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A change of seasons is upon us and with the punishment of cool mornings and brisk arvos comes a gift – it’s time to chase Blackfish! The Blackfish (also known as Luderick) although not widely chased by all anglers, offers some really special traits. You can chase these in pretty much any conditions and with a hand full of tackle making them super affordable fun. This species is unique in the method of targeting them and offers little by-catch, but a disappearing float is arguably one of the best things to see and a great way to get people into the addictive nature of fishing. Luderick are genuine brutes and given the chance will take you under any available rock in the location. The balance between pulling hard enough and not pulling hooks out of the soft mouths can be both testing and rewarding! |
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Understanding Blackfish Locating Blackfish can be as much fun as chasing them and it usually serves as a great way to find fresh weed for bait as well. Blackfish will often hold on rocky structure, pontoons and jetty’s and a good pair of sunglasses on a clear day will usually tell you they are in the area. A scout on low tide of a headland, rocky outcrop or rock wall at a river can be helpful for two reasons - bait collection and chewed down weed is a great sign that you are in the right area! Although there a few different techniques and many different rigs for chasing Blackfish, I personally believe that it’s hard to beat fresh weed beneath a float. In this method, 2 things are critical to success:
Fresh weed is best but when you are time poor, it’s not always an option and this is where weed flies can get you on water and fishing in no time. Although designed for those out there chasing Blackfish on fly gear, weed flies also work great on conventional fishing gear and on a good day get plenty of fish. If I am fishing a two hook rig I quite often run the top one as a weed fly as I can keep my line in for longer with out worrying whether I have had a sneaky Luderick take my bait. When chasing them on a fly outfit it’s hard to beat a 5-6w with a double fly indicator setup - this requires a weighted fly at the top and an unweighted 12 inches below. With this method it’s great to mix up the colour flies to see what weed the fish are reacting to on that day. Keep in mind, an indicator my struggle in rougher conditions and in this situation a ¾ inch bubble float is the go. Luderick can be chased on light bream gear like a 7 foot 2-4lb setup, but ideally a longer rod will help with hook retention in those soft mouths. A Gary Howard Blackfish Rod is great value for money and paired with a 2000-2500 spin reel with a 4-8lb leader depending on the conditions is great. A pack of size 8 panfish hooks, a blackfish float or 3 (Michaels Estuary Blackfish Float is my favourite, but Jarvis walker do a great value one), some medium floats stops and a mixed pack of split sinkers is my total kit for a walk on the river or rocks. The float stop will allow you to adjust your rig depth on the run as the fish feed at different heights or you move spots. |
Nigel White - Fishing Warranty Officer at Motackle & Outdoors
John Everett - Fly Fishing Specialist at MoTackle & Outdoors
Matt Townes - Mail Order Assistant Manager at MoTackle & Outdoors
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For new and experienced anglers, Blackfish are a challenging and accessible species who fight hard and dirty! As a table fish, when looked after and bleed early, they eat well. So this Winter, join me in chasing the most cost effective fish to catch on the east coast! - Matt Townes |
