GOING SHALLOW
Fish in less depth to take advantage of an influx of spring species like flounders, bass and scorpionfish
It’s the way to find spring’s LRF species.
My winter fishing has been dominated by fishing deep water, but once the temperature rose, I started fishing the shallower areas to capitalise on the influx of more spring species.
For a few months, my fishing is determined by three species that are the first to come back inshore and provide consistent sport. This is a time that can throw up some surprise species too.
Switching from deep-water venues to shallower marks requires a change of tactics. In deep water, dropshot rigs rule, but shallower water sees more emphasis on jighead rigs, in the way I fish anyway. My jighead weights are always lighter than for deep water, and I find 1-4g perfect for shallower applications.
With lighter casting weights, I use a lighter line, usually a PE0.4. This smaller diameter line helps you to get a bit more casting distance and helps to maintain feeling and control when using small jigheads. This means using a leader of around 4lb, but I have no worries when it comes to hooking a fish above this weight. With balanced LRF tackle, large fish can be landed with a bit of care. Remember that there is less weed growth than in the summer, so I have a better chance of landing a fish.
Jighead rigs really are a versatile way of working soft plastics in the spring, especially in shallow water. From searching through rock pools under the rod tip, to casting and swimming a lure from the top to the bottom of the water column, a jigheadrigged soft plastic will do it all for you.
TYPES OF JIGHEAD
I carry a selection of weights and two types of jighead – darting type and bottom-bouncing. Darting jigheads are cone-shaped and are great for straight retrieves with paddletails or ball tails.
Throw in some twitches during the retrieve and you can get the lure to dart from side to side in a sub-surface ‘walk the dog’ style. I use these for swimming a lure in open water from the surface down to the bottom.
For fishing the seabed, I like a stand-up type jighead. There is a big range of these, but
they are all wider at the bottom so that the jighead can rest at the seabed with the hook presented upwards.
Often small changes make the biggest difference. A simple change of shape of jighead will determine how your lure behaves. It’s worth experimenting with different combinations in clear water to see what action you can impart.
Jighead rigs are a compact way of fishing, and you can get an amazing amount of control over the lure. They are perfect for fishing vertically and for dropping into cracks, or suspending in front of overhangs and cover.
Polarised sunglasses are essential in shallow water. By removing the glare from the surface, the sunglasses enable me to see fish and features that I may have missed.
SHALLOW-WATER PREDATORS
FLOUNDERS: When this species starts to return to my sheltered harbour marks it signals some fantastic sport, whether it’s the sight fishing, stalking single fish in shallow, clear water, or that sudden single bite that signals a big flattie.
These fish are shallow-water experts that can hunt in only inches of water, and are one of the first species on the scene when the tide starts to flood.
To single out larger flounders, I use bigger lures such as 4in Gulp! sandworm. If I want to catch a wide range of sizes, then a size 8 hook jighead from 2-4g is great.
I like a stand-up type pattern such as the Hart Micro Head because it presents the lure nicely when the jighead is resting on the seabed. Other than the sandworm, you could use a smaller 2in ball tail or strawtail grub. My basic technique is to cast out and let it sink to the bottom under tension, because a fish may seize it on the drop. I allow the lure to hit the bottom and let it rest under tension for a few seconds. I pause at this stage as fish will often be attracted to the sound of the lure hitting the seabed. If no bites are forthcoming, I twitch the rod sharply up while taking up the slack line, before again letting it fall to the seabed under tension. This slowly hops the lure back along the seabed with lots of short pauses, and can be deadly for flounders, gobies and scorpionfish. In shallow water, you should be able to see your lure working across the seabed, which is a massive advantage. Those Hart Micro heads have a luminous coating that helps me see where my lure is working.
Rigging your soft lure on to a jighead is straightforward – just make sure that the lure is straight on the shank and doesn’t curl up around the bend of the hook. With an unscented lure you have to be a bit quicker in the strike because the fish tend to hold on to a scented lure.
BASS: For these, I like to fish a darting style jighead and soft lure combination. Generally, I am aiming to work a lure in the top 3ft or so of water and favour small paddletails or Slug-Go type lures. My lure choice is dictated by the predominant baitfish. If there are shoals of sprats, then small minnow paddletails are great when straight-retrieved over a flooding reef. If there are sandeels about, then a darting retrieve with a small Slug-Go/ragworm-type lure can do the trick.
A small selection of jigheads and soft plastics can cover both situations. SCORPIONFISH: Along with the blenny, this is another species that I associate with shallow water, especially in spring where they come back inshore to breed and hunt.
They are aggressive takers of lures, and another species that you are likely to watch taking a lure, especially in shallow rockpools and gullies.
My favourite technique is to use a 1in soft plastic, or section of Isome or Gulp! rigged on a jighead, preferably a stand-up design. Work your way along the gulley or rockpool, hopping the jighead alongside boulders, overhangs and weed fringes. I like to hop it along and then pause alongside holes under rocks and stones.
A couple of taps from the jighead will soon alert a greedy scorpionfish, and they will often dash out from under a rock to snaffle your lure. A jighead rig on shallow close-range terrain is invaluable because you can easily work the lure into all sorts of nooks and crannies. ■