Deep Dropping
Targeting premium table fish including blue-eye trevalla, nannygai and hapuku in deep water from 150 to 600 metres using electric reels and heavy bottom rigs over offshore reefs and ledges. This style of fishing is particularly productive along the east and south coasts of Australia and produces some of the finest eating fish available.
Target Species
Fishing Locations
- • South Bruny Offshore Reefs
- • Eden Offshore Canyon
- • Kaikōura Canyon Edge
- • Outer Sounds Reefs
- • Tasman Peninsula Reefs
- • The Rip (Port Phillip Heads)
- • Portland Blue-Eye Reef
- • Doubtful Sound
- • Milford Sound
- • Hell's Gates
- • Outer Prom Reefs
Fishing Tips
- 1
Point your rod tip straight down while drifting — maintaining near-vertical line angle is critical so you can feel bites through 200–400 m of line with a spool full of braid.
- 2
Rig multiple circle hooks (5/0–8/0) on a multi-dropper rig with chemical glow sticks — deep species rely on low-light attractants far more than colour at depth.
- 3
An electric reel makes the 400 m+ wind-backs manageable; manually cranking a heavy multi-hook rig with multiple fish attached is exhausting and damages the fish.
- 4
Blue-eye trevalla and hapuku live close to hard bottom structure at 200–500 m — use the sounder to mark the precise depth where the reef kicks up and sit just above it.
- 5
Use large squid or octopus baits in preference to fish fillets — they stay on the hook better in strong deep-water currents and are harder for small nuisance fish to strip.
Gear Setup
Blue-eye Trevalla
- Rod
- PE4–6, 5.8–6.5ft parabolic slow-pitch rod (Shimano Ocea BB, Daiwa Slow-Pitch)
- Reel
- Slow-pitch overhead (Shimano Ocea Jigger 2000PG) or electric for 200m+ (Daiwa Tanacom 750)
- Main Line
- PE4–6 (50–65lb thin-diameter braid for depth)
- Leader
- 80–130lb fluorocarbon, 1.5–2m
- Lures / Terminal
- Slow-pitch jigs 200–500g (Shimano Butterfly Flat Fall, Yamashita), deep jigging 150–300m
- Drag Setting
- 8–12kg
Southern continental shelf; VIC and TAS offshore reefs in 150–500m
Nannygai
- Rod
- PE3–5, 6–7ft overhead or slow-pitch rod
- Reel
- 20–30 class overhead or electric (Shimano Electric, TLD 20/30)
- Main Line
- PE3–5 (40–60lb braid)
- Leader
- 50–80lb monofilament
- Lures / Terminal
- Pilchards, squid, soft plastics 4–6 inch in deep water (60–200m); slow-pitch jigs 100–250g
- Hooks
- 4/0–8/0 on paternoster rig, snoods 30–40cm
- Drag Setting
- 6–10kg