1st time at Mud

[NArmstrong]

hey guys. looking to try my luck at fishing at mud. never fished saltwater off a boat before. recently bought a 15ft 70 Johnson half cab. really looking for some suggestions/tips on fishing for snapper. i have a shimano TLD25 (40lb braid) and a baitcaster (100lb braid) plus two lighter rods (20lb braid). was thinking about putting a balloon out behind the boat with the baitcaster, and fishing a padonoster rig with the TLD25 for snapper while the missus uses the lighter lines for smaller fish. am i on the right path or can u make any imporvements? thanks.

[Jeremy]

Sorry, you are way off the mark for Mud Island. The gear you have sounds right for Caloundra Wide!

My advice is to use the lightest line you can with the lightest sinker and freshest baits you can get. You have to hook the fish before worrying about landing them! Mud is heavily fished and will be a carpark on Good Friday. There are still some good fish there, but they ain't easy to catch. Fish it when it is the Quietest - night time or very early morning.

A good starting point is the drop off near the NE cardinal mark. Good luck!

[NArmstrong]

hmmm.... thats terrible news for me. when u say caloundra wide, i am only a beginner boater. would it be too advanced for me? where would u launch from and how far out is the fishing grounds? thanks for the help

[rosco1974]

mate stick to mud or behind green till u get a bit of boating experence.is a whole new ball game once you venture off morton or straddie..
cheers rosco

[Horse]

I normally use a 2-4kg spinning rod with 8-10lb braid and a 10-16lb leader. I fish plastics but if you fish bait go up a little in line class and either fish with a long trace or a small sinker and float your baits down

[marty+jojo]

sounds like a boat a mate of mine just sold. did you buy it from redcliffe?
Marty

[NArmstrong]

thanks guys. horse, can you recommend any plastics to me? i enjoy using squidgies. what kind of sinker do you use?

[Jeremy]

Do a quick search mate, there are hundreds of threads on here on recommendations of plastics and how to fish them at Mud.

[Scalem]

How is it that fishing always starts at the heavy end of tackle and line class and works down from there::) . Horse has the right mix, i would even go that line class for mud irrespective of whether you fish bait, plastics, mono or braid. Snapper are very sensitive to noise and thick line they can see in shallow water. Start at 2kg line and work from there. You'll get a lot more bites and have fun trying, but you will be amazed what you can pull in with even that line class if you have good drag and the right gear, paying close attention to tying good knots and making sure your leader is always in good condition, after every retrieve.

Scalem

[Horse]

Mate, the best starter plastics for areas like Mud are the Gulp Series. Grab some 3" or 4" grub styles in Punkinseed and away you go. A 3/0 hook and a 1/4oz head works well in 30' or so. You can go lighter or heavier depending on the conditions. Drift the reef edges and dont work the lures too much. If there is any chop at all a deadsticked offering in a rod holder can work very well

[mitchdemeanor]

Just to put in my 10 cents, had some success on punk prawn minnow style gulps too around mud. Not the saltwater variety but hey it's only writing on a packet ::)