Targeting Tricky Toga

by Luke Galea

There could be no arguing that Saratoga would be one of the most spectacular looking freshwater fish there are. Their appearance verges on prehistoric and to be honest, they would not look out of place swimming around with the dinosaurs. Every scale is marked with unique red/brown spots like an Albert Nemertjira painting, their mouth is full of long sharp teeth and their pectoral fins are fire orange in colouration.

I have lived in Mackay for the past 7 years, but it has only been since very recently that I have spent some time targeting these fish specifically. They were never really on my radar but since hooking a cracker specimen unexpectedly whilst chasing sooty grunter, I soon made targeting them a priority. The main reason for this (in addition to their awesome appearance) is their absolutely explosive surface strike. They hit a surface lure with such force and aggression that the water displacement is nearly enough to drown you in the process.

Now I will be straight up with you. I have only caught a handful of these fish so far, so I am not claiming to be an “overnight expert” on Saratoga, but what I would like to share if I may, a few tips that I have picked up so far that have worked for me and hopefully may work for you too.

First things first, give yourself the best chance to get a Toga by getting to the location early in the morning and trying topwater methods. Stickbaits like the Atomic K9 Bulldog and Megabass Dog-X / Dog-X Jnr are popular options but little poppers and even frog and lizard imitations will work well too. Even the Megabass Athrax which runs a mere 10cm below the surface would be a great toga option. Toga are built for surface feeding. They have a large eye and upturned mouth which is built for slurping prey off the surface. Throughout the heat of the day (like most freshwater fish) they will head to deeper water, so little diving minnows like the Atomic Shiner will work well when the sun is up. They will then become active on the surface throughout the late afternoon bite as well when the sun loses its intensity and the waterhole becomes shaded again.

Whilst on the point of shade, make sure you aim your cast to areas of the waterhole that are shaded – ie, below overhanging vegetation. Saratoga will hang out in this shade underneath overhanging trees, laying in ambush waiting for insects or small lizards to fall into the water. The closer you can get your lure to the structure, the better. If you are more than 30cm away, well you may as well be 3m away. Kayaking a section of stream is ideal as it will allow you to paddle right up the middle and cast at the shaded structure on the edges. Make sure you are stealthy in your approach! They have excellent eye site and do spook very easily. You can cast for them off the bank as well but the same applies. Be stealthy, don’t wear bright clothes and make sure you obtain the property owners permission if you are walking a river bank situated on private property.

Despite their feisty, dragon-like appearance, Saratoga aren’t the greatest fighters. When it comes to fighting ability, they remind me a lot of a large flathead whereby they will have a couple of short, fast runs but then will come in like a bit of a “dead-weight”. That being said, I like to use my 6-12lb Samurai Reaction 302 Bluewater for my Toga rod. You could definitely get away with using a slightly lighter rod specifically for Toga but I choose to use this rod as I do get a lot of large sooty grunter as by-catch and I need a slightly beefier rod for them. My Samurai has a tip which allows me to get my stickbait working wonderfully. I also use 10lb braid and 14lb Unitika leader for them. You could get away with 6lb or 8lb braid, but I have also heard many people use leaders up to 20lb for them as well due to their very sharp, aggressive teeth.

Also, be prepared to hook much more than you actually land….ie. don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t convert all your strikes. Saratoga have a very boney mouth full of teeth and it is actually very difficult for your hooks to find a bit of flesh to lodge themselves into. For this reason, many people I know will run a stinger hook that trails back a bit further in a bid to try and hook the bit of flesh found just beyond the jaw area. You will need to ensure your hooks (trebles or singles) are razor sharp. Also, thinner gauged hooks will have a better penetration rate.

I hope these few tips may be beneficial when you take the time to target tricky toga. As I said, I’m no expert on these fish, but I just wanted to share what I have picked up personally so far. Everyone has to catch one of these fish at one point in their lives. When you do catch one, I will guarantee that you will sit back for a few seconds and just look in awe at the beauty of these awesome fish.

Live It….Breathe It…

Luke

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