Deep estuary jigging by Jason Scerri

Cold mornings leading into cold days and back into cold nights, topped off with cold water and the poor old fisho can be excused for not wanting to get out of bed.

But winter can certainly can be a very rewarding time on our estuaries and look at the positives - you won't be getting heatstroke or sunburn!

A lot of guys like to go at it hard over the warmer months, then basically fall into hibernation over the winter but if you do brave the cold, put in the effort and give it a real go the results can be outstanding. There are some quality fish on offer in our lakes and rivers during the winter.

For a few keen fishing buddies, and me from May and August we'll be hunting the deeper sections of our estuaries for flathead and jewfish on lures.

This time of year for us is all about deep jigging and here comes a step-by-step on how, where and when to get the most out of this style of fishing and so you can get out there and give it a go yourselves.

LEARNING CURVE

As with all styles of fishing it's the learning period which is the hardest and if results don't come thick and fast, this is often when a lot of fishos give the new style the flick and put it in the too-hard basket.

However, there are those who love the challenge and the success when it finally all starts to come together.

I was fortunate to have become friends with a very good local angler who has been more than generous in helping me find a fish or two over the past couple of years.

With luck this article can shorten that learning curve get you into the fish sooner so you too will have no trouble getting out of bed on the next chilly morning, because you will know what you're in for once you're out there jigging away.

I'm lucky to have some great fishing on my doorstep on the Central Coast but this style of fishing and the methods we use can be employed with just as much success anywhere up and down the NSW coast.

WHERE, HOW

I mainly fish Lake Macquarie. It is not overly deep and most of our jigging is done in 20-30ft of water.

The aim is not just to find that deeper water, it is to find deeper water in the right places.

Areas I look for include deeper sections off points in the lake or an area that gets good current flow and food pushing through, or deep holes.

It's not so much the depth that is important but the location and the variation in depth that can produce a concentration of baitfish and the predatory flathead and jewfish.

Any additional structures in these areas are a bonus and well worth trying. Things such as wrecks, artificial or natural reefs are all great places and these areas should never be overlooked.

The most important aspect of this style of fishing is one that I know you will have heard before but it is critically important: Your lure must be in regular contact with the bottom, and that is the reason we opt for quite heavy jigs.

It is this constant contact and disturbance when the jigs bounce off the seabed that triggers the fish into hitting your lures.

The technique is very simple. Drop your lure until you know you are on the bottom. It is then simply a matter of working the drift to cover your chosen area.

Jig the rod up sharply, then let it rest on the bottom for 5-10 seconds before repeating the steps.

We often find that a little variety such as a sharp double twitch on your lift can sometimes entice a bite that otherwise may not have come about.

GO EASY

Generally with the tackle and techniques I've suggested, the fish at the larger end of the scale. We find most of our flathead are 50-70cm and quite a few are 70cm and larger.

We choose to let the big breeding girls go and there are usually a few 50cm fish to take home for a nice feed of fresh fillets.

Over the past few seasons we have seen that there are also some fantastic jewfish to be encountered when fishing this method and jewies to 20kg are not uncommon. We stumble upon more than a few 4kg-10kg jew which certainly make for an enjoyable session and one well worth getting out there for.

So no more excuses for lying around in front of the heater - load up the boat, rig up the jigs and get into a whole lot of fun jigging down deep.