Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Saltwater-Estuary » Kayak Fishing the Estuaries

Kayak Fishing the Estuaries

Josh Dunn

Kayak fishing can offer plenty of adventures and the fishing can be unbelievable at times! The stealth, the hunt, what lure you tie on next and which direction you choose to go, all add to the adventure. I have had some unforgettable moments and milestones in my kayak, including catching my first jewfish, big cod, first jack on lures and the serenity of whatever you see while out on the water just tops it off. Seeing dolphins on a glassy morning at 5am and when the absolute perfect conditions, with pristine water quality, just screams fish!

I go fishing in the kayak almost every weekend and have a lot of success, even if that's just a few bream, jack or even a trevally. I try to get up at 4:45am, get on the water at 5:15am and fish the surface until the sun rises. I will then fish for bream or mid water jacks and trevally, along with flathead when they are on. It depends on the day, I have found, in terms of tides, overcast or sunny conditions, time of day and the water quality.

There are so many options when kayak fishing; you can fish surface one minute, then fish the bottom for flathead or mid-water for jacks the next. The only plastics I carry and they have never let me down, is ZMan plastics and TT Lures jigheads and I am so confident that I will nearly always catch a decent fish when using this gear. The easy thing about kayaks is no fuel needed and you can drive along the bank and drop your yak in anywhere you like! It is also good for your fitness, so you can tell your wife that you need to go fishing next time she comments on your weight!

In June, bream will be out and about and easier to catch. Big, 40+cm specimens will be heading into my home waters of the Gold Coast and into the canals as the cooler weather brings bream into spawning mode. Here they will feed up before they spawn around this time. One of the best things to experience in the yak is a big bream of around 40cm trying to engulf you plastic! To up your chances of this happening you will need to fish the right times (tides, weather and water temps). Fishing a ZMan 2" GrubZ, rigged with a TT Lures 1/40oz #2 Hidden Weight System (HWS) jighead, on the surface on a cool day and slightly overcast is deadly. Cast into structure like jetties and their sub structure, as well as sand banks and jetties that come out from sand banks as these are where I have had the best results. You will get these fish year round on lures, not just in winter, though winter is the season for them and they will be in larger numbers. Using this technique you may also land barracuda, tailor and the odd cod as by-catch.

I've also caught trevally as by-catch when mangrove jack fishing, so don't be surprised to see silver when you go to net it... before it swims back to the depths for one last run! Jacks will take almost anything that swims past them, if it's presented right and won't stop annoying them. A well-presented plastic for me involves tying on a TT Lures 3/8oz 3/0 HeadlockZ HD jighead rigged with a ZMan plastic and casting to the desired structure. I simply use a medium - fast paced wind, as soon as it hits the water, until it arrives back at the yak (unless a jack attacks it!). A few of the lures that I'm confident with include ZMan 4" DieZel MinnowZ in Pearl, Pearl Blue Glimmer, Opening Night and New Penny, along with the ZMan 3" MinnowZ in Pinfish, Mood Ring, Motor Oil and pretty much all of the colours in the ZMan 4" SwimmerZ range.

Flathead are another awesome species to target, as they are often easier but plenty of fun! It's as simple as buying a decent anchor and chucking it out where you think flathead will ambush the bait, including sand drop-offs and deep holes. Once anchored I will flick lures in all directions and the key with kayak fishing is persevering and covering a lot of water.

Some of my favourite plastics in dirty water include the ZMan 3" MinnowZ in Mood Ring, Gold Rush and Pinfish, while in clean water I use the ZMan 2.5" GrubZ in Bloodworm, Pumpkinseed and Hardy Head, along with the ZMan 4" StreakZ Curly TailZ in Baby Bass and Motor Oil. I rig them on my trustworthy TT jigheads and in deep water, 3m+, I use the TT Lures 3/8oz 3/0 HeadlockZ HD jighead as I'm confident that the lure won't be 'pantsed' because of the unique locking grub keeper on the HeadlockZ jighead. In less than 3m of water I use the same set up, though with a lighter 1/4oz jighead (#1 or 1/0 for the 2.5" GrubZ). All you have to do is cast, let the lure hit the bottom and flick it up off the bottom, then allow it to sink to the bottom again, using a retrieve that you're confident with.

If you're new to kayak fishing you should think about a new or second hand kayak. You can pick them up cheap these days, with kayaks from $300, though I do recommend anything in the $600-$1,000 range as you can deck them out with fishing gear and they will last you quite a few years, before you upgrade! If you have a bit of money in the bank for a kayak, I would strongly recommend checking out a Hobie as these pedal kayaks are one of the greatest kayaks out there for anglers.

Accessories you will need when kayak fishing include, a landing net, pliers, Boomerang Tool The Snip, sunscreen, plenty of water, leashes to connect to your rod and paddle to your kayak so they won't fall in and long sleeve UV protection clothing - Sun2Sea UV protection 50+ clothing is a good option. Long pants that will protect you from the sun and snakes, along with a camera - preferably a waterproof model and durable shoes, such as Crocs, that will protect you from oysters or any dangerous objects, are a few more good options to add to your kit for your kayak fishing adventure!

Overall, kayak fishing can offer plenty of great adventures for you and/or the family. Hopefully you like the sound of kayak fishing and the next thing on your shopping list is a kayak! You don't have to travel far when kayak fishing the estuaries in search of a decent fish, they may well be in your backyard! I've mentioned just a few cool species that kayak fishing has to offer in the estuaries and the techniques to catch them, but there are plenty more fish out there. So stay safe and good luck on your next kayak trip!