Have softies had their day?

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Jiggy Jig Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 7:00pm
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To me the latest soft bait craze (artificial rubber/plastic lures have been around for years) was all about braid and the light rods and reels that allowed finesse fishing. This carried over to most of the other disciplines and the modern rod building materials allow much lighter equipment to be used to great effect. The fine diameter of braid has revolutionised fishing, even smelly bait/bottom bashing, as much lighter sinkers are required. As mentioned in several posts above micro jigging and soft baiting use the same rods and reels, so are very interchangeable, as are lighter skutes, kaburas, inchikus etc. Every method, technique lure or bait will have it's day - and fads will come and go as the manufacturers look to find another way to boost their sales. Lures always catch far more fishermen than they do fish Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Potty Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 7:31pm
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Softbaits are the best way to fish the shallows, that won’t change.
Lures are easier to use in the deep for Joe average fisher and skutes IMO are a bit trendy at present.
Softbaits allow you to cover all scenarios and are #1 for me.
Love fishing, love my job. It's a bloody shame that they clash.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 8:40pm
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Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:


Have you tried the Trokar Flippin hook, made specifically for soft baiting (has a plastic holder near the eye)?

Thanks TK, they look good and although they can be rigged "weedless", it doesn't look as slick as a classic worm hook rigged in such as way.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 8:48pm
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Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:


I think that in 15/20m+ an expert jig fisher (and plenty of you on the forum) would hold their own against any other method. 

In 6-15m in rocky-ish areas, I'd rather softbait.

Nail on the head there! But, I catch an awful lot of snapper over sand, so don't often risk fishing rocky areas. Maybe that's just relevant to my locality.

Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

The problem for me is that I'm only just feeling like I'm competent at soft baiting, not ready to start from scratch on another new method and go back to beginner level.

Buy a $6 microjig from Kaveman in 20 or 30g and fish it exactly as you would a softbait over sand and I think you'll become a convert! Same rod/reel and technique as softbaiting. 

Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

The other point I'd make is that there are two or three distinct methods of soft baiting that I see. One is the lob ahead and fish more or less vertically school, with little twitches and jiggles often done in channels; another is what I do, which is cast well ahead and fish on the retrieve; then there's pure dragging.

Another good point. That doesn't get mentioned much.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote shaneg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Oct 2018 at 9:28pm
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Softbaits and metal lures really good if you don't like chopping stuff up and getting your fingers dirty. Although that gulp juice is very stinky and quite corrosive. Personally being a tactile person have gone back to natural preferably fresh baits. Softbait lures still fun on light gear especially, and when fish actively feeding in workup etc.
I like catching marlin on lures but baits sometimes are best by far in a lot of conditions. Not that I have mastered that yet. But same goes for lots of species. Snapper being highly aggressive almost territorial are suckers for softies in shallows which can be fished actively wound over snags where a straylined bait will usually end up snagged up in foul. And the fish gets less of head start without running off and having to eat a bait.
Get good at as many techniques as possible I say. Micro jigs are really good in deeper water fishing vertical but I have had great success dragging 15 gram models behind yak in less than 4 meters of water over foul on kelpie snapper
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Structfab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 8:24am
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I prefer softbaits when there's cuda around......those ******* love shiny stuff
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 12:08pm
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Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

[

Buy a $6 microjig from Kaveman in 20 or 30g and fish it exactly as you would a softbait over sand and I think you'll become a convert! Same rod/reel and technique as softbaiting. 

[/QUOTE]

haha, I did exactly that towards the end of autumn, after reading some threads about micros. I was getting some Tasline from Kaveman, so got some of his jigs as well.
Got the ones that look similar to a BlueBlue Searide, in orange. I have some Searides as well.

Most of summer down here I fish inshore feeding flats of 7-9m, and I do that with softies. Gulp Crazy Legs is my go to for casting ahead, along with Z Mans on the dragged gear out the back.

But I'm going to give micros a try in anything deeper - for example, when I go out past Waiheke, or up to Northland and fish over sand in 18m. Softies go well there (I normally use big Gulp grubs or Nemesis) but I'm sure micro jigs will work well. I'm also going to try some 1oz soft vibes I got from Australia, which are dynamite over there. I reckon they'll go well on snapper if the hooks hold up.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Grunta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Oct 2018 at 4:35pm
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Going back a bit (OK a lot...) I fished with a handline and two ledger-rigged baits and we caught snapper and terakihi and miscellaneous other species. I was a kid, it was fun and I still have great memories of those wonderful days on the water.

Techniques and gear have moved on a tad and these days it's great to have a variety of options that work well. 

Softbaiting certainly isn't dead from my perspective but it's only one option on any day. I like to have a few strings to the proverbial bow as what might work well on one day or location may be a bit of a fizzer the next. and that can even be the colour of a softie, or the colour/shape of the jig etc. As any trout fisherman would tell you about that point, is having a good selection of flies is wise - and that principle can certainly be applied to saltwater.


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Rainbow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Feb 2019 at 10:47am
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Many years ago an English man asked on a forum what nymphs he should tie for his forthcoming trip to NZ?    Well he got lists of patterns from at least a dozen fishos.    I also replied with a more minimalistic selection to tie brown or black ones in sizes 12-16 with various weight additions.   I explained that with such a small choice he would have more time to look and fish for trout than looking into a well stocked fly box wondering which of the many creations he should tie on.     Well, I was a bit pissed off when I got his quite nasty reply to what he thought was a big leg pull.     No leg pull at all as my summer fishing nymphs are mostly those colours and sizes with the addition of a few green caddis but even these are dispensable as most nymphs are either brown or almost black.     I place much more importance on presentation.     So why I am telling you all that?    Having  read through this blog there is an uncanny similarity to the above.     All this hard and software choice ends up being utterly confusing and confidence sapping to anyone who is susceptible to every new fad.     A bit like those boaties who sap around the sea anchoring for 30 min and are off again trying spot after spot and never give the fish a chance to find them.    If you learn to use one method well eventually you build up your confidence.    You must also learn that you will have good and bad days in anything you do especially in fishing without beating yourself up or rushing off to another trend.    Above all confidence in what you are doing and using will immunise you next time you visit a tackle store or read a fishing magazine.    Fads come and go but only a few endure.   
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote brmbrm Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Feb 2019 at 9:58pm
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Interesting to re-read this thread.  No, of course SPs haven't had their day.  I fish for pleasure, as do most here I expect.  That means some styles i enjoy more than others. Some methods work better some days, not the others.  

Example: for purely catching numbers i think on average dragging SPs (curly tails/grubs) around Auckland is the most productive.  Last trip dragging caught big fat zero - almost everything on worked jerk shads.  Tell me why?  One or two on microjigs.

Vast majority on jerk shads, soft takes, mouthing the bait.  Why?  Dont know, but that is part of the the pleasure for me.

And the best fishing for me is working a jerk shad in shallow water and getting a hard take.

But i dont know.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Potty Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Feb 2019 at 6:00am
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I suck at all the other methods so I’m stuck with softbaiting
Love fishing, love my job. It's a bloody shame that they clash.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote John_Ra Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 2019 at 6:28pm
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Originally posted by Potty Potty wrote:

I suck at all the other methods so I’m stuck with softbaiting

rubbish, you just not that good at it yet... Tongue

the last few weeks have re invigorated my softbaiting again.....
I fish Coro farms a lot!! cause my mate likes going there LOL

rarely goe's anywhere else.... we tie upto the ropes . I start with a 1/2oz jighead with either Motor oil or Atomic Sunrise curly tails. using the current (key) drop it straight down & let current carry it back hit bottom let line out as needed wait for a grab.... been working a treat...

Softbaiting not dead just going thru phases like a teen...
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FizFisho Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2019 at 10:02am
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Initally a lot of softbaits where non biodegradable plastic which was clearly unethical with 25% of oceanic life containing plastic or plastic traces. 

Do any of the big brands still use non biodegradeable (within a short time clearly) plastics?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2019 at 10:33am
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I still hedge my bets between SB and bait, espec when east coast and in the manukau harbour/ on waikato river.

I dont spend hardly any time hunting down fish on the sounder, work ups etc which is primarily SB fishing.. yes birds workups but historical records, water temp season etc.. gps mark drop and catch on the drift... with occasional hook up on the sb out the back, or have time to throw forward.

SB is real good for when , heading out, stop on a known bit of foul  to set up rods etc.. a SB rod already and cast it out.. test the waters..
 Or come across a work up/ birds , and filck it out to pick up a good KY/ baitfish.. or lucky a snap under it all.
 Even  a slow troll out the back..

Our baits , over many seasons now, keep us far more busy pulling fish in than SBs...
SB far more busy looking at the sounder , cruising, casting retrieving etc.

 Even now .. new west coast grounds to learn, experiment with... lures and SBs on ledger riggs... That SB rigg in the holder always ready to flick out on a moments notice... 
A selection, in the left tackle draw under the bait board, pre mounted on hooks, already for a quick change.

 The right draw.. traces, flasher/ ledger, and pre tied flasher hooks 5/0 to 10/0.. , ready to clip on to a main line.

 SB dead/ dying... hell no.. I see no drop off in the guys.. even charters, who are dedicated SB/ lure ppl... nor the guys like us who hedge our bets on the day.

What needs to die are those dedicated SB that also have  the narrow mined .. "smelly bait" (forget sb attractants smell more) Im better than you self righteous attitude.
 The same people we consistently get more fish more often than they do all yr round.

 And yes I do very much enjoy non attitude .. still competitive, SB lure crew on board.
 



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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote FizFisho Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2019 at 12:08pm
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I dont think you can beat SB's for certain species either. But there are so many options now. When one doesnt work, switch it up, happy days.

I started out 17 years ago in NSW with Sluggoz, cast and retrieve for Mulloway and Kingies (mostly rats back then as the population needed a bit of TLC). Loved those big long slinky white sluggoz.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Garry 23041 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2019 at 7:10pm
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Softies are dead on my boat and it's not because I didn't fish them for years and get good at it and not because I don't have them aboard, I still do, I just don't grab one anymore.

My mate proved to me last season that scoots with long tails and softies will produce consistantly larger snaps than my 30grm micros head to head when the big fish were around. I still get enough large snapper and they are not my target size in any case (they all go back).

I just love the cast and sink of a micro over a softie any day...


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote BananaBoat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2019 at 8:35pm
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stink post mate, why would you want to say something like that
I just took up softbaiting a few months ago, seems to work when they catch fish
prefer baits myself
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Garry 23041 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Mar 2019 at 6:30pm
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Ignore me Bananaboat there's nothing wrong with softies in my mind.

I just have a strong personal preference.


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Polar_Kiwis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2019 at 8:09pm
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Got my snaps yesterday casting well ahead of drift on softies. Happy to use any method.
Here fishy, fishy fishy.... Nom, nom, nom
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