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10 Tips - Edge Bite Fishing
By Justin Willmer
We fish all types of areas, from flats to deep structure, narrow rivers to offshore reef, beaches and headlands. Often though we will find ourselves focussing along an edge, whether we are standing on that edge and fishing landbased from it or launching a boat and fishing back toward it... even joking at times that we launch the boat and kayak to fish back to the same edge that anglers are casting out from. Edges often equal structure, a place for bait to hold and escape predators, and in turn an area for predators to hunt and travel along.
What is an 'Edge'?
An edge for me is a defined structure type that extends for a reasonable length. It can be interspersed with other types of structure, however it will generally be defined by a single overall structure type, such as a mangrove edge, weed edge, timber edge, sand edge, rock edge, etc. It is a defined edge that can be targeted with focussed casts, rather than just a large flat or open water area. For some it may be more general, such as targeting channel edges or fishing banks, however defining the structure type more specifically allows you to refine your lure selection and techniques to suit the structure type. If someone said to me "We're just going to be fishing the edges tomorrow", my first question would be "What type of edges".
Tides / Water Levels
Remember to check your tides or impoundment water levels when planning your edge bite session. Fishing an impoundment with newly flooded grass from recent rains may require very different lures and techniques than fishing an impoundment with low water levels, where the water has dropped back into the main river bed and you are fishing steep, bare banks. This is even more important when doing a road trip to fish an impoundment and we will often try and source information about the water level and what the edges are like, for example receiving advice such as 'the edges are heavily weeded at the moment', there's no lilies at present', 'the fish are in the timber', 'the fish are holding on the steep rocky edges', etc. This information will help you paint a picture of the area that you will be fishing in your mind and better formulate a plan in terms of gear, lures and techniques.
Likewise tides can have a great impact on your fishing and need to be planned around so that you can access the edges you wish to fish, at a time when the bait and fish should be present. Channel edges are often most productive on the lower stages of the tide, while mangrove edges can be more productive on the higher stages of the tide... too high though and the fish may be back in the trees and out of reach. Over time you will gain an understanding of the tides in your region, what stages of the tides are best for certain edges and whether you require a certain tide height to effectively fish a particular edge. In my local system for example I have some mangrove edges that require a minimum 1.9m high tide to be productive, along with some low tide edges that produce best when below a 0.3m low tide. Knowing this allows me to plan sessions around the most productive tides and pencil them into my calendar.
Again, when travelling to fish new areas it is worth researching how the tides impact the area, to better plan your attack and also ensure that you don't end up stuck somewhere for hours due to tides.
Structure
Often when fishing an edge bite it can appear as if you are fishing kilometres of the same structure. Prime examples include mangrove edges, impoundment edges and weed or sand edges, where the bank can look very similar for hundreds of metres. It's important to remember the 'oasis in the desert' or the 'only tree in the paddock' scenario. You may pick up fish anywhere along the edge, however we are looking for that key structure that holds bait and predators.
Prime structure can include timber laydowns, rock and rubble, weed edges, drains and manmade structure such as concrete drains, steps and old boat ramps that don't see continual traffic. If there's not a lot of obvious structure then focus on the small changes, such as points, slight changes in depth, changes in bottom type, vegetation, eddies and inlets along a mangrove edge. It's often the smallest change in the environment that will hold fish and the more you learn about key structure that attracts and holds fish, the easier it is to visit a new location and dial it in quicker.
Bait
I know, I know... I always talk about the importance that bait plays in successfully catching fish, but that's because it is so often proven to be true. 'Find the bait, find the fish' is the old saying and it often rings true when fishing an edge. If I am working an edge and it feels lifeless, often the bite is slow and a move to an edge with more bait activity will produce the bite. As you work the edges in your local system you will soon find sections of the edge that hold bait most of the time, others that hold bait at certain stages of the tide and some that are worth a look because they have proven productive before when there is bait around.
Bait may be located on the sounder along an edge, as may be the fish that are feeding on it, otherwise keep an eye and an ear out for visual and audio signs. As the tide drops out the bait will hold in the shallows as long as it can, before being forced off the edge and into the reach of waiting predators, making the last of the run out a prime time to fish channel edges. As the tide floods it can be worth fishing with a stealthy approach, once there is enough water for predators to get up on the flats and toward the mangrove edges. Fishing can get a little tougher once the water rises too high and the bait can gain access into the mangroves, where predators cannot reach them, or if they can the predators are difficult for us to target. Once the tide turns and begins to drop though, predators will hunt along the mangrove edge and feed on the bait that is being forced from the mangroves on a dropping tide.
It's important to take the time to look around your local system and think why the bait and fish may be holding in a particular area, along with what stages of the tide you believe they would be attracted to particular areas and structure. It's rewarding when you start to put the pieces together and go... hmmm the bait should drain off this flat, into that weed patch on a dropping tide and predators should be feeding around the edges of the weed picking them off... fish on!
Wind
At times wind can be the enemy of the angler, however we need to look at how we can utilise the wind to our benefit and make it our friend. Some species prefer to hunt in clean water and in this instance we can look for an edge that the wind is blowing away from, generally creating clear water. Alternatively some species prefer the cover of murky water, especially when hunting in shallow water, so a bank that has the wind blowing onto it may be a more productive option. The wind-blown edge can also benefit from increased oxygen levels and bait being pushed onto that edge, which is often the case when targeting impoundment barramundi.
The wind can be utilised in other ways also, be it to assist with a drift when working an edge or assisting with long casts, especially when targeting finicky feeders or covering water. For land based anglers the wind can be even more crucial and it can be worth taking the time to check the wind direction and speed prior to selecting a fishing location. Again, we can utilise the wind to assist with long casts, clear the water or create a dirty water line and stir up the bottom, which has proven to attract fish in the freshwater and also draw species such as snapper closer to the shoreline in the salt.
Water Movement
In situations where you have water movement, such as running rivers and tidal flow, you have another factor that can assist in concentrating bait and attracting fish that are looking for food, ambush points and shelter from the flow. Again this knowledge can assist you when planning to travel and fish new areas, or when breaking down the edges in your local systems.
Rocks, points, mangroves, timber and other structure will often interrupt this water flow and create two distinct features that can be fish producers. Where the flow hits the structure is often referred to as a pressure point and this section is often identified by an upwelling of water pressure or a build-up of water against the structure, that then speeds up and rushes around the side of the structure. It can be as complex as a large sand spit or reef edge, or as simple a single stick in the water.
On the backside of this structure you will find our other feature, which is eddies created by this break in the flow. Eddies often hold bait and in turn attract predators. Predators also use these breaks in the current flow as a rest point and an ambush point, allowing the pressure point and eddies to disorientate and deliver an easy meal to them.
If you locate pressure points and eddies along your edge, or in fact the edge itself is a large pressure point or collection of eddies, it's worth spending a little more time and a few extra casts prospecting them as they are proven producers.
Positioning & Casting
It's worth thinking about the best way to approach an edge also, taking into account getting your lure into the strike zone, retrieving it to maximise your chances of intercepting a fish and at the same time not spooking the fish. You can use the wind to assist with long casts, drifts and stirring up the water, while also using the tide to assist with positioning and getting the lure where you want it to be.
If you are landbased, you may need to stay out of the water to reduce spooking the fish, and in turn may require the wind at your back or a longer rod to reach the structure and fish. While another spot may require you to enter the water to reach the desired structure and in turn you need to consider footwear, clothing, carrying gear and possibly landing the fish while in the water. Again, understanding the edge that you are fishing will allow you to be better prepared to fish it effectively.
When working an edge land based I will generally fan my casts to ensure that I am covering plenty of water, casting up current if there is tidal flow and working the lure back naturally with the tide. I will cast along the edge and fan my casts further and further out until I am not quite casting straight out from the edge. If there is too much flow it will drag your lure around so that you are winding it back against the current, making it difficult to fish the lure effectively and also making it appear less natural. If you are fishing around the key structure on the edge you may wish to focus your fishing in a small area, otherwise you may wish to cover ground, moving along the edge and systematically fanning casts as you move along in search of fish.
In the boat or kayak we will often drift the edge a cast distance out, cast to the edge and work the lure back to the vessel. This allows you to cover plenty of water, while not spooking the fish on the edge, much like the landbased angler fanning casts to cover water. Depending on the speed of the drift and the tide, you may need to cast slightly ahead or behind the drift to stay in touch with the lure and fish it naturally back to the vessel. If the lure is dragging along as you drift it can be more difficult to drive it effectively and detect subtle bites.
Another option is to fish close to and parallel along the edge. This can be especially productive on deeper edges and edges where the fish are holding tight to the edge, where much of the retrieve is wasted when retrieving out from the bank. The downside of this technique is that if a fish eats your lure early in the cast you are positioned along the bank, rather than out from the bank, making it more difficult to extract fish from structure if they run back into it.
Holding position with an anchor or electric motor is another option that may make working the edge easier and more productive. The electric motor allows you to easily adjust your distance from the edge, speed at which you are drifting and even hold position to focus on particular structure. Anchoring allows you to focus on particular structure or fan casts to more effectively cover a productive area, especially when the drift is fast, making it difficult to do so.
Multiple Combos
You will struggle to find me with a single rod and reel combo, unless I am fishing on foot and covering a lot of ground. Having multiple combos allows you to have multiple lure options rigged and ready to go, which in turn allows you to more effectively fish changing environments and target multiple species. On the kayak / SUP I will carry two to four combos and in the boat up to ten combos.
The nature of an edge bite is that the environment will generally change as you move along the edge and it doesn't have to change a great deal to require a lure change. An example would include changes in depth, where I may have rigged a ZMan 2.5" Slim SwimZ on a 1/4oz 1/0 TT Lures HeadlockZ jighead and a ZMan 3" MinnowZ on a 3/8oz 3/0 HeadlockZ. The smaller lighter presentation is fished along the shallower sections and when I encounter a steeper drop off and deeper water I can still fish the bottom effectively.
Other examples include a northern mangrove edge where you may switch from a surface presentation to a weedless sub-surface presentation to work deeper snags, or river and estuary situations where you switch from a standard jighead to weedless as you move from open edges to heavily structured or weeded edges and even a switch from a paddle tail or curl tail that you are rolling over weed beds, to a Ned Rig presentation for picking pockets in the weed.
The key with multiple combos is that it allows you to switch quickly and make the most of the environment, available species and opportunities that present themselves as you work along the edge, no doubt contributing to more fish hooked.
Weedless Rigging
Edges often mean structure and that structure can include weed, timber, lilies and the like that foul and snag lures. Rigging weedless allows you to fish water that is virtually impossible with treble rigged hard bodies and soft plastics on standard jigheads. You can switch out your treble rigged surface hard body for a naturally buoyant ZMan plastic, rigged on a TT Lures ChinlockZ or ChinlockZ SWS jighead and rolled, buzzed or twitched and paused on the surface. Switch out that treble rigged diving minnow or other snag prone lure and rig the plastic on a TT Lures SnakelockZ or ChinlockZ SWS to get it down in amongst that structure with minimal chance of snagging or fouling.
Even when fishing a weedy edge for bream or flathead I will often have a weedless rigged option, fishing the standard rigged plastic when rolling over the weed or fishing the clear patches and then dropping the weedless rigged plastic into the weedy drains and around the thicker weed clumps that would be impossible to fish with standard presentations. No matter how snaggy the edge, you can virtually fish anything with a weedless rigged plastic and it leads to some exciting and intense hook ups as you attempt to extract angry fish from tight cover.
Freshwater anglers can utilise weedless rigged soft plastics, while they may also select other popular freshwater lure options that are designed to reduce snagging, such as the TT Lures range of spinnerbaits and Jig Spinners, or ZMan ChatterBaits and skirted jigs.
Get Edge-ucated
I remember impoundment fishing with a couple of keen fishos and good guys many years ago and they were always back and forward about whether they should be fishing the deep bite or the edge bite, as one preferred fishing the deep, while the other preferred fishing the edges. I nicknamed them Deep Bite Man and the Edge Bite Kid, though to be honest they were both capable anglers in either scenario. It's just funny how we favour a certain style of fishing and often just lock into it. Over the years I have made a point of trying to learn to fish as many environments, techniques and species as possible so that I can make the most of any adventure and fishing opportunity that presents itself.
Understanding edges and the edge bite comes with experience, time on the water and experimenting along the edges in your local systems at different times of the tide. Try and think like a fish, consider the species available, breakdown your local system, and take into account the points that I have gone through above when approaching the edges that you have available in your local waterways. This will help you to understand where the fish may be and why, while coming up with a game plan to make the most of your local edge bite and the fishing available on future travel adventures.
See you on the water...
Justin Willmer