Al & I know how lucky we are to call the Northbank our office. We never tire of the view from the office window as it changes continuously from the upper reaches of the Parramatta River to the wide-open blue beyond the shelf. But like all diligent office workers, to be able to do our work effectively, we need to have our tried and proven equipment at hand and for both of us, one of our smallest but most reliable weapons of mass production are the Squidgies range.
From the time we enter our floating office, one of us has eyes searching topwater for greedy birds poised ready for the slightest indication of action or better still, those already working surface bait; whilst the other is watching the fish finder for the slightest anomaly of bait down deep. At the subtlest sign, both of us are instantly glued to the spot, willing the smallest boil to disrupt the surface.
One such typical morning, cruising up the Parra with Al, Coops & Mahi, we were excited to see a patch of birds working the shallows. Now to say we’re a little competitive on the boat would be an understatement. If we haven’t got the cameras out shooting a show, then it’s game on and we go from a cohesive team to ‘every angler for themself’ and in a flurry of activity all three of us scramble to get the first cast in.
One such morning I was keen to get the edge on the boys and land the first fish of the day. As the littlest on board, I used my size to my advantage and squeezed past the boys to grab the little Stradic 1000HG on the Zodias. Not quite what I was aiming for due to it being the lightest outfit on board, but it was rigged with the Squidgies Prawn Wriggler (Cracked Pepper) and that’s all that I was focussed on.
When we’re fishing the harbour or the shallows, the Prawn Wriggler is the closest imitation to the local prawns and is my natural choice every time. It’s proven itself time and again, as every type of shallow water predator is fooled by its prawn looks and realistic swimming action. They can’t resist chasing the seductive wiggle of its tail, its irresistible swimming action results in a decent bite that ensures a sound hook up. The hardest part is grabbing the rod before either of the boys.
This particular day, I had a fleeting thought that I’d wished I’d chosen a different outfit, because whatever had snaffled my Squidgies was by no means a light weight. Racing straight for the safety of the deep water, the boys were shouting encouragement like ‘she’s gonna lose it!’ even though they were excitedly chasing my line down with the boat. Within a blink of an eye, my line shot back towards the banks to where the water was too shallow for the boat to follow.
We quickly realised it was a serious fish and even our early calls of a harbour jewfish were dismissed when, with a flash of yellow, there was no denying that we had ourselves a decent sized river kingfish. Whilst the boys hooted with excitement, I chewed my bottom lip and cupped the Stradic gently, knowing I could lose this guy at any moment and as disappointing as that would be, I couldn’t bear the idea of being stuck on the boat with the boys gloating about my one that got away. After a few more tense moments, we had the kingy boatside and after a quick pic we released it on its way to fight another day and grow to its fuller potential.
Once again, the Squidgy had proven itself as the irresistible choice for all discerning river predators and saved me from having to put up with one of the boys hooking up before me.
Why are Squidgies first choice when fishing the harbour?
If the baits showing up down deep on the sounder, you want to get your bait down there as fast as possible. The jig head ensures quick results putting you in the zone in good time.
What then?
Squidgies work their magic, presenting like the jelly prawns that excite all the predators worthy of a hookup, the jelly-like body allows the angler to twitch the lure to imitate the dance of an escaping prawn. A dance too enticing for a hungry fish to pass up.
Standing the test of time
Not only do the Squidgies perform on the day they’re attached, but ours stay rigged and ready for the next adventure, and other than a pesky tailor annihilating any lure, they can be used time and time again, without need for goo or re-rigging, meaning they’re literally at the ready for you to react to any boil.