Soft Plastics

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    Posted: 04 Sep 2005 at 10:44pm
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A mate of mine was at Motiti Is on Thursday & decided to chuck a soft plastic in the water.

The berley trail was only about 3 mins old & his first cast was about 50mtrs behind the boat. Obviously the berley had no influence.

Well, the upshot was a good pannie on the first cast!

He was using lightweight trout spinning  gear with 14lb braid so the fight was quite prolonged.

He thought it was bluddy good fun so continued with the plastics.

His mate was using a standard strayline outfit & was soon 8 fish in arrears!

The turning point was as darkness fell, then the whole squid outfit started to perform.

This little episode made me stop & think---plastics-yeah--I want to try them!

C2C mag ran a story in issue 25. I've now read it 3 times!

I'm keen to know if anyone has tried the new "GULP" models that were mentioned in the mag story & if they are available in local stores. 

 

 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote gac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Sep 2005 at 11:48pm
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I love using the plastics for bass fishing here in Japan, also in the sea for bream, seabass, flathead, and various rockfish. There's a huge variety of plastics available here, and many ways of rigging them up. Check out this site    http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl    for some info about rigs etc. Yes I do have a couple of bags of the "GULP" worms, they look a lot like the worms we can buy live for bait here, they stink and they work great. I use them on a 'gang' rig, that is , I tie the first hook to the shank and a second just behind it, rig up the worm and put a small split shot above it. I've had most success with a 'lift and fall' approach, The split shot should be small so it looks good on the fall, as often as not that's when it gets bit, same as other plastics. If you need more weight to get to the bottom I'd use a 'carolina-rig' with 30-60 cm of line between the worm and a bullet sinker or ball sinker stopped by a swivel.

Can anyone share their experiences of fishing with plastics in nz. Of course you can use them to catch kahawai, kingis, trevalley etc but how about gurnard, blue cod and other such species?

I'd be happy to post a pic of the plastics I use, and hooks rigs etc if anyone's interested. I dont claim to be an expert or anything but I've been enjoying this type of fishing recently and happy to share what I've learned.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Coast to Coast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 12:07am
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Hello Uncle Stranger, I currently have some of the Gulp crabs out being tested. I hope they will crack the flounder problem. They look like the real thing. Smell like sh.t though...

Much more to follow on the subject. Pure Fishing have some experts over from Aussie next month and they will be talking at the OBC in Auckland I believe. I will be fishing with them to learn more and will report back what we find.

Gac, gurnard are a sucker for them. One of my writers absolutely swears by it. I've seen his results...

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Manaia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 8:26am
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Hey guys just interested, do these so called plastics breakdown! would be keeen to give them a try espicially for the flounders!
[IMG]http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b206/Matariki/21.gif">
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Edick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 9:06am
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Haven't tried them on flounder but they work on snapper, kawhai. They don't break down but fish do bite them in half. Still cheaper than frozen bate.
Beat lures in my view and I am now happy to go fishing with only plastics.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Capt Asparagus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 9:13am
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The GULP soft baits are indeed very effective, not just as whole soft baits, but even as cut baits! Chop them up into smaller pieces like you would with a big pilchard and they work just as well I have found.

The guys at Purefishing let me use some up in the tropics, I had them when we were fishing for "Mu" or sweetlip, in the lagoon at aitutaki, and the GULP baits worked just as well as the real thing. In fact, I was catching more than everyone else, but whether that was due to baits or luck, who can say, but all the time while Billy Ho was filming, I was pulling in one fish after the next on my fake baits, it was cool.

And yes, GULP is biodegradable. I have always been a little concerned about this with soft plastics, wondering if it was gonna poison fish or whatever, but apparently GULP is made outa some thing like tofu or somethnig (I dunno, something wierd like that anyhow)

I haven't had a chance to use the stuff here in NZ yet, but hopefully in the middle of the month I'll be at the ranfurly, and I'll give it a go there too.

But anyhow, GULP does work! And as a cut bait no less. I was impressed.

cheers, Stu.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote cod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 12:05pm
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get the dvd from pure fishing on soft bait fishing its very well done.$20 retail.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote sooshee Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 7:26pm
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I can't recall where I've read about it but it also pays to store your GULP plastics away from your other plastic lures as they will cause the latter to degrade as well.

I have caught a gurnard from shore using a red twin tail soft plastic with a white 7.5gm jig head. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke but it was caught on a slow lift and drop retrieve.

I have also used soft plastics in kahawai workups too. One would have thought the kahawai would nail them on whatever retrieve rate you do but I found that a slow to medium retrieve worked best in that situation. My theory is that with a quicker retrieve, the fish would be hitting the tail of the lure and not have a chance to get a hook up.

I also found that when using a spinning reel, I would get seriously twisted line. I now connect a small swivel from mainline to lure. I think this may degrade the  bite rate somewhat so am looking for a baitcast reel for this style of fishing to reduce the line twist and therefore avoid using swivels.

Gac, do you use a baitcast reel with soft plastics?

 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Barrie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 8:07pm
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I answered this this morning but it seems to have dissapared
I bought a couple of pkts of them back from ossie with me along with hooks

Chris... do Gammie make the hooks for rubbers and have you got them here?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Uncle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 10:50pm
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Mmm, interesting ideas there.

Wonder how the GULP stuff would go as cut baits on Tarakihi rigs.

Any thoughts  c2c, Capt.As?

Get back to me on that one

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote ChrisW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 11:07pm
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Barrie, yes Gammie do make hooks for plastics - in fact TOO MANY styles!  I have just one type on order and will be watching how the plastic bait market develops. They also have lead headed models too and I reckon that the sharp Gammies will be the difference when it comes to this finesse style of fishing.
give it death!
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Coast to Coast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 11:12pm
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Uncle, I watched the Gulp product, cut in half and used on a J hook, catch the biggest snapper when I did the first story. I think it has huge potential. Tarakihi will be an ideal target. These crabs really look the goods though. I think they are very exciting...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Uncle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Sep 2005 at 11:29pm
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Any idea when  the GULP models will be available to us mere mortals?

I'm dead keen to try them out.

 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Coast to Coast Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Sep 2005 at 12:18am
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Available now I think. I haven't even got any of my own I can send you. I'll be back there this week. I'll find out.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote gac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Sep 2005 at 1:41am
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"Gac, do you use a baitcast reel with soft plastics?"

Yes, I use both, baitcast rig for the heavy stuff and light spinning setup for the light stuff like no-sinker, downshot rig etc. Using plastics shouldn't really cause line twist more than other types of lure fishing if you've got it rigged up well. I like my baitcast reel but I wouldn't really recommend getting a baitcasting setup just to fix your line-twist problems. using baitcasting gear has kind of a learning curve involved. try casting anything lightish into a headwind and you can find yourself in backlash hell. The main benefit of baitcasting is when you do a lot of fishing in tight spots as you can thumb the reel on the cast to get better control.

To prevent line twist here's my thoughts;
1 - check that your rig isn't spinning by swimming it around at your feet before you cast it out there.
2 - use reasonable quality line, that cheap hard nylon may be ok for bait fishing but it doesn't cut the mustard for casting and retrieving lures all day.
3 - always maintain tension when winding, if necessary run it through your fingers above the reel until the slack is gone.
4 - get a decent reel, some reels are poorly designed and simply cause line twist (as far as I can tell). Also, is the roller roling? If not it doesn't help.
5 - if you have line twist you can fix it by trolling your line behind your boat with nothing attached. If you don't have a boat you can let your line out in a river or strong current (of course watch out for people, boats etc).   

Someone asked if plastics decompose. Yes they do , and I've been assured on another forum http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1125298204     that they don't harm fish if swallowed.

GULP baits are very different from other types of plastics and I wouldn't put them together. Most plastics you can fix rips with a lighter but when I tried that trick on a GULP worm I just got a sticky smelly melted pile of nastiness

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote gac Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Sep 2005 at 2:08am
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Just been checking out the gulp baits at the berkley site here I don't see the worms that I have, or the crabs that Coast to Coast talked about but how about them chicken livers . What would you use for flounder fishing?

Sorry, just worked it out. Thats the freshwater options, saltwater ones are here
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Manaia Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Sep 2005 at 8:27am
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Still not cheap though eh, i mean id rather do a rock pool mission and grab 6 crabs than pay $6.50.  Bloody impressive little beggers though
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Barrie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Sep 2005 at 4:56pm
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Ive gone for the Powerbait
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Uncle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Sep 2005 at 11:35am
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Following on from the discussion on this topic, I decided to have a tutu to see if I could make something that would look more like whitebait & be tougher than the commercial ones available.

These are my first attempts.

The photo is a bit misleading as the tails are much whiter than shown.

The two tails at the top have a thin nylon "strengthener" built in.

I think it wouldn't be too difficult to incorporate eyes & holographic paper,but that will have to wait for another day

 


 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kerren Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Sep 2005 at 11:41am
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class act as is par for your course Uncle!!....
I am Kermit, Leader of Muppets Nov 05
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