Lipper - Targeting Sweetlip

By Andrew Schrodter

Hey Team, let's take a brief look into targeting what I believe to be one of the best tasting reef fish and most accessible for many... the humble grass emperor (lethrinus laticaudis) aka lipper... grassy... tricky ... sweetie!

I don't often keep much of a feed when I go out for a fish these days, tending to let most my fish go. For one, I'm more of a chicken fan and two, I'm usually too lazy to fillet. Actually, I'm pretty good at the filleting and cleaning part, it's getting rid of the frames after that I tend to be slack on, leaving them rest in the icebox for a day longer than I should...

When I get a chance to hit the inshore reefs off the Sunshine Coast targeting lipper though, I tend to keep a decent feed. These fish, for me, are up there as one of the best eating reef fish and if you haven't had the chance to try one, I invite you to give it a go. I'll dive into one of the techniques that I use to target these fish.

Let's Talk Bait

Using bait, no matter how you do it, tends to get bit messy and when handling pilchards, squid and mullet, you don't want your favorite plastics rod setup getting abused. My setup of choice lately has been my Okuma Ceymar 55 spinning reel and Okuma Azores 702M spin rod. This combo is plenty enough for the lipper, while also being great if you run into a rogue longtail, trout, snapper, cobia or other bycatch species. I pair this setup up with 30lb Platypus Bionic Braid and Platypus 20/30lb Hard Armour Tough Leader.

I have a few friends that specialise in targeting these fish and have a lot more experience than myself. Beno uses his outboard to stay over his baits, while Bob anchors more often, with both catching fish. If you have an electric bow mount motor, then spot lock is a great feature that allows you to hold on the structure and fish.

Areas that I choose to fish are generally based around inshore reefs off Southeast Queensland. These areas range from as close to shore as 500m, out to 10 kilometres plus, with up to 30 metres of water depth. These are the areas that I prefer to target, however I know they get them deeper further north.

I don't have specific marks out on these reefs, more just markers that I sound around until I find good bombies that are holding bait and fish. This is where knowing how to anchor your boat effectively or hold your boat in position is key.

If the sweetlip are on the chew, leader shy they are not. Generally, I start off with 30lb leader and see how the bite is. If they are shy, only then will I drop down to 20lb. I run a decent amount of leader, at about a rod's length, tied with an FG Knot to my braid. Generally, I run a size 4 ball sinker, down to a size 4/0 hook, however sinker size can vary depending on current flow.

Favorite baits for chasing sweetlip include all the old favorites, such as half pilchards, squid and mullet. Lately I've been getting my apprentice to go and cast net a heap of small poddy mullet and we fillet them for flesh baits. This has been very productive... and he earns his way onto the boat, lol.

Tuning into the bite can be a bit of a trick as it's unusual. When using the running ball sinker, you must give your sinker and bait time to get to the bottom. As the sinker can overtake your bait when sinking, I suggest dropping 4-5 metres and then pausing your fall, so that the bait catches up with the sinker. Repeat this all the way down, until your bait reaches the bottom. If you don't, then you can have line twist and the sinker can get stuck on your braided mainline.

You want to be in touch with your bait at all times. Once the bait hits the bottom, I generally wind up any slack and fish pretty much under the boat. That way, I maintain contact with the bait at all times. Now that you're on the bottom, you normally deal with pickers... small fish destroying your bait. Be patient as you wait for short sharp thuds that signal interest from a sweetlip.

Sweetlip can play with the bait once or twice before committing, so stay in touch, keeping a finger on the line at all times. It's weird to explain how to hook them, as it's like guessing when they will commit following a few sharp bites. Once you do hook up, don't give them any room to move. I have my drag tight and rely on the line and knot strength to get them off the bottom. I know that they're not big kingies or amberjack, however you're fishing with gear that is relevant to the job, being light leaders and so on, so give them a bit straight up to ensure that you land them. I also suggest not wasting too much time in one spot. If you haven't had any luck in 10-15 minutes, just move onto the next good show on the sounder.

When targeting sweetlip it's not uncommon to catch a heap of different species, including cod, stripey, snapper, Moses perch and the not so elusive coral trout, especially when using fresh cut baits. All of these can add up to a good feed, however sweetlip are generally the more prolific species encountered.

Once landed, it helps to brain spike your catch and put them in an ice slurry to ensure the flesh is at its best for eating. Personally, I usually keep half a dozen to a ten lipper on a normal session, tucking into a feed as soon as I get home and usually freezing up to three packs for future dinners.

It's getting to the time of year now where it's viable to go and catch a feed of sweetlip. You can still get them during the winter, however I find the warmer months is where they come into their own and you catch more. When using bait and bait setups, don't get stuck in the past with 50lb mainline, 100lb leader and a massive sinker. Keep it light as I've mentioned and you will hook more fish!

Until next time,
Andrew

Gearing Up:
Okuma Azores Spin / Jig Rod - Z-S-702M 7' 8-12kg
Okuma Ceymar Spin Reel - C-55
Platypus Bionic X9 Braid - 30lb
Platypus Hard Armour Leader - 20-30lb