Fishing Hints n’ Tips – Reef Fishing 

Winter represents a great time to fish your local reef. As the water temperature drops, bottom dwelling reef species tend to seek food and coverage around structure such as shallow reefs, bommies, ledges and drop offs. For those with large vessels, offshore reefs are often easier to fish in winter with better weather patterns and slower currents typical of the coldest season of the year. Very few species of reef fish are accessible across the entire country. For example, red emperor and sweetlip are prolific in the northern areas of Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory whereas snapper tend to inhabit the cooler waters of southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. No matter what reef species are available at your doorstep; chances are they’ll be great eating and great fun to catch.

One of the keys to reef fishing is getting your bait or lure to the bottom where the fish are feeding. Sinker size selection is of utmost importance and you’ll need to consider water depth and current before choosing the right weight.

When fishing the reef with bait such as mullet, pilchards or squid, there is no need to cast and therefore an overhead rod and reel combo is a good option. When shopping for an overhead reel, keep the retrieve rate in mind because once you hook up, the toughest part of the fight will be getting the fish away from the reef. Any contact between the line and the reef will usually result in getting busted off so a reel with a high retrieve ratio will assist you during the very important first few moments of the fight. Soft plastics are also a very effective way of targeting reef species. Five and seven inch minnows rigged to an appropriately weighted jig head will often prove irresistible to a hungry snapper and if you’re using light spin gear, hang on tight!

Reef fishing is great fun and can provide a great feed. As always, check your local size and bag limits before you head out. Winter is a great time to get out there and get into the reefies so check out the specials on offer at BCF and go get into the reefies!