Inshore vs Offshore Fishing

There is a lot of decision making when you are off on a big fishing mission such as when to fish offshore vs when to fish inshore.

Inshore can be zero to 15 meters and Offshore can be from 15 meters to 80 meters plus, dependent on the size of your boat and conditions.

There are many different things that you need to factor in when making this decision such as weather and tide conditions, for me the inshore is definitely tide dependent the fish love to sit and wait for something to come past or drift past them settling in for a burly trail is a good option.

Options:

Inshore

You tend to have a lot more reef structures to investigate i.e the wind and tide can be found running the same direction in many areas, and is perfect for stay lining.

It doesn't matter if the weather picks up as there are more places to hide.

The tackle you use in general is a lot lighter.

Small soft bait lures and jigs can definitely be used as long as the weight to depth ratio is taken into account but everyone has their own style and favorite soft baits they use, I prefer catch soft baits.

Offshore

Deeper reefs can have bigger fish due to less pressure from boats.

The tackle you use is in general a lot stronger, braid preferred over nylon.

The currents can be tricky to work with sometimes due to shifting wind and tide.

The main tackle I like to use out deep is jigs, kaberra's slider's and any of the large array of lures available.

Buddying up with another boat is always a good option out deep in case you have mechanical issues.

A drogue is a must to slow your drift and then you can spend more time fishing over reefs.

Main factors contributing to where you fish are:

1.Weather

2. Tide flow

3. Moon phase

4. Type of structure i.e mud/sand/rock/reef/ledges/whitewash