Jack Hunting
Summer is notorious for chasing the elusive Mangrove Jack. If you are like me you can say you have been smoked more times by a Jack than landing one on the boat! The awesome power of the Mangrove Jack is addictive and once you have had a decent hook up and fought a Jack long enough to know what they are about you will be coming back again and again.
Mangrove Jacks are an excellent sports fish and can be targeted effectively both on bait and lures. If you prefer to fish bait, live bait is a good option, Herring, Poddy Mullet and Gar are all good choices. These aggressive feeders also find a variety of strip baits hard to turn down and a fresh strip of Mullet is a good starting point. When I bait fish I have a tendency to kick back and relax but my advice is to keep your wits about you, dosing off is not an option! You need to be aware and ready otherwise it will already be too late!
If you want to get amongst Jacks on Lures you have both hard body lures and soft plastics to consider. Upgrading your trebles on hard bodies is recommended, often lures straight from the packet don’t have the hook strength required for these mighty fish. I have lost quite a few Jacks only to find the hooks have been straightened. I use Owner trebles to beef up my lures, but be careful these hooks are super sharp! I recently had a Trevally go nuts on me as I went to remove the hooks only to have them driven into my finger yeeooow! If hard bodies are your weapon of choice you need to decide if you are going to cast and retrieve or troll, both effective techniques. I have a good assortment of hard body lures on board including poppers which present a deep blooping sound when retrieved. Be sure you cast or troll your lures close to structure retrieving slowly with pauses, the Jacks may bump then attack, or just smack you without warning. Be ready to pull them out of the structure and their favourite hole as quickly as you can. If you have an electric motor you may want to use this to assist in getting the fish away from the structure.
If you prefer plastics I have been using the new Z Man Swimmerz 6 inch with good success, they have a paddle tail and a very natural swimming action and are available in a good assortment of colours. Team these up with a TT Warhead Jighead which is specifically designed for these lures, they are a lightly weighted worm hook that secures the plastic very neatly. I will also be taking these with me to the No Blokes Barra Bash to try out on Barra.
I have been using a Stradic 4000 reel locked up fairly tight with 20lb Fireline and 30 lb Leader. The stick needs to have some grunt and be capable of pulling a freight train. I have been trying out the new Abu Garcia Veritas rod in 6 foot 6-10kg which I purchased as a Barra trolling rod. These rods utilise Nano technology which give great strength without compromising weight.
Look for structure, snags, bridge pylons, break walls etc and be there as the day breaks and falls. A humid day that ends with a storm is ideal. Jacks seem to prefer a bit of current and I have found them to be less lively in slack water, match your tides to the ideal time of day and look for schools of bait nervously showering. Like I said in the opening I have lost more than I have caught so be prepared to lose some gear, but I can guarantee the thrill of the hook up to these explosive predators is worth it.
