“How’s the serenity” it is a famous line from the legendary Aussie movie The Castle, but it really does describe the Shoalhaven River at the moment after the summer holiday boat traffic has subsided with the kids going back to school.
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We have been having some great morning bass fishing sessions using surface lures and you can’t beat cicada imitations. There are also some nice snapper around; target them using soft plastic lures or anchor up on the edge of an inshore reef, get a berley trail going and float down lightly weighted baits for a big red.
The ‘Stallions of the Sea’ aka marlin have shown up in our local waters, so game fishos are heading out offshore to tussle with one of these great fish. You don’t need to go far from the ramp to get some aerial action on the water as in the local waterways lurk the mini marlin of the estuaries, the eastern sea garfish. Also known as gars or beakies, these tasty pocket rockets sometimes put on an aerial display like a marlin. They are easy for the kids to target, lots of fun to catch and are tasty to eat.
Garfish are a pale, greenish blue on the back and upper sides and have a blue edged silver band along the sides. They also have three narrow brown lines along the back, above the silver band. Like billfish, they have a beak and the eastern sea garfish have a red tip on the end of theirs. These fish school near the surface at night and over weed and seagrass beds during the day. They will often be attracted to the boat using a light source.
There is no legal size limit but a possession limit of 20 per person per day applies.
I reckon the best time to fish for gars is the last two hours of the run out tide and the first couple of hours of the run it tide.
Without doubt the secret to catching gars is to berley up to get the fish around and keep them interested. When it comes to using berley I like to get it simple by using a 10-litre bucket with a lid with holes drilled in it. Attach a rope lanyard to the bucket so you can tie it off your boat. I use cable ties to secure the lid when it’s in the water to stop your berley getting out. Fill the bucket full of bread and give it a good soaking in tuna oil, the tuna oil will create a nice slick on the surface of the water, which the Gars love.
Once you’ve got the garfish partying around the boat the easiest way to get them on the line to see some aerial antics is to fish light by using a 2 to 3kg spinning set up and light line. Use a small (size 10) longshank hook with some sort of bite indicator like a quill float or a very small bobby cork.
I then just use a small piece of peeled prawn and float the rig down into the berley trail watching the tell-tale movement of the float. If you see the float go under the surface and move quickly across the top of the water strike and you should be connected to a gar.
One of the best parts of going fishing for gars is the by-catch when you are using berley in the river; don’t be surprised if you are also catching mullet or have a big bream come up a take the small piece of prawn floating down in the current. A couple of weeks ago I was amazed when a decent flathead darted off the bottom and grabbed a small piece of prawn soaking under a float. Don’t be afraid to soak a few bream baits while fishing for gars, I’ve caught some solid bream doing this.
Gars are great to eat. The best way to prepare them is to remove the head and gut the gar; it’s important to scrub out of the black lining of the gut cavity. Using a rolling pin, roll out the garfish gut cavity facing up, then remove the backbone of the fish to make yourself a garfish cutlet. All you need to do then is egg and bread crumb your garfish cutlet and shallow fry until golden brown, try using Panko breadcrumbs for a more crispy coating. Serve with a fresh garden salad and a couple wedges of lemon. They are also great live baits for big snapper offshore and mulloway in the river.
If you don’t have the big boat to enjoy some aerial action on the water, just relax on the river and catch the mini marlin of the estuary, the humble eastern sea garfish.
Next week it’s all about big fish and blue water with essential marlin and other game fish tips.