Stupid question

[quigley595]

I know its a stupid question.. .... but here goes anyway.

If you are fishing on a reef...... do you anchor so that the boat is sitting just down current of the reef, or do you sit right over it?

And if you are sitting on the down current side... is burleying still productive, since it will be swept away from the reef, where hopefully the fish are holding?

[ifishcq1]

We have a rule here that there is only stupid answers

Quigley
it all depends on each situation and the type of structure each species may have a favoured depth or feature

one spot we fish for grunter it is better to hang off the edge and fish the current trench on the lee side at the point where the current converges again

our best spanish spot you anchor where the current hits the reef and leaves a foam trail as the reef drops away (but we normally troll)

sweeties range on top at times where you also get hussar and stripeys then down the slopes where you get trout, cod and stuff like that

the red fishes and jobbies like the rubble type reeefy patches away from the main reef

cobia and trevally usually love pinnacles and fast currents so there are no real right or wrong depending on all the variables including tide, barometric pressure etc and once you have it all worked out something happens and things change

Cheers
SL

[Pete62]

Mate, no stupid questions here, this is how we learn. IMO u are best off anchoring up current, this allows your baits(gather u r talking about bait fishing) and burley to drift back onto the reef( distance up current is determined by the current itself, more current further up). I try not to anchor directly over the reef(bearing in mind i usually fish quite shallow reef) as this can spook fish. The alternative is to do a couple of drifts over the reef to hopefully locate where the fish are holding, they may well be sitting just off the reef when not actively feeding. Even on deeper reefs noise can be an issue so keep the banging and crashing down to a minimum especially with the anchor chain.
Hope this helps, good luck, Pete.

[fish-n-dive]

Mate, as has been said above, we all learn by asking questions.

Rather than anchoring up, is drifting the mark an option?

[TunaKing2008]

Really Depends On The Reef I Like To Anchor Up Next To The Reef To Often Have I Hooked A Good Fish When Drifting Back Onto A Reef And Had It Bust Me Off On The First Run. Caught Just As Many Fish Sitting Right Next To It. Other Option As Mentioned Before Ywould Be To Drift Over With Your Bait Sitting A Metre Or Two Off The Bottom

[quigley595]

Thanks a lot for all your replies folks.
I dont do too much reef fishing at the moment, but looking to do more.

Your replies have helped a lot.

Cheers to all....
Mike

[Freeeedom]

I also usually fish the shallow reefs inside the bay. I like to anchor upcurrent from the reef and just off to one side so that my berley trail passes along the side of the reef. When I first anchor up I throw a fair bit of berley out wide on both side of the boat to start a broad trail moving down current to let all the fish know there's a free feed available. I then let the berley bucket produce it's narrower trail which hopefully brings them all in behind the boat. Fishing slightly off to the side means that you draw the fish away from the reef and do less gear than you do when fishing right on top of the rocks.
Cheers Freeeedom

[Fishbait]

We always do a drift first then you'll know the current direction etc before anchoring up. We usually anchor just off the pinnacle or reef then have our lines go back towards it in a burley trail - works for me but each and everyone to their own techniques I guess. Good luck. Cheers, Darren.

[MarkLong]

Good question mate..... i do a lot of drifting for snapper on the goldy. I usually find i get most hits after drifting off the riff onto gravel.

[nigelr]

This is an excellent question, Quigley.
I'd say the answer is one of the most difficult in the whole fishing equation, best learned by trial and error, with a different approach for spot, conditions and target species. Some fantastic advice has been given above, IMHO.
Cheers and enjoy!