Gladiator Mutants - Woolooware Bay - 22/6/13

The ABT Daiwa/Hobie Kayak Grand Final is going to be held at Marlo in Victoria this coming November and on the menu are some big, bruising Black Bream. Last year the final was at the Bemm River and the black bream down there loved any of the longer minnow style of crank lures that were thrown at them. This year I have a new weapon in my arsenal of lures and I think they'll be perfect for the job.

The Gladiator Mutants are a 50mm floating (3.4g) or suspending (3.5g) lure that dives 1.0-1.2m and are ideal for targeting Bream and Flathead either over the flats or over broken rubble. Due to their light weight, I normally rig them on 4lb braid with a 4lb leader and this will still let you cast them a fair distance. Today I'd upped the ante on the leader to 6lb as there was some pretty nasty structure where we would be fishing. That extra 2lbs of leverage may come in handy later.

Andrew and I had decided to hit the rocky flats of Woolooware Bay on Saturday morning and I tied on a no.15 colour, which is a variation of a bluegill pattern. To see all the colours that are available, visit this link: www.gladiatortackle.com.au

As we made our way to our spot, we hoped the rain we could see falling out over the ocean would stay out there. It was just near high tide and the area we were fishing is just over a meter deep and is full of broken rocks, crushed oysters and old oyster rack poles, so we were pretty confident we'd get a few fish. On the way we pass a few old racks and I can't help but to have a cast. Wise choice for me and number one comes in to say hello. Looks like the Sydney Bream like the longer lures, too.

Andrew proceeds to drop one (sucka) and we continue on our way. At the start of our pass over the area, we give ourselves some casting room and let the wind push us. I've had a few whacks at the lure but it's 15 minutes or so before I come up tight on number two. This fish pulls some line and I tighten the drag as you really can't let them run in here. I see a flash of silver but then feel the thump, thump, thump reverberate up the line. It's a Trevally! These are a great sport fish and when prepared correctly are fine eating, too. Into the well he goes and I decided to change the lure and give another colour a run. This time I select colour no.4.

I look over and see Andrew is just landing a fish. "30 fork," he yells and slips it back into the water. The technique we are using is a straight slow roll of the lure, keeping the rod tip down and pausing slightly once it bumps into the rocky bottom. This 'bumping' trick is sometimes essential to help get the attention of the local fish and today once again proved how successful it can be. I get a whack on the lure but no hook up, so I pause it and then give it a slight twitch. This was enough to get the fish to strike and bream number 2 comes aboard for a quick photo opportunity.

The weather is starting to look a bit nastier now and I have to go to take Lachlan to soccer. I leave Andrew to catch a few more (he landed another two bream and a flathead) and as I race back, I plan to have a quick flick at any marker poles with a lightly-weighted Bait Breath Fishtail Shad. Eight poles I tried on the way back and on the very last pole, I get one more bream for the day. It's a perfect way to finish and not a bad way to spend a couple of hours on a miserable Saturday morning. The weather may be cold and wet but the fish still have to eat.

If the weather improves, I wouldn't mind giving these Mutants a run in the racks. That'll test how well they go on a locked up fish that's trying to get back to cover. I'm sure they'll come through with flying colours. Talking of colours, which one will I try next? Happy yakkin', everyone!

cheers,
Cid