Fishing a prawn lure along a flooding mangrove edge

I don’t always need to race a prawn lure back to the boat. In this session, I want my Mintoss Skip Prawn working beside the mangrove clump.

Follow the water onto the edge

I start this session on an incoming tide, with a plan to fish ground that was exposed earlier. As water reaches the flat, the available feeding area changes. I follow that edge rather than treating the whole creek as one target.

I also talk about warmed shallow ground during this cool-weather session. That is the context for this outing, rather than a claim that every flooding flat will be warmer or productive.

Get the prawn sitting straight

I use an EWG presentation. I check the hook’s exit point and adjust the body when it sits too far back. It is a small correction that is worth making before a cast into tight cover.

Rigging is part of presentation. If the body is twisted, take a moment to reset it in clear water rather than discovering the problem halfway through a shaded pocket.

Put the lure beside the cover

I keep targeting shaded openings and mangrove clumps. I cast into the available gaps, then let the prawn sink beside the structure. One early fish takes during the sink, showing why a short pause can be part of the retrieve.

Think about the landing point and the first part of the sink before you cast. A lure a little closer to the useful edge can be a better presentation than a longer cast into open water.

Use small movements, then let it settle

I add little movements to get attention while working the shadows. That gives you a simple sequence to practise: cast, allow the lure to settle, add a small movement and stay ready as it sinks again.

Keep the line under enough control to notice a change. Avoid adding so much movement that the lure immediately leaves the cover you were trying to fish.

Work a repeatable stretch

Once you find the combination of water, shade and accessible cover, look for similar pockets along the same edge. Continue checking the rig and line after contact with roots and timber.

What I want you to take from this session is how I place and work the lure. Use the video to see the pace of the retrieve and how close the casts land to the mangroves.

Watch the demonstration

Sources

• Drew M — Fishing Stretchy Prawn Lure — 00:00–05:38: incoming water, EWG rig and presentations beside shaded mangrove clumps

Mintoss lure in focus: The Mintoss Skip Prawn is a buoyant soft plastic prawn imitation designed for skip casting and a range of retrieves. It comes in 2.5-inch, 4-inch and 5-inch sizes, with jighead or weedless rigging options to suit the presentation.