lures for Saumarez and fredericks Reef

[Mark Harris]

Chris, personally I tend to use pencils when the water conditions dictate, and that drives it rather than the type of terrain. Anytime there is chop in the water, then I tend to reach for a long, skipping type pencil.

The other time would be when there are lots of fleeing Long Toms around. I find it hard to get the lure to work properly in calm water though.

As for technique - nothing very clever. Stick the rod in your belt with quite a high angle and use a steady retrieve (does not need to be too fast) with a gentle up-twitch. The speed of retrieve and the twitch need to be just enough to get the lure skipping authentically.

With lures which are dual purpose popping pencil types (eg SS Trumpet, Heru Skipjack), then you can mix up the skipping retrieve with some gentle pops as well.

One other note - in my experience and that of others I have spoken to, the speed and ferocity of a GT taking a pencil is incredibly spectacular. Really fast and aggressive.

[Dean Gold]

Thanks Mark, I had in my mind that pencils were only for dead calm conditions and that you crank them as fast as you can.

[Mark Harris]

Some might use them in such conditions Dean. Personally I would not as it is the chop in the water that creates the action of the lure.

In my opinion, in glassy calm conditions you would be much better off reaching for a floating stickbait.

[Aaron Concord]

Some of Damon Olsen's first really big dogtooth taken on stick baits were from the seamount to the south of Frederick Reef.
The larger of the doggies was certainly 85+kg and probably closer to 100.
It was caught on relatively light GT gear due to a fair bit of luck.
The seamount comes out of 2000m and is around 50m on top.
I am led to believe from Damon's retelling that it was an almost spool job as the doggie plunged down the side of the mount and it ran out of puff.........sometimes you can be lucky!
It's not a bad place to drop a jig either, for obvious reasons!

The other areas of Fredrick and Saumaurez reefs have on offer the same types of pelagics as the other offshore reefs I have been to out there.

I'd say take a few more sinking stick baits as the water out there is ridiculously clear and stick baits work better in really clear water.
They are handy as a trolling lure too............nothing and I mean nothing will swim past a trolled stick bait!
As for your other lures, that's a nice spread, bar the mentioned lack of pencils.