How to Fish with Metal Slugs for Pelagic Species

Etched into my brain are memories of aggressive fish species racing down rapidly retrieved metal slugs and exploding on them. I can almost feel the jolt as the hook finds its mark, my arms are pulled away from their sockets, and a flash of silver heads deep with the drag streaming or goes cartwheeling across the surface. Spinning metal slugs is adrenaline filled, addictive, and an effective way of targeting a wide variety of species.

Metal slugs are designed to imitate fleeing baitfish, firing up the natural predatory instincts of many species. They are inexpensive, effective and they come in a range of weights and sizes to ‘match the hatch’; that is mimic the baitfish that they are feeding on, while also matching the target species and environment that you are fishing. Being made of metal, slugs cast long and sink relatively quickly, in turn needing to be wound quickly to keep them in the strike zone, in turn narrowing the species that they are most effective on.

Target Species

Target species that respond well to slugs include many of those pelagic speedsters that you see ‘busting up’ (breaking the surface), as they harass bait schools and force them to the surface. Species such as tailor, salmon, mackerel, tuna, trevally, queenfish, bonito, kingfish, swallowtail dart… and the list goes on. You may also find other species getting in on the act as you allow the metal slug to sink, pause it, or fish a slower retrieve, and I have heard of bonefish, flathead, snapper, mulloway and more eating these baitfish imitations. Let’s not get distracted though… rather we focus on some of these key species and the environments where we will locate them.

Where?

Metal slugs can catch fish in most areas, however there are some key signs that can help you make the decision to tie one on and start spinning. I often refer to the B’s when spinning slugs and these include birds, bait, bust ups, and breaking waves. Bait attracts fish, and birds will often be the guide to where the bait is holding. The old saying is that the birds will hold approximately the same distance above the water as the fish are below the water. As the bait reaches the surface, the birds also hit the surface to eat the bait, and amongst it you may also see fish breaking the surface. Over time you will start to work out the fish species by the amount of water being moved and the size and shape of the splashes created by the feeding fish. Some fish may make this guesswork easier as they launch completely out of the water while feeding.

A few favourite locations to spin slugs include surf beaches, headlands, rocky outcrops and current lines, however these target species can pop up anywhere around our coastlines, and when they do, a metal slug is a great way for land-based anglers to access them with long casts. Breaking waves will often aerate the water, stir up food, disorientate the bait, and create cover for predatory species. In all these locations and those broken down further below, remember to keep an eye out for birds, bait and bust ups.

Surf Beaches – Most of the aforementioned species can be caught along surf beaches in different parts of the country and a few of my favourites include dart, tailor and trevally. Key areas to focus on include sections of the beach where the flow is disrupted, such as points and inlets, coffee rock and rubble, breaks in the outer bank that allow bait and fish to move in and out of gutters, and deeper surf gutters with foamy water that offers cover to hunting fish. Schools of fish and bait can often be spotted with polarised sunnies, recognised as darker and discoloured patches in the water.

Rock Walls – As with beaches it’s often sections that create current breaks that will attract the fish. The ends of rock walls, sections that jut out, and where the tidal push directly impacts the wall are key target areas. Eddies behind structure will often hold bait and attract fish, but don’t forget the pressure points where water flow directly impacts the structure as this too can create current breaks where fish can hold and ambush disorientated bait. Again, keep an eye out for the bait, birds and bust ups.

Reef & Rubble Patches – These areas attract bait and so in turn can attract predatory species. Key areas are again the pressure point where the current impacts the structure and the eddies that are created on the down current side. Bait will often congregate and can appear as ‘nervous water’, almost shimmering on the surface, or flicking on the surface. This is a great starting point, and you can start with a high-speed retrieve over the top of the rubble, before allowing the lure to fall a little deeper with each cast. Varying the retrieve can allow you to ‘crack a pattern’, in terms of what the fish respond to, while also triggering responses from a mixed bag of species.

Beacons – Shipping channel beacons provide structure from the surface of the water to the sea floor, which as you can imagine will create significant pressure points and eddies. These will produce a mix of pelagic species and are a favourite for mackerel. Fish may hold tight to the beacon, and fifty metres or more up and down current from the physical structure.

Metal slugs are perfect for targeting these fish as you can cast past the beacon and bring them back with the flow, or cast up and across the drift, allow the slug to reach the desired depth and then crank it back at speed. Again, you can mix up the retrieves until you find what the fish want, and if the fish are holding tight to the bottom you may want to wind the slug halfway to the surface, then stop, free spool it back to the bottom and repeat. This will ensure that you spend more time fishing productive water.

Open Water – Pelagic species can pop up almost anywhere, and having a slug rigged on one rod, or a few in your kit, can allow you to quickly make the most of random bust ups, and other signs of feeding pelagic species, such as sprays of baitfish out of the water and those birds holding low and looking especially interested in terms of what’s happening in the water. Schools feeding in open water can disappear as quickly as they appear, so get a lure in there!

When approaching these schools, the sound of the motor and boat can often cause them to go down, popping up again a hundred metres away, and creating a frustrating game of cat and mouse. Predatory species will often herd bait into the wind or tide, allowing them to ball them up before feeding. We can use this to our advantage by steering clear of feeding fish, positioning the boat upwind or up current of the feeding school and allowing the fish to move toward us, as we move toward them at the same time, effectively intercepting them on their path of travel.

Slug Types

There are various slug shapes, sizes and colours and TT have you covered for most applications with the HardCore+ and Swaybait metals.

The HardCore+ is compact for its weight, sinks quickly, casts like a bullet, and has an erratic action on a fast retrieve. It is ideal when distance is a key consideration, or hitting the depths, especially in heavy flow. It is a favourite for high-speed spinning for species such as mackerel and tuna, spinning the beacons where a fast descent can be required, and long casting from the beach and rocks.

The Swaybait has more shape, which in turn creates more action, slowing the sink and allowing a slower retrieve to stay higher in the water column. If the fish are finicky, this is your go-to. It’s also excellent for those getting into spinning as it can be skipped on the surface at a slower retrieve, retrieved sub-surface with a steady retrieve, and the additional action appeals to many species, including tailor, salmon and trevally.

Unlike thinner and flatter spoons that are difficult to cast, Swaybait is balanced to achieve a long cast, while still possessing more fish attracting action. Additional built-in action in the Swaybait also makes it a popular option for trolling for pelagic species and for vertically jigging a wide variety of species, from pelagic species to reefies and more.

Retrieves

Like soft plastics fishing, it’s worth mixing up your retrieve until you gauge the mood of the fish and even changing the retrieve throughout the session to reignite the bite or fire up other species.

The standard retrieve when fishing metal lures is a flat out burn (fast wind)… you will not outwind most of these species and I have had queenfish jumping out of the water behind a lure, after racing up to it and wanting to have a bit more of a closer look. A reel with a faster retrieve speed, or a slightly larger reel, can assist with speed and minimise fatigue over longer periods. Keeping the reel close to your body and winding with your wrist, rather than your arm, can also be beneficial in terms of speed and fatigue.

If the fish are following and not eating, or remain unresponsive, it’s time to mix things up. A ‘burn and kill’ can be effective, varying the speed and duration of the burn (wind), along with the duration of the kill (pause), until you fire up the bites. Fish will often follow on the burn and then brutal strikes come on the pause, or just as you recommence the burn.

A burn and jig can also fire up the bite. This can either be a few rips of the rod tip while winding, or a few rips on the pause, or a mix of both. This can create the illusion of an injured or dying baitfish, and again, it’s all about mixing up the speed and aggressiveness of the retrieve, to try and crack a pattern. It can sometimes take some retrieve changes to get the bite; however, it’s well worth the effort, and remember, a retrieve change can also be used to reignite a bite that has slowed or shut down. 

Additional Tips

If you’re fishing with other anglers, it’s worth throwing different slugs (style, size or colour) and mixing up retrieves until you crack a pattern. It can be mayhem once you have dialled in a presentation and retrieve, with multiple anglers hooked up simultaneously.

Trebles can be switched out for jigging singles if you prefer, for solid hook sets and ease of release, also with the option to squeeze barbs down for quick and easy unhooking. In saying that, most metal lures come fitted with trebles as they offer more hook points and are a great starting point for those getting into slug spinning.

Downsizing your profile may see you upsizing your catch, and it is amazing how often mackerel, tuna and other species are zoned in on tiny bait. Switching to that little 10g slug has been a winner for us on many occasions, from spinning beacons to rock walls, surf gutters and current lines. As the saying goes, big fish eat big lures, but all fish will eat a small lure, so downsizing can make your session more productive, while also landing trophy fish.

Spinning metal slugs is an affordable, exciting and effective technique for targeting many species, and I always have a handful in my kit to suit my fishing adventure. Strikes can be brutal, battles epic, and you can have some light tackle fun flicking 10 and 20g slugs or tie a 40 or 60g on the heavier gear and target bluewater beasts. Your metal slug spinning adventure starts now. Fish on!

See you on the water…
Justin Willmer