REEF BEGINNINGS

In just about every ocean the waters inshore of the continental shelf hold most of their fish life close to the bottom. While pelagic species roam the currents in the upper lays, a myriad of tasty fish live, feed and breed close to the bottom. Some anglers are quite dismissive of bottom fishing, regarding it as a rather dull way to fish. But if you are after a feed on the offshore grounds bottom fishing is generally the best way to catch a feed. In my local waters snapper and pearl perch are two of the main targets, whereas further north coral trout, a range of emperors and nannygai are popular target species. In the south snapper still hold their own, and morwong, teraglin and mulloway are ever popular. Out in the deeper water, beyond 100 metres, there are trevalla, bar cod, flame snapper and gemfish. All of these species are great to eat.

The tactics used to fish reefs vary greatly according to the depth of water you are fishing, and the prevailing wind and current. In water depths of less than around 60 metres soft plastic lures, octa style jigs and metal jigs all work well, but for most