chance to thrive in a protected environment, with fish chewing on the growth on boats, herding bait up against the keel or sitting out of current flow.
There are three main areas that predominantly hold fish on boat hulls. The mooring block and line, the keel and the rudder. Fish will actively transition from location to location on the boats and if you sit and watch them for long enough their movements can be mesmerising.
The Mooring Block & Line
This is a concrete block of considerable size that acts as an oversize anchor, securing the boat in place. The boat has the freedom to pivot 360 degrees around the block via an attached section of rope. In clear water you can see the mooring block, along with the telltale clean circle around the perimeter caused by the rope / chain dragging along the bottom and dredging up the weed. Fish can stage on these mooring blocks readily and can be less fickle to target than the fish holding directly under the boat. Fish on the mooring blocks are regularly eating crabs and baitfish that occupy the area. Depending on the time of year, fishing mooring blocks in shallow (5' of water or less) can be a great way of finding particularly large bream, especially yellowfin. As the water temperature drops, fishing the mooring blocks in 10' or more of water isn't uncommon.
The Keel / Rudder
The underside of the boats offer fish a place to actively hunt their prey. The keels, on yachts in particular, is a great place to target fish as they generally run deep down under the water and allow fish to transition up and down to follow their next meal. It is very common in the warmer months to sight fish sitting between the keel and the rudder, rolling and chewing on the bottom of the boats.
When targeting fish that are holding on boat hulls, there are a few things to remember to increase your chances of catching more fish. I prefer to fish the shady side on a boat. Fish sitting on the shady sides are often more relaxed and will come out further into the shadow to chase down a lure, when compared to a fish sitting in direct sunlight.
I prefer to fish with the sun in my face. I do this because with the sun shining into your face, your shadow will be away from the area where you're casting. If your shadow is passing over the area that you are fishing, then you will be spooking the shallow, active and often finicky bream. Once they are spooked, they aren't going to bite! Fishing the shady side of a boat can also help to silhouette the fish holding in the direct sunlight as they are passing under the opposite side. This will allow you to accurately cast to these fish... and this is where the fun begins.
How to Target These Bream
When casting to fish that are sitting underneath the boats, finesse and subtlety are key. Personally, I will always start fishing with a ZMan 2.5" GrubZ rigged with a TT Lures Hidden Weight System (HWS) jighead inside the plastic. With the weight concealed inside the plastic it allows you to accurately skip cast your plastic right along the water surface, until it bumps into the boat and sinks. With the HWS jighead, when the plastic bumps into the hull, the ElaZtech material absorbs the impact and makes close to no noise. This is key.
Once the plastic is in the zone, I am sinking it on a semi-tight line, with a series on small tweaks on the drop to tempt the fish into eating it. I always started with a 1/28oz jighead when fishing boat hulls. This is the perfect weight to start fishing, with the option to decease or increase the weight if necessary. If I find that fish are following the soft plastic down as it sinks, but aren't committing, I will up my weight to a 1/20oz. If the fish are sitting under the boat but aren't showing any interest or potentially even spooking, I drop the weight to a 1/40oz hidden weight to tempt them into slowly and casually cruising out to scoff the GrubZ. This isn't always the most productive technique, but when the bite presents itself, it is generally the one you are after. By manipulating your weights, you can hone in and find the pattern the fish are wanting for a memorable day on the water.
Once hooked, bream on the boats generally go ballistic. With open water everywhere and minimal structure, bar the boat they are sitting on, they pull as hard as possible to get back home. Generally speaking, the keel on the boat will be smooth and if the bream takes you around that then you can allow them to rub to some extent. However, with the fish on the opposite side of the boat, your chance of success drops dramatically.
Get stuck in and get them out.
Cheers, Tomas