FISHING ON FOOT
You don’t need a boat to catch quality fish and have a fat time doing it. All you need to do is grab a backpack and pull on some good boots. KRIS SWERES explains.
FISHING isn’t always just about connecting a hook to a fish. It could be also be defined as the process by which we anglers go about preparing to outwit our scaly friends. The days at work spent mentally preparing our gear and game plan can be just as much fun as the actual event. What lures are needed, what species will be targeted and what gear is required to tackle these fish all have to be considered in careful detail. What about if all your gear had to be confined to the contents of a light backpack? This sort of minimalist fishing can really challenge your skills. It can also bring countless rewards.
The fact is you definitely don’t need a boat to encounter a wide range of excellent sportfish. In many cases you’re better off without a boat. Many prime locations can be found by walking the bank of your local bass creek, saltwater rock wall or weed-dotted tidal flat. So go to it, grab your pack, a handful of lures, your comfy boots and get into it!
Bird’s Eye View
With the Internet has come many great tools that we as fishermen can employ in our favour. Blogs, online fishing communities and websites like fishingworld.com.au can all help us to become much better anglers. “Surfing” these sites can often lead to spending more time in front of the computer than actual fishing, which sort of defeats the point of it all. That said, as long as you avoid becoming an armchair angler, technology is without doubt a invaluable tool in any modern fisho’s arsenal.
For example, Google Earth broke some amazing ground with its public access satellite mapping site. Now any and everyone is able to zoom into any waterway on the coast of Australia, or the world for that matter. Trips that could be a real waste of time can now suddenly become a structured, organised session. Moored boats, rock bars, pipelines and even fallen trees are all visible via Google Earth, thus allowing you to plan your trip. Having a game plan when backpack fishing is well advised. Because you are limited by far you can walk, knowing the exact spots you want to target and how to get there is a great head start. Also, being able to see what’s around the next bend is invaluable. Ever been bush bashing a mountain stream or bass creek only to realise that you’re completely cut off from further access because of dense plant growth? Or the rocks you’ve been hopping across suddenly run out? You painfully find out you should have started fishing on the other side of the bank! Seeing spots from above and planning your attack around this is a good first step.
On a side note, NearMap is a newish site that also offers a dated timeline in your viewing options. This can be very interesting to see if the tide or rising waters have or can affect the places you want to explore.
Lure Selection
Deciding what lures to take with you can be great fun. It can also be the hardest part about backpack fishing. You can really only take what you can comfortably carry. Believe me, after an hour or so of walking with a full swag you’ll wish you’d “condensed” your choices. I usually consider the top five fish that I want to encounter (or hope to) and work backwards from there. For example, say you’re fishing Sydney Harbour from the ferry stations and surrounding rock walls. What fish am I most likely to encounter? An estimate could be bream, tailor, flathead, kingfish and squid.
So your lure selection might include some poppers or walk-the-dog style topwater offerings, a few soft plastics with appropriate sized jig heads, a couple of squid jigs and a few metal slices or blades. You could leave the expensive bream hard-bodies at home as they’d no doubt get lost to snags and large fish. However, if you were fishing a sand flat in South East Queensland you might leave out the squid jigs and metals and maybe replace them with some shallow and mid running hard-bods. It’s all common sense but the lesson is don’t take what you don’t need!
Lures that will nearly always come for a ride with me include Megabass Dog Xs and a couple of Stiffy Poppers for topwater. Fished first thing in the morning when the water is glassy, the range of fish that will smash a popper is vast. Topwater is also a great way to prospect new ground and see what’s willing to chase down a lure. Watching your lure slide or pop through a dead calm early morning waterway can be tense fishing. Having a fish plow sideways into it can be heart stopping! It’s got to be high on anyone’s preferred fishing methods.
A selection of soft plastic lures should always get a run in your gear list. These are extremely versatile baits that can be fished through the entire water column. Squidgy Flickbaits in, say, 70-100mm with appropriate jig heads will cover most bases. I always love Bloodworm or Flash Prawn as a starting colour. These lures can also be used if you’re fishing in snaggy spots or places that the fish are just too big to be donating expensive lures to. Plastics are cheap compared to the latest Japanese hard-body … Remembering to take a couple of very light worm hooks or super light jig heads can also be a seriously good move. Big Sydney Harbour kings just love a slow falling white stickbait but don’t forget to say your prayers when tied up near structure. Lock up that drag and hold on …
I always take a blade or two as these can be fished vertically on structure like pontoons/wharves and can be absolute dynamite with mooching bream. They also cast a mile so you can cover a lot of ground with a quality blade. Last but not least I always take at least one squid jig. I don’t know how many times I’ve see Mr Egi sitting there round the pylons, weed banks or in fact rushing your popper or plastic and just asking for a little pink Yamashita to be thrown his way to close the deal.
A little forethought about possible species encountered and what lures will most likely do the damage is common sense but when it’s all got to fit snuggly into a single tray Plano it can be a challenge.
Other Tools
A quality light threadline outfit is the logical choice for land based luring. The main reason is that with this gear you can throw ultralight lures long distances. This will open up slightly more water and, in turn, expose you to more fish. When you’re confined to a small piece of land even getting your lure an extra couple of feet can make all the difference. Most outfits these days are lightweight, strong and can handle some really decent fish.
A set of lip grips are small but invaluable tools that help tremendously in subduing thrashing fish and making hook or treble removal less dangerous for the angler and fish. Bogagrips are the original and the best and the 15lb models fit into most cargo pants or short pockets. Provided the fish are well supported, a set of Bogas can replace the use of a bulky net needing to be transported around.
A good pair of pliers to perform some dentistry should also always be in your bag. They don’t need to be huge, just enough to remove hooks and possibly do some “in field” repairs. Although many of today’s trebles are sharper than ever, they can also bend out fairly easily so pliers are great for “re-shaping” the twists.
I fish with braided line so I always carry two or three small spools of leader material, usually based around my style of fishing. I start ready rigged with 6lb but if the fishing is tough I may flick down to 4lb. I also carry a much heavier line class of, say, 12-14 lb for the rarer beasts like big jacks, trevally, tailor or flathead. Yamamoto fluorocarbon spools are quite small and fit perfectly into any pack or pocket. I’ve personally found this brand of leader to be of high quality. Oh, and don’t forget the braid scissors. Attaching your scissors to a lanyard so you can hang them around your neck makes for easy access.
A mobile phone with camera for those “brag shots” and to call out in emergency always is a great safety plan.
Last but not least you should always carry enough water for the day. It pays to have a pre-frozen bottle in your pack. When you finally get thirsty it will be nicely thawed and freezing cold. A few snacks (nut bars are good) is also a good idea. A decent hat, good polarizing sunnies, sunscreen and maybe some bug spray and you are set!
So with a bit of planning, a rod, reel, tackle and your backpack, you can experience some great fishing only a short walk away. See you out there!
