Work-Up Fishing Techniques

With the changing of the seasons, fish movements also change. Spring can be a really great time of year to get into some of the most exciting fishing around, with gannets raining out of the sky, massive schools of baitfish and equally massive schools of snapper, writes Adam Clancey…

Work up fishing is relatively easy when the conditions are right – it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Most techniques will work and sessions are usually short and intense. Like all fishing, there are times when you can’t quite get onto the fish or get the quality of fish you desire. There are many contributing factors: the weather can be too windy or too calm, the fish can be moving quickly and so on. If you are considering work up fishing, there are many approaches you can adopt when it becomes a little more challenging. There are also ways to hunt bigger fish and different species.

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Work ups occur all year round, predominately offshore on the east coast of the North Island and top of the South Island, and usually in 20-60 metres of water. By work ups, I am referring to large concentrations of gannets feeding on baitfish in a very small area, often joined by whales and dolphins.

The main work up season seems to be late winter/early spring and they often continue right into summer. A good time to start searching for work ups is when the water temperature starts to creep up. This usually coincides with the approach of snapper spawning and large schools of baitfish moving inshore or gathering to spawn. Identifying a work up is pretty easy when you see gannets falling out of the sky, but it is important to make a few more observations, such as how deep they are diving.

Shallow diving gannets will be over different sorts of baitfish and will have different predators beneath the bait. The amount of chattering will tell you how excited the birds are. You can learn to read their body language. Watch everything, even what’s in the birds’ beaks when they surface. Identifying the baitfish can give you good ideas as to what size and style of lure to use.

Learn from the birds; what they emerge with will give a clue to the lure you should use, and the height of the dive will indicate how deep the fish are.

Learn from the birds; what they emerge with will give a clue to the lure you should use, and the height of the dive will indicate how deep the fish are.

In most work up situations, you want to position your boat up-wind so you drift onto the action without disturbing it. You will often find that when you are right on the money you will get the best bites. One big trick is not to rush off as soon as the birds move. Pay close attention to your sounder as big fish often move in to mop up the scraps after the major work up has moved on.

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Sometimes the bait may have just gone to the bottom and the action is still happening out of sight of the birds. It is important to note what depth the fish are feeding at. In really active work ups the snapper will come very close to the surface to feed. You will see this on a good sounder as very solid arches.

Snapper feeding well up off the bottom.

Snapper feeding well up off the bottom.

Drift speed can be a problem that is easily controlled by a sea anchor or by using your motor. If the current is really moving, use heavy, fast-sinking jigs. The obvious choices are the kabura and inchiku styles jigs, both of which fish well on the drag and vertical. You can use soft-baits in a couple of ways. In fast drift situations you can use a very heavy jighead or a small soft-bait set up on a drop shot rig. This is a rig with a sinker at the bottom and the soft-bait attached via a dropper knot. In very calm conditions or if the fish are tentative on the bite, scale your lure size right back in both weight and profile. Use the lightest braid and leader you can find and work the water column. It’s amazing how often the biggest fish of the day comes when things go quiet.

Lure colour can make a difference on those days when things are a little harder. Be prepared to change colours frequently. My “go to” colours are the brighter ones like orange and pink. When the conditions are grey and overcast, lures with lumo and UV reflective finishes are good.

Use lumo and UV reflective lures in low-light situations.

Use lumo and UV reflective lures in low-light situations.

While keeping an eye on the depth the fish are feeding at, you may notice action in mid-water and this can be a good time to fish with a slower sinking lure such as a large soft-bait with a light jighead or a sinking stickbait. You will be quite amazed at how often you will pick up big snapper way up off the bottom.

Another trick worth trying is to drop a sabiki into the work up to catch a live bait, usually, a mackerel or pilchard. If you can secure one, drop it down with a small sinker right on the hook, and strayline back into the work up. This can produce amazing results including kingfish, big snapper and john dory. 

   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

October 2019 - Adam Clancey
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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