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Rallas
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Registered: 02-2005
Location: Gold Coast, QLD
Posts: 22
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Soft Plastics?
Hey Guys,
I'm interested to hear everyone's comments and experiences with soft plastic baits.
Safe to say fishing SP's is a more active and exciting way to fish than some other methods, but how effective do you think they are compared to live baits, hard bodied lures etc etc.
What do you guys reckon, are they effective enough for the money?
- Dallas
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Dallas
Gold Coast - QLD
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WS Tarpon 120
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23/Mar/2005, 2:35 pm
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
Posts: 122
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Hi Mate, i have been fishing SPs for about 6 years. I reckon that some of them are dynamite and will outfish livebait and hard bodied lures (HBs). i use HBs to prospect water as they allow me to work them more quickly and find where schooling fish are situated. HBs are also what i reach for when chasing switched on aggressive fish.
When i want to slowly work some quality water i will fish SPs everytime. With a good SP you can hardly move it sometimes and the fish still dig them. Fishing them like this is a perfect way to target shutdown fish as it allows you by using a light or unweighted jighead to keep the lure in the strikezone for long periods of time in comparrison to a HB which is the key to interesting shut down fish.
After saying this, with some SPs such as single tail grubs a steady constant retreive is incredibly effective. When i still lived on the mainland, i found that SPs would outfish live bait and fresh squid heads on jews around 2 to 1.
I have caught everything from good kings,jews, yellowfin and albacore down to snapper, bream and bass ect on SPs. Every whiting and blackfish i have ever caught on lures has fallen to SPs.
Berkley SPs are by far the best as they have the most advanced scents. My favourites are the gulp range, the powergrub range and the bass minnow range. Always get the tourament scented models as the fish hit these the best. I have had fish hit a berkley SP up to 11 times before getting hooked. Because they feel and taste like a bait, they keep coming back.
If you want any specific fishing methods for indiviual fish types or using specific SPs let me know. I mainly use lightweight jigheads in the estuarys (1/16oz), the same or unweighted for freshwater and either dropshot rigs or heavy jigheads for deep jigging offshore reefs or pelagic bluewater work.
catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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23/Mar/2005, 4:08 pm
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Rallas
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Registered: 02-2005
Location: Gold Coast, QLD
Posts: 22
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Heya Bent1,
Never realised before you were located in TAS. I'm an ex Tassie boy, born and bred in Deloraine but have lived on the Gold Coast for about 5 years, not sure if you are familiar with that part of Tassie, when you say mainland do you mean mainland AUS or mainland TAS?
I'm relatively new to soft plastics, and only recently have started to get into them, slowly building a bit of a collection. First time out I didn't have much sucess, chucked a couple of squidgies around for 90 mins without a bite, then switched to bloodoworms and landed six fish in an equal period, maybe I just need to work on my techniqie a little 
I've read EcoGear SP's are very good as well? similar to the Berkleys they scent is in the actual plastic itself rather than just coated on, I've yet to give try them out on the bass in nearby Hinze Dam. I have some little green Mini Tanks which I'll hopefully get to give a run soon.
I'm off to Texas over the easter break, down near the border on the Darling Downs with some friends, we're going to be chasing some big Murray Cod and Yellowbelly in the Dumaresq River. Taking the yaks along as well of course  so I'll hopefully return with some decent pics, if not of a big Cod, at least of some nice scenery 
I've grabbed some larger squidgee spinnerbaits, jig heads and tails, and some interesting slow sinking jigheads with rattles to try and tempt (and release) my first ever Murray Cod, I've never fished for them before so I'm pretty excited about the prospect
Will also be fishing with a little cheese, some bardi grubs (if we can find any), and whatever else we can think of.
I'll post a debriefing when I get back to let you all know how things went
Anyone else got any comments/suggestions on SP's?
- Dallas
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Dallas
Gold Coast - QLD
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WS Tarpon 120
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23/Mar/2005, 4:45 pm
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Hi Mate, when i say mainland i meant Australia not Tassie. If i was going codding i would grab some 3" berkley glup minnows in pumpkinseed and fish them around the structure with a slow retrieve. Last time i was on the mainland chasing east coast cod they went crazy for the gulp minnow grubs. these have more scent than any other SPs and have been proven in tests in the USA to outfish livebaits. A simple but incredibly effective retrieve method for SPs id the standard 1,2,3 retrieve. This is as follows;
As soon as your lure hits the water, manually close the bail arm or engage the gears if fishing an overhead.
As the lure sinks it will take up any slack line. While this is happening, lower your rod tip to just above the surface of the water and watch your line for any un-natural movement as stikes often occur at this stage.
Once all of the slack is gone or your lure is in the strike zone, start your retrieve by slowly lifting your rod tip in to the 3 oclock position, pausing for a second or 2 and then lifting your rod to 1 oclock. Do not wind while lifting. It is important to only move the lure with your rod, not your reel.
Pause for 1/2 to a second at thee top of the stroke, lower your rod tip to just above the water and wind in your slack line without moving the lure. Pay attention to your line because again this is a common time for a fish to strike.
Lift your rod back up to 1 oclock in one smooth motion taking about 2-3 seconds to complete this stage. Continue this 2 lift, 1 lift procedure until the retrieve is finished.
Speed the retrieve up for aggressive fish or slow it down for doggo fish. I have taken bream on slow days by casting and letting my SP sit stationary for about 5 minutes before beginning a dead slow retrieve. Generally the slower retrieve, the bigger the fish you catch.
Drop shotting is dynamite on suspended fish or in tight and snaggy/weedy structure and i will detail this method if you are interested.
If i could choose just 4 SPs to use they would be Berkley 3 Inch bass Minnows, Berkley Touramanet grubs, Berkley Gulp Minnows and Bekley Gulp Minnow grubs.
I challenge anyone to even compare the ecogear stuff to the berkley scent wise, they don't even come close. Despite this, ecogear are far superior to squidgies. All SPs catch fish due to their realistic action and feel but on tough days, nothing comes close to a berkley dues to the millions of dollars they have spent on scent and phermone research on fish.
catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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23/Mar/2005, 5:36 pm
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BigErnie
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Registered: 03-2005
Location: Noosa Heads
Posts: 59
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Re: Soft Plastics?
quote:
Drop shotting is dynamite on suspended fish or in tight and snaggy/weedy structure and i will detail this method if you are interested.
Yes please Bent. I'm planning to go up Lake Weyba to Eenie creek which I've read about here http://members.optusnet.com.au/aus-kayak-fishing/reports/noosa.html
in a Noosa report.
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Cheers Jim
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Perception Swing; Dagger Edisto.
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Galeophobia;Kopophobia;Ablutophobia;Sciophobia;Oneirogmophobia
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24/Mar/2005, 7:28 am
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bent1
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Registered: 01-2005
Location: Bruny Island Tasmania
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Ok Big Ernie, here goes; if i left anything out, just get me to clarify. The finished rig looks like the old style paternoster or two hook snapper rig but the hooks are tied directly to the line using a polamar knot which you will be able to find how to tie by doing a search on it and they will describe how to tie it better than i could.
Drop shotting has been a popular technique in America since the early 1970’s however it has in the last five years under gone a resurgence in popularity since the Japanese Bass Fisherman further refined the technique to target bass in the crystal clear lakes of that country.
Drop Shotting basically allows you to present a soft plastic lure as though it is unweighted in any depth of water. This is because the lead weight rests on the bottom while you enticingly work your soft plastic around on a semi slack line. You need to use a heavy enough lead to take the rig straight to the bottom. The weight of the lead doesn’t reflect on the action of the lure due to it being nothing more than an anchor which lies inert on the bottom during the presentation of the lure. By having the weight below the lure, it does not interfere with the angler detecting a strike which can be quite subtle at times.
Drop Shotting is a deadly fishing method which was originally developed for lethargic or suspended fish at depths of up to 35 metres. Since then though anglers all over the world have discovered it’s effectiveness in all sorts of water depths and fishing scenarios such as casting it towards structure or bank side cover and shaking or rattling the rod tip before moving the lure 30cm or so closer to the boat and repeating the rod action while working the lure alongside structure or any other likely fish holding position.
It is also a deadly method for targeting jews in the estuarys as well as all reef dwellers like snapper jews and kings ect. Since moving to Tassie I have been using it with great success on gummy sharks using berkley bass minnows despite these sharks not being considered a lure fishing proposition.
A big advantage of the drop shot rig is the fact that the part of the line which is likely to get abraded is below rather than between you and the lure and you and the fish when hooked which allows you to work your lure across abrasive structure such as hard reefs and submerged mussel beds knowing that you will not lose a fish due to abraded line. Another big advantage of the drop shot rig is the having the lure above the weight allows you to effectively work weedy bottoms where a standard jig head would be submerged in the weed upon landing on the bottom making the lure ineffective.
Often the strike while dropshotting is virtually undetectable and you may just notice a little more weight on the line. In that case set the hook. I occasionally lift the rig a few feet just to see if there's a fish on the hook that i didn't feel. Work the SP through the area you think the fish are holding, wind up to the next level you want to prospect and repeat. The SPs action is controlled by a slight shaking, or gentle twitching of the rod tip or if the boat is rocking in the swell ect this will be enough. It is a great spare rod left in the rod holder fish catcher in these conditions
Tying the hooks on drop-shots properly makes or breaks the system if done incorrectly, and can be done a couple of ways. I always use a Palomar knot, beginning the knot on the hook point side. This is done before tying the rig on the sinker. This is done so that the hook lays at a right angle to the leader. This is a better way to get a good hookset on light biters. Another way can be to take the leader end, after the Palomar is tied, and thread it back through the hook eye, then attach the rig lead. This way the hook shank lays against the line, which I believe, improves hookups on hard striking fish, however these are a minority when drop shotting.
Use your electronics to either mark the suspended fish (make sure fish symbols are turned off and your sounder is displaying fish as arcs. Fish symbols can be anything between the transducer and the bottom whereas an arc comes from a fish’s swim bladder.), the baitfish or the structure. Rig your SP so it is lightly hooked through the very front of it (the lip). I prefer to use braided line for the feel and use a wind on fluorocarbon leader for its abrasion resistance and low visibility qualities.
As far as the best SPs go for this style of fishing, it is Bekley Bass Minnows all of the way with larger stick baits like sluggos ect being the go on jews and kings. Give it a go, fish it with confidence and it won’t let you down.
Catch ya bent
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"Katana" OK Prowler XT
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24/Mar/2005, 5:22 pm
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BigErnie
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Registered: 03-2005
Location: Noosa Heads
Posts: 59
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Thank you Bent. Very useful and comprehensive. Fishing seems to have changed a lot in recent years....I'm still back in pippies and worms....but looking forward to trying what you've said.
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Cheers Jim
.........................................................
Perception Swing; Dagger Edisto.
.........................................................
Galeophobia;Kopophobia;Ablutophobia;Sciophobia;Oneirogmophobia
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24/Mar/2005, 7:00 pm
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The Mariner
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Registered: 12-2004
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Posts: 678
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Re: Soft Plastics?
"I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy..."
Crikey Bent... you sound like you have this stuff all sorted out. Thanks heaps for the really detailed replies. I thought I had this fishing thing kinda sorted out but I'm starting to re-think.
I'm off to the tackle shop Saturday to get me some Berkley SP's to try what I have read here A.S.A.P.
--- Regards,
Phil.
Forum Administrator.
Visit www.hookedonkayaks.com.au for kayaks and kayak fishing accessories. |
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24/Mar/2005, 7:12 pm
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hoit80
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Registered: 04-2005
Location: Melbourne
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Re: Soft Plastics?
So what are the recommended SPs for here in Melbourne.
I'm want to get some paddling under my belt & target the Bream in Patterson River before heading into Port Phillip Bay & Westernport.
Many Thanks
Grant
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Viking Ozzie
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27/Apr/2005, 9:10 pm
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Rod L
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Location: Melbourne
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Re: Soft Plastics?
Grant,
I just shot you a PM, but the previous thread has all the good stuff.
Last edited by Rod L, 28/Apr/2005, 4:09 pm
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Regards
Rod
Melbourne
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Cobra Explorer "Fire Water"
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27/Apr/2005, 9:58 pm
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