Spring Estuary Fishing with the Bait Junkie Herring

By Abz Meshlawi

Spring is one of my favourite times of year to fish our estuaries. As the weather starts to warm up and we move away from the colder winter months, I start thinking about species like larger flathead and mulloway, and that usually means increasing the size of some of the lures in my tackle box.

This is also where I think having a good medium sized paddle tail becomes important.The newly released Bait Junkie 4” and 5” Herring fits perfectly into that category. It gives you a larger baitfish profile without going so big that you’re limiting the number of fish willing to eat it.

Paddle tails have always been a staple in my estuary fishing because of how versatile they are. You can slow roll them along the bottom, hop them like a traditional soft plastic, work them through the water column, or simply cast them out and use a steady retrieve. That makes them particularly useful when you’re covering water and trying to find active fish.

For spring flathead, the 4” and 5” sizes are right in the zone for me. Larger flathead are more than capable of eating a decent sized baitfish, and fishing a bigger profile is one way of presenting them with a more substantial meal. I’d be looking at working the Herring around drop offs, channel edges, weed beds and areas where bait is holding.

Mulloway are another species where I can see the Herring getting plenty of use. When mulloway are feeding on baitfish through our estuary systems, having a realistic paddle tail that can be worked close to the bottom or through deeper water gives you a simple presentation that closely resembles what they’re already looking for. 

The Herring itself has a realistic baitfish profile with a detailed scale finish and large 3D eyes. There’s also a good selection of colours, giving you the ability to choose something natural in cleaner water or a colour with more presence when visibility isn't as good.

Like the rest of the Bait Junkie range, the Herring is made from Elastomax and infused with Amino x. The material is durable and holds added scent well, which is something I regularly take advantage of throughout a session. 

Another thing I like is the ability to change how you rig it depending on where you’re fishing. A traditional jighead is going to cover most open-water situations, while an EWG hook gives you the option of rigging it weedless when fishing around weed, timber or other structure.

For me, spring is a great time to start experimenting with slightly larger lure profiles. You don't always need to completely change the way you fish. Sometimes it can be as simple as increasing the size of a presentation you already have confidence in.

With the new Bait Junkie Herring available in both 4” and 5”, I think it gives estuary anglers a useful paddle tail for doing exactly that, particularly when larger flathead and mulloway are on the target list.