Lockdown list: your top 3 softbaits

Page  <1 23456 10>
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2020 at 7:05pm
Kandrew View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 16 Apr 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 3438
I fish most methods around Whangaparaoa depending on the wind and depth. I find drop and drag works well on the sand along the front of Orewa and down the southern side of the peninsula on the worm beds with both curly tails and paddle tails And I even had pretty good success with paddle tails out at the 40 metre mark with the big cyclops style heads.

No matter what style you like the first thing I make sure of is my bait on the bottom.

Shads work good for cast forward but curly tails work fine to. Z Man for me New Penny Bursied banana and Nuked chicken in early spring I carry other colours depending on the time of the year. I do like the mustard darter heads, lightbulbs split the curly tails and are really only good for drop and drag IMO.

Sometimes I like to fish a stiffer rod if l need to work the bait a lot and I use a 8 footer for cast ahead, I like big long casts along the front of the peninsula in the tiri channel just off the weed on the sand at low tide.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2020 at 8:31pm
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817
Originally posted by Telecaster Telecaster wrote:


2: zman 5" electric chicken paddle-tail



I've always wondered why Electric Chicken is seldom mentioned as a killer colour, given the combo of that limey-green and pink - and its high UV reactivity. I haven't really given it a good go, but have a packet in my collection.

Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2020 at 8:40pm
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817
Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

[QUOTE=The Tamure Kid]

I guess there's a couple of other things you can do with a softie, I would add trolling for the sake of completeness. 

Forgot to mention, the afternoon before lockdown a guy we had around to our place to unblock a drain (thank GOD we got it done!) is a huge fisherman, and he showed me pics of two very nice kingies he got out near the Noises two weeks ago trolling 7" Z Man Nuked Chicken shads through bait bust ups. They still had the lures hanging out of their mouth in the pics. 
He said the top water guys were coming up empty...
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2020 at 8:43pm
MB View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Location: Northland
Status: Offline
Points: 5534
Some more random thoughts.

1. I gave unweighted softies a good go for kingies (Hogy) and snapper (big Gulp). Unfortunately, casting distance was rubbish and in the case of snapper fishing, I just couldn't tell where the lure was in the water column which was problematic.

2. Check this guy out. A real thinking angler. He's recently moved to Florida, but was based in New York state. I've done a lot of fishing over there. Different fish species to NZ, but a similar environment. His standard soft baiting approach is very different to ours, but catches a lot of fish. I was tempted to try the bucktail/Gulp combination and it worked very well for snapper fished vertically.


3. How have people got on with other patterns that we haven't discussed i.e. shrimp? I
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2020 at 9:08pm
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817
Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Some more random thoughts.


3. How have people got on with other patterns that we haven't discussed i.e. shrimp? I

See Muppet's post above, with his 'seldom use' box. Z Man Shrimp, and some Chasebaits squid - which look fantastic. you'd think they would go off around the rocky coast when squid are on the menu.
But I saw in a review of the Chasebaits that they are very fragile - and that is never a good quality when snapper are involved!

i believe JW, now a charter skipper, did quite well on the Z Man shrimps with opaque body and chartreuse tail, especially first thing.

Below is an Almost Alive Lures softbait that I had big hopes for - got a couple of snapper in a harbour up north as soon as I put one on dragging and when we pulled the pin it had teeth marks all over it and hadn't come apart, but for some reason haven't given it a good try around Auckland.
My purpose for buying a couple in an order of various stuff from the US was actually to cast one from the shore for flats kingies in Tauranga when on holiday at Waihi Beach. And they do look amazing on a jighead, bouncing right side up and disturbing the mud, with a pale belly flashing. No kingies around that day, though.




Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 12:14am
MB View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Location: Northland
Status: Offline
Points: 5534
Sometimes lures look good to us, but not the fish, and the other way around of course!
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Muppet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 6:30am
Muppet View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 26 May 2004
Location: NZ
Status: Offline
Points: 19245
To be fair I have other little shrimp patterns that have caught a few pannies. Just nothing near what the shads get.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 9:02am
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817
Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Sometimes lures look good to us, but not the fish, and the other way around of course!

Bang on. I learned that through trout fishing. Some people tie up incredibly realistic koura (crayfish) and various nymph imitations which it'd be hard to tell apart from the real thing. Intricate legs, antennae etc. But invariably they are stiff and don't move in the water like the real thing floating down the river, or in a lake.
Works of art, but not good fish catchers.

Having said that, there are some amazingly realistic softbait prawn imitations available in Australia which are very successful on mangrove jacks and other inshore tropical species - where large prawns are a huge part of the fish species' diet. I just don't think prawns feature as much in the fish diet here, compared to say small baitfish, shellfish, various worms and shrimps. Savage Gear has had some in the market in NZ for a while, but to my knowledge they haven't taken off in a big way.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Muppet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 10:30am
Muppet View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 26 May 2004
Location: NZ
Status: Offline
Points: 19245
If you really want to get funky cook up some cheap sausages and take them fishing,

Seen it done and it worked amazing 😂
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 10:49am
MB View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Location: Northland
Status: Offline
Points: 5534
When I was doing a lot of diving at the Poor Knights, I used an underwater marker to help with navigation and mark interesting critters in the rocks. It consisted of a small polystyrene float tied to a sinker with cord. The snapper smashed that float all day and it often needed replacing! What I learnt was it often doesn't matter what you put under a snapper's nose, but you do have to put it under their nose! 
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Troutzilla Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 11:52am
Troutzilla View Drop Down
Gold
Gold


Joined: 19 Aug 2008
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 919
Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

Originally posted by MightyBoosh MightyBoosh wrote:

Sometimes lures look good to us, but not the fish, and the other way around of course!

Bang on. I learned that through trout fishing. Some people tie up incredibly realistic koura (crayfish) and various nymph imitations which it'd be hard to tell apart from the real thing. Intricate legs, antennae etc. But invariably they are stiff and don't move in the water like the real thing floating down the river, or in a lake.
Works of art, but not good fish catchers.

Having said that, there are some amazingly realistic softbait prawn imitations available in Australia which are very successful on mangrove jacks and other inshore tropical species - where large prawns are a huge part of the fish species' diet. I just don't think prawns feature as much in the fish diet here, compared to say small baitfish, shellfish, various worms and shrimps. Savage Gear has had some in the market in NZ for a while, but to my knowledge they haven't taken off in a big way.

I fished with an Aussie guy, a real good angler, in the far north last year.
His go to softbait in the shallows was a really life like squidgie prawn and he nailed plenty of snapper.

It aint no use if it aint chartreuse!
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Telecaster Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 1:39pm
Telecaster View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jun 2009
Location: Whangaparaoa
Status: Offline
Points: 3620
Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:

Originally posted by Telecaster Telecaster wrote:


2: zman 5" electric chicken paddle-tail



I've always wondered why Electric Chicken is seldom mentioned as a killer colour, given the combo of that limey-green and pink - and its high UV reactivity. I haven't really given it a good go, but have a packet in my collection.



I had a great run using the same one on the same 1/2oz head a few years ago, got a snapper over 10lb three trips in a row to Orere. It cemented a place in my lineup. Probably just blind luck.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 1:59pm
Kandrew View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 16 Apr 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 3438
I used to fish the original squggie flick bait years ago made from PVC and caught a few fish on them, that had a new penny type colour that worked well. Rigged them on a worm hook because they were quite thin.

Got given some Bio Tough good baits I like the curly tails.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 5:24pm
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817

[/QUOTE]

I fished with an Aussie guy, a real good angler, in the far north last year.
His go to softbait in the shallows was a really life like squidgie prawn and he nailed plenty of snapper.

[/QUOTE]

Very interesting. I've got a packet of them that an Aussie mate gave me over on the Gold Coast. The clear ones. They certainly look good.

Matt Watson used sponsored Squidgies flick baits in his early series. Did pretty well as i recall. 
Squidgies are still a mainstay of the fishing scene over there, but just didn't take off here, from what I can see (though I came into softbaiting relatively late in the piece).

The fate of Rapala's Trigger X softbaits is interesting. Bargain bins all over the place still have piles of them - particularly Top Catch. They just didn't sell, despite being from one of the global giants in fishing lures. 

Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Muppet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 5:55pm
Muppet View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 26 May 2004
Location: NZ
Status: Offline
Points: 19245
They were like Slam II

I did warn my good mate at Shimano they won’t sell.

Greg has tried a few brands at Gofish before begrudgingly stoking Z Man on top of his Gulp range. He has the little jack small soft bait range in numbers.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Muppet Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 5:57pm
Muppet View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 26 May 2004
Location: NZ
Status: Offline
Points: 19245


Got these last time done ok on the smaller ones but glad he got slightly larger ones.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 5:57pm
Kandrew View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 16 Apr 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 3438
Originally posted by The Tamure Kid The Tamure Kid wrote:




I fished with an Aussie guy, a real good angler, in the far north last year.
His go to softbait in the shallows was a really life like squidgie prawn and he nailed plenty of snapper.

[/QUOTE]

Very interesting. I've got a packet of them that an Aussie mate gave me over on the Gold Coast. The clear ones. They certainly look good.

Matt Watson used sponsored Squidgies flick baits in his early series. Did pretty well as i recall. 
Squidgies are still a mainstay of the fishing scene over there, but just didn't take off here, from what I can see (though I came into softbaiting relatively late in the piece).

The fate of Rapala's Trigger X softbaits is interesting. Bargain bins all over the place still have piles of them - particularly Top Catch. They just didn't sell, despite being from one of the global giants in fishing lures. 

[/QUOTE]
Have you or any one on here ever used them, I haven’t so I would be interested to find out why they weren’t popular.

Also I really only fish in the gulf so it Would be interesting to see what people are using in other parts of NZ
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kandrew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 6:19pm
Kandrew View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 16 Apr 2012
Status: Offline
Points: 3438
This is another manufacturer that use the same plastic as Zman. Caveman also has a range I haven’t tried them but his jigs are great.


https://www.strikeking.com/products/category/soft-baits

Keep an eye on this site they have some great prices on gulp just wait for the right colour and type to be on special.

http://www.ffo-tackle.com/ffo-baits/

I also jig fish a lot and have been catching a few fish on black sliders has anyone tried black softbaits.
Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote The Tamure Kid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 7:49pm
The Tamure Kid View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium


Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
Status: Offline
Points: 4817
yeah, I noticed when trawling through the likes of Tackle Warehouse in the US that some of the Strike King models appear identical to Z Man (check out the paddle tails on the page you linked to, for example - the New Penny minnow is identical to the Z Man 4" Diezel Minnow).

Presumably they roll out of the same factory, but maybe at different price point? Can't think why else you'd have two brands selling the same lure with a different name.

I bought some of the Z Man creature style lures to try dragging over the Tamaki Strait shallows, being buoyant and so many wriggling parts I reckon they'd go well, but haven't had a chance yet. 
I did try the Gary Yamamoto creature, which is a huge seller in the US for bass, in my Tamaki shallows area. The snapper loved it, but destroyed them very quickly. Not up to NZ conditions.

The Aussie distributor of ZMans often talks about the Gold Rush colour which is mostly black, with gold glitter. He says it's excellent in discoloured water, with the silhouette and gold sparkle. One i haven't tried, though.

I'm probably starting to give the impression that i'm addicted to buying lures etc. Probably partly true, but fishing is my only hobby these days and main discretionary spend, and I enjoy trying different stuff. I was the same when fly tying in my trout days, always trying different materials. i'd rather buy a Daiwa BG or Shimano Stradic than a top end reel, and then spend the money saved on lures.

Sure, I could do just as well using just 2-3 surefire shapes/colours, but I find it fun to search for that X factor lure, and just appreciate the designs and variation. 

End of the day, you could probably use a huge number of different lures and catch snapper on all of them if fished correctly in the right place, and as MB says, if the lure is in their face. 


Back to Top
Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote MB Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2020 at 8:24pm
MB View Drop Down
Titanium
Titanium
Avatar

Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Location: Northland
Status: Offline
Points: 5534
I have my go-to lures, but also like to experiment, mainly with AliExpress offerings because they are so cheap. I really like the look of this lure. Built in weight, assist hooks (which I prefer over jighead-style singles) and a true jig/softbait hybrid.

Haven't got it wet yet because I'm scared the snapper are going to bite it! LOL

 
Back to Top
Page  <1 23456 10>
Forum Jump
Forum Permissions View Drop Down


This page was generated in 0.389 seconds.

Fishing Reports Visit Reports

Saltwater Fishing Reports
Top of the South Fishing Report - 22/03/24

Tasman and Golden Bay snapper still running hot We are not far away from daylight... Read More >

22 Mar 2024
Saltwater Fishing Reports
Bay of Islands Fishing Report - 22/03/24

Variety is the spice of life On one recent trip, the plan was to spend a... Read More >

22 Mar 2024
Saltwater Fishing Reports
Hauraki Gulf Fishing Report - 22/03/24

Fish where the fish are! Catching fish or just going fishing? I tackle this issue... Read More >

22 Mar 2024
Saltwater Fishing Reports
Inner Hauraki Gulf Fishing Report - 22/03/24

Thoughtful tactics required for better fish Over the course of each year the fishing varies,... Read More >

22 Mar 2024
Fishing bite times Fishing bite times

Major Bites

Minor Bites

Major Bites

Minor Bites