Coral Trout Fishing Lures | MoTackle & Outdoors

Coral Trout are fast becoming one of my favourite fish to target for many reasons. These fish fight exceptionally hard and will head straight to the reef trying to bury themselves in every nook and cranny on their way to the boat. Visually beautiful, with anywhere from white to red hues and bright blue fluorescent spots. Coral Trout are a beautiful fish to look at and they are a fantastic table fish. When despatched correctly the flesh is white, flakey and sweet in taste with little ‘fishiness’. Lastly the back drop that comes with targeting these fish can be absolutely spectacular, with some of my favourite locations being the shallow water flats of the Great Barrier Reef.

There are a few different species of Coral Trout which will vary colour and patterns of the fish. The most commonly caught is the common Coral Trout or Plectropomus Leopardus. They are generally located from anywhere north of Gladstone (QLD) all the way around the top half of Australia to Dirk Harthog (WA). Predominately these fish are targeted in the 40-60cm size range for their eating quality, but have been reported to be over 20kg. In some parts of northern Queensland it's best to steer clear of the larger fish as there can be a possible risk of Ciguatera poisoning. That’s why the smaller fish are preferred.

When chasing trout it's important to be geared up for the experience, as even small fish can give a good account of themselves. A 20-50lb spin rod with a 5000-8000 spin reel is a great option with minimum PE 3 braid and at least 50lb leader. For Dinosaur trout up this poundage again!

In the shallows

Chasing trout in shallow water is fun and addictive! The nastiest looking reef, jagged rocks, underwater ledges and bommies could all be holding fish and all you have to do is be game enough to throw a lure close into the structure and hang on! Quite often they will hit the lure on the fall and be back in structure before you even feel it. This is why it's important to have the right gear when fishing the shallows, as even small fish can give a good account of themselves. In shallow waters we prefer to fish the run out tide but some locations are very much tide dependant. I use a selection of soft plastics, 100mm soft vibes and prawn imitations prove absolutely deadly and have enticed many fish for me. But there is definitely some better quality fish that can usually be pulled on a Halco Roosta popper or stickbait such as the Nomad Madscad. If you get the tide right and are happy to work a little bit harder you'll get those visual takes and surface crunches. Surface fishing for Coral Trout quickly becomes addictive to the lure throwing enthusiast!

In the deep

Jigging in deeper water over reef can be really effective too and the deeper reefs will often hold the bigger trout. Deep reefs with broken reef bottom and bommies will hold these deep water fish, work the edge where the current is running into the structure has worked best for us. Slow fall style jigs like the Samaki Ribcage can be effective on areas over 20m and vibes like the new Squidtrex has proved a great vibe option for getting down quickly and staying in contact with the bottom.

Matthew Townes - Assistant Mail Order Manager at MoTackle & Outdoors

Bait Fishing

You can't ignore the effectiveness of fresh bait for getting a few fish unstuck. Another positive with using bait is the mixed bag of fish you'll generally get. Float lining baits back into the reef using a running ball sinker rig or drifting paternosters over deep reefs works extremely well. Skirted hook rigs like the Vexed Bottom Meats are a good option as a deep water big bait presentation. These types of skirted bait rigs have been known to increase your catches but a no frills simple way is to make a few paternosters up using some Mustad 4200DT Kirby Kendals and heavy sinkers.

Fish Care

If you are like me and you don’t mind a feed of fish then fish care is of the utmost importance. Make sure you have plenty of ice and a Ikipik (Iki Jimi spike) handy for quick dispatch before bleeding your fish. This will ensure a humane ending to the trout’s life and bleeding the fish ensures you get the beautiful white flesh the trout is famous for.

Next time your thinking about a fishing trip away, think about chasing a few trout. There is no fish more special looking than these and the heart in mouth shallow water style of fishing will have you planning a second trip in no time! - Matthew Townes