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Perfect weather and metal jig a match made in fishing heaven for Warrenup’s Holdsworth

Scott CoghlanThe West Australian
Mitchell Holdsworth with a south coast eight-bar cod.
Camera IconMitchell Holdsworth with a south coast eight-bar cod. Credit: Supplied

Although he doesn’t own his own boat, Warrenup’s Mitchell Holdsworth is a keen offshore angler who loves getting out into the deep blue to catch some quality bottom fish.

Regarded by his mates as a great and reliable crew member, a perfect weather forecast saw him invited out again on a friend’s 6.5m Bar Crusher on a lovely south coast summer’s day.

Up early for a 5am departure, he and his mate headed out from Albany and the pair ended up fishing in 150m of water.

Although he’s caught plenty of south coast demersal fish before, on this particular day his plan was to catch his first-ever fish on a metal jig.

As a result, Holdsworth was fishing with a 260g Ocean’s Legacy jig, on a Shimano spin combo spooled with 36kg braid.

The fishing was good on that day and they caught a mix of pink snapper, red snapper, breaksea cod and samson fish.

The highlight for Holdsworth though was ticking off his first fish on jig.

He pulled up an eight-bar, or grey-banded, cod that weighed about 6kg and while not a monster fish, it looked fantastic and tasted even better, as well as serving as his first success on jig.

Having done that, Holdsworth now plans to do more jigging in the future.

For his fantastic catch, he has also won a $50 Halco lure pack.

LURING THEM IN

The new ZMan 2.5-inch ST GrubZ takes the popular GrubZ profile to the next level, with enhanced features that create the ultimate curl tail presentation for species like bream and whiting.

The short and stocky body is heavily ribbed to create natural micro vibrations and a softer, more natural feel, while also retaining scent more effectively so that the fish locate the lure easier, eat it more aggressively and hang on longer, allowing for more positive hooksets.

ZMan new ST GrubZ will be popular with bream anglers.
Camera IconZMan new ST GrubZ will be popular with bream anglers. Credit: Supplied

The long, curly tail features a split tail design that creates an irresistible soft fluttering action, that works effectively on the drop, at very slow speeds and even when rigged on ultralight jigheads.

These features combine to create a curl tail that will excel in all fishing scenarios, as these new finesse features will maximise your chances of getting them to bite.

The ZMan 2.5-inch GrubZ has been a dominant force in both the tournament and social fishing scenes, with this ST (Split Tail) version sure to take its place alongside this legendary presentation.

Available now in 12 popular ZMan single and laminate colours, with eight tails per pack.

METRO

FADs: Southern bluefin, striped tuna.

Rottnest Island offshore: Pink snapper, samson fish, dhufish, breaksea cod.

Mindarie offshore: Dhufish, pink snapper, skipjack.

East Fremantle: Tailor, squid, herring.

Bicton: Bream, tailor, flathead.

Claremont: Flathead.

Nedlands: Tailor.

City Beach: Tailor, herring, skipjack, whiting.

Cottesloe: Herring.

Mandurah offshore: Dhufish, samson fish, baldchin groper.

Murray River: Black bream, tailor

Peel-Harvey Inlet: Black bream, yellowfin whiting, tailor

ALBANY

Kalgan: Black bream, mulloway.

King: Black bream.

Offshore: Dhufish, pink snapper, samson fish, harlequin fish.

Taylor Inlet: Bream.

JURIEN BAY

Jetty: Tailor, Squid.

Wire Reef: Pink snapper, samson fish.

Seaward Ledge: Pink snapper, baldchin groper.

Island Point: Whiting.

Hill River: Bream, Whiting.

Offshore: Breaksea cod, dhufish, pink snaper, samson fish, striped tuna.

SHARK BAY

Denham Jetty: Squid.

Offshore: Spanish mackerel, shark mackerel.

Dirk Hartog: Coral trout, wahoo, spanish mackerel.

EXMOUTH

Ningaloo offshore: Marlin, sialfish, mahi mahi, wahoo.

Ningaloo shore: Golden trevally, spangled emperor.

Gulf: Queenfish, Giant herring, coral trout, bluebone.

Muiron Islands: Spangled emperor, queenfish, bluebone, coral trout, golden trevally.

Bay of Rest: Golden trevally.

Marina: Mangrove jack, coral trout.

Learmonth: Yellowfin bream, mangrove jack.

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