Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Pro-Lure-Fishing-Tips » 10 Tips - Beating the Holiday Crowds
10 Tips - Beating the Holiday Crowds
By Justin Willmer
Holiday periods, such as Christmas and Easter, are often a great opportunity to get out and chase a few fish, with many of us having a few extra days up our sleeves, however 'many of us' also creates the issue of crowds and fishing pressure. With time off over the Christmas break I am planning on plenty of fishing, however I will be doing whatever I can to avoid the crowds, find my own water and tweak my gear to maximise my chances of catching. It's not all about catching and many will be happy to float around out on the water with family and friends, listen to the cricket and wet a line... anyway, back to the catching ;)
1. The Early Bird
Over the holidays much of my fishing will be done early in the morning. Keeping a close eye on the weather and picking the best days, I will launch as the sun is thinking about rising and be home by the time many are sorting their boats ready to head out. By being on the water at 4-4.30am I avoid the crowds, hit the peak morning bite time, beat the winds that can often blow up later in the day and I can fish a 4-5 hour session before things get busy. This then leaves me the whole day to catch up with family and friends or tick some things off the job list and earn some brownie points for future adventures. If the bite is on, the weather good or the crowds don't turn up, then who knows... I may just stay out there a bit longer.
2. The Night Owl
Several anglers I know turn to night fishing during the holiday periods, leaving the days to the crowds and launching when most boats have called it a day. Some great fishing can be had of a night, especially when focussing around artificial lighting, such as bridges, marinas, boat ramps, jetties, rock walls and almost anywhere where street lights shine onto fishable water.
The light attracts prawns, baitfish, squid and larger predatory species and many different species will hunt around the structure and ambush bait around the edges of the shadow lines. Night fishing can be done land based or from watercraft and many of the techniques that work during daylight hours are also effective after dark.
Don't forget the bug spray and a headlamp, while also considering your visibility, especially when out at night in watercraft. Lighting is important and a PFD or vest with reflective tape is another option to ensure you are more visible to other vessels travelling in the darkness.
3. No Man's Land
One of my favourite ways to escape the crowds is to fish where they don't want to. The fish are still there, in fact there are often more fish in areas that are weedy, snaggy or shallow, however the crowds often avoid these areas as they don't want to be stuck on a falling tide, run aground, snag a favourite lure or continually foul in the weed. This is only natural, however it opens up large expanses of water in many systems that are left crowd free.
Rigging weedless is a great way to fish structure and weed, with a massively reduced chance of snagging or fouling. You can check out the 'Rigging Guides' section of the tackletactics.com.au website for guides on how to weedless rig. Another option is to slow roll (slow wind) your lures over the top of the weed so that they are not fouling, while drawing fish out of the structure. For the bait angler you may be able to fish over the weed or in close proximity to structure by utilising an A-Just-A Bubble Float to suspend your bait free of the snags.
Fishing the shallows is another way to escape the crowds as you will see many boats gathered around deeper water and the main channels. The shallows are excellent for those wading, fishing from kayaks or SUPs (stand up paddle boards), along with those in smaller boats. When fishing the shallows I am always conscious of noise, fishing quietly to avoid spooky fish, while targeting structure, such as snags, weed edges, drop offs, sandy patches and slightly deeper sections of the bottom.
4. Do the Miles, Get the Smiles
Another option is to do the miles, get away from the crowds and in turn fish less pressured waters. Some anglers I know will take the opportunity to load the backpack and trek further into the local streams in search of bass, load the canoe or kayaks to explore less accessible water or drive to less popular spots to launch their boats. You may be moving away from the fishing 'hot spots', however you may also find that the fish that are in these areas you have to yourself.
5. Planes, Trains & Automobiles
This just about sums up my fishing... I will go virtually anywhere, in anything, to catch a fish. For me this includes land based, boat, kayak, SUP (stand up paddle board) and float tube. Having a variety of watercraft allows you to launch anywhere, allowing you to launch close to productive water, access hard to reach areas and fish where the crowds are not, including fishing really shallow water flats. You will find areas that are restricted in terms of motor usage, motor horse power or speed and these areas can also play into the hands of those fishing from paddle craft, while reducing the noise and disturbance impact that can shut fish down.
If you are holidaying somewhere with the family, don't forget the kids kayak, SUP or even blow up boat as an option to fish from or just to get you to that sand bank or the other side of the river where there is no one fishing. Remember always to consider safety first, along with the limitations of both your own abilities and the chosen watercraft.
6. Go Light to get the Bite
I generally don't worry too much about really light leaders for my river and estuary fishing as I fish fast, looking for active fish. I generally fish 10lb leader for most of the estuary stuff that I do, stepping up to 20lb for heavier plastics in deeper sections, where I may encounter mulloway, snapper and larger trevally. The more pressured the fish become however, with boat traffic, noise and angler pressure, the more likely I am to 'go light to get the bite' as the saying goes. This may include dropping leaders to 6 or 8lb, dropping jighead weights from 1/4oz to 1/6 or 1/8oz, or potentially even lighter for targeting species around and over structure. I will also spend more time fishing slower, especially around quality structure.
7. Scent Up
I always scent up as I believe it maximises your chances of success when lure fishing and even more so when the fish are pressured, the bite is tougher and when I am fishing slower. Pro-Cure Super Gel Scents will mask foreign odours, such as fuel and sunscreen, while being loaded with powerful amino acids, bite stimulants, UV enhancement and real ground bait, to attract fish and trigger strikes.
In the salt my favourites include Mullet, Pilchard and Inshore Saltwater, while in the fresh I like Mullet, Aniseed and Garlic Plus. These are just personal preferences, however there are a bunch of flavours in the range. I add a small amount of scent to the head of the soft plastic and smear it down the length of the plastic, every 30 or so casts and after landing a fish.
8. Species Switch
The noise, boat traffic and fishing pressure may also shut down a particular species, meaning a switch up to target something else. Your consistent snapper or mulloway bite may be on hold until after the holidays, so it might be time to get up the creeks and rivers after a mangrove jack, fish the edges for a flathead or duck out in search of a mackerel. Your favourite bream spot may be full of people swimming, so it may be time to fish the mangrove edges or switch species and change things up.
Many people will holiday with family, including kids and even though you may normally target snapper, flathead, bream or another favourite, the kids often don't care what they catch as long as there's some action. Species such as gar, mullet or even the mixed bag that will eat a small soft plastic fished around the boat ramp, pontoon or jetty is enough to create a great experience and lifelong memories for them. You can even have a session with them catching slimy mackerel or other bait species that you can utilise for a later session.
If you're fishing with bait always try and have two or three different baits with you as different baits can attract different species and different baits also work on different days. Fresh baits are often the best, such as saltwater yabbies, worms and fresh prawns or fish fillets, getting the bites ahead of frozen bait. In saying that if frozen bait is your only option, then chook gut, mullet gut, white bait and pilchards are good starting points.
9. The Jellybean Theory
If the bite is tough it's always worth downsizing your lure presentation to attract more action and often a wider variety of species, especially to keep the kids entertained. The theory is that no matter how big a dinner we've eaten, there's always room for a jellybean, with my jellybean being the ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ, which has accounted for some of my biggest flathead, along with trevally, snapper, bream, flathead, cod and loads more.
Many believe that big fish get big by being smart, so they are likely to avoid the crowds, possibly feed through the night and shut down during the day when many of us have an opportunity to fish. If we purely throw big lures for big fish over the holiday period, we may have some quiet days... if the bite is quiet try downsizing and you may encounter a stack of different species and still find yourself connected to a big one.
10. If you can't beat them join them...
Fishing doesn't always have to be about catching and we had some great fun as kids gathering bait, learning to cast, observing all of the wildlife in and around the water and if someone caught a fish we would spend a few minutes learning about it and watching it in a bucket of water before releasing it again. Take the time to assist fellow anglers and their kids on the journey... it's a rewarding experience and you could end up with some friends for life.
Join up with other parents and their kids to have a fishing session where you can help each other out, have a mini fishing competition or maximise the chances of someone catching a fish that everyone can enjoy. If the weather is no good or you can't get out, pull out a combo at a BBQ or campsite and set up a few targets... you'll be amazed how quickly it turns into a series of challenges or a casting comp, with a growing bunch of spectators applauding the successes and riding the near misses. Good times.
At the end of the day we love fishing, not just catching, including the people we meet, the places it takes us and the experiences that we get along the way. The holiday crowds may impact our favourite spot or target species, however this is just an opportunity to meet some new people, learn some new techniques, target something different or refine our skills on a tougher bite.
See you on the water...
Justin Willmer