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Rock/shore base soft baiting n00b

Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Soft Bait Fishing
Forum Description: Anything to do with this latest and greatest way of catching our favourite species
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=105245
Printed Date: 21 Jun 2026 at 11:44pm


Topic: Rock/shore base soft baiting n00b
Posted By: kaimaikid
Subject: Rock/shore base soft baiting n00b
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2014 at 8:53pm
Hi

This is my first post here so please take it easy on me

I have a few questions about getting started in rock/shore based soft baiting...

What is an ideal length rod?
What weight line to use?
Any suggestions on a reasonable rock soft baiting Rod and reel combo would be appreciated
What baits should I start with? (selection)
What other kit will I need?

I have done a bit of fishing in the past from dry fly to salt water fly, surfcasting to land based game and the usual pot fishing, however have been with dry lines for the last few years and want to get back into it, soft baiting looks like a great place for me to start off with but keep on getting conflicting advice from all the different shops as to what gear to get.

Any advice appreciated

(I have started a new thread rather than drag up any old ones from the graveyard)

Also anyone else doing shore based soft baiting in the Tauranga area?



Replies:
Posted By: Daniel K
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2014 at 9:00pm
http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/soft-bait-fishing-how-to-articles_topic59029.html" rel="nofollow - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/soft-bait-fishing-how-to-articles_topic59029.html


Posted By: Daniel K
Date Posted: 13 Nov 2014 at 9:23pm
As for Tauranga:
Soft-bait fishing can be a bit tricky just off the shore in Tauranga (IN MY OPINION). 
There just aren't too many good drop offs. That's not to say that they won't produce fish as a lot of places will. But you won't find places that will be specific to that type of fishing. 

Locations: 

Leisure Island -  is an oldie but a goodie. Produces Kahawai quite regularly and at this time of the year, some good ocean kahawai will be present. Same with rat kings. Also, some John Dory like to hang about leisure island on occasion so they're always fun to target. 

Sailsbury wharf - gets hammered from time to time, but is a good place for sprats, the odd kahawi, and the odd Dory too. 

Bridge Marina - here also sprats, and rat kings. During the summer months small trevally will start to show up too which can be fun on Ultra-light tackle (1-3lb or 2-4lb range). 

The Mount - believe it or not, off the base of the Mount, on either side is not too bad for fishing. Near the Maori warrior statue you can quite often grab a Kahawai or two. 

The Tauranga expert on all things fishing here is Uncle, so he might come on here and give you some words of wisdom. Listen wisely, he knows his stuff.  There's also the Tauranga Land-Based club on facebook. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/TGA-Land-Based-Fishing/1441939359420410" rel="nofollow - http://www.facebook.com/pages/TGA-Land-Based-Fishing/1441939359420410

Best of luck mate, 

Hope to see you around. I'm the Korean dude who often wears a blue Daiwa shirt when out fishing. I'll be at the marina quite often grabbing some sprats for snapper bait. 





Posted By: kaimaikid
Date Posted: 14 Nov 2014 at 7:47pm
Cheers Dan,

as far as a rod goes - what would you consider to be max length for a boat rod and minimum length for a rock rod? - maybe I can compromise in the middle somewhere and get one to suit both.

My reason for getting into soft baiting mainly is to get fish with lightish tackle as I love a good scrap, one for the pan is a bonus, the main species I want to target is both dory and eagle rays as well as others.

Trying to choose a good rod is proving difficult due to just about every store recommends a different brand from kilwell to diawa and from offshore to shimano.... and nearly each one saying bad things about the others lol

I just don't want to end up with a lemon.


Posted By: PJay
Date Posted: 14 Nov 2014 at 8:20pm
kaimaikid, almost all my SB rods are 7ft to 7ft 6in - used off boats, kayaks, from the shore.

Just the same as my LB rods for snapper are the same ones I use for straylining when afloat; all about 7ft.

I just find places where the water goes deep straight away eg Leisure Island's end, some of the rocks on the harbour entrance side of The Mount. If someone else is burleying up in a big way from Salisbury Wharf, have a shot softbaiting from there, but otherwise you'll have a lot of casting practice and not much else IMHO.

Brands of inexpensive rod: I'm not going to recommend, but any of the big Japanese brands do have a lot going for them. We adapt our styles according to what we have, it seems to me - so the temptation is to recommend what we have regardless of whether it will actually suit another fisher.

-------------
PJ


Posted By: Pico
Date Posted: 14 Nov 2014 at 8:30pm
I recently got one of these rods paired with a daiwa aird 2500 reel for land based soft baiting
http://www.daiwa.co.nz/products/dafopn355/title/daiwa-rod-dxs-862-mfs-8ft6-spin
Also use it for micro jigs and other small lures for catching livies. Been pretty good so far and I've found it ok to use off the boat too. Paid $300 for the combo


Posted By: Jwest
Date Posted: 14 Nov 2014 at 8:53pm
You get a pretty good advantage out of longer rod fishing SPs land based as a long cast can be key I wouldn't go shorter than what Pico suggests.  I fish with a 9ft 6 over head and have a friend that fishes with a 10ft rod. Check out the Shinano Jungle Stix range too there's a couple of good ones. I fish with 10kg suffix 832 braid which is pretty heavy for normal softbaiting but from the rocks you are way more likely to get reefed by snapper than off a boat or yak so it often helps to get them out. It's also good for getting SPs out of the kelp as this happens a lot more than on a boat too. Hope that helps, not too sure about the Tauranga bit sorry, kings on the flats maybe ;)


Posted By: Daniel K
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2014 at 4:02pm
Originally posted by kaimaikid kaimaikid wrote:

Cheers Dan,

as far as a rod goes - what would you consider to be max length for a boat rod and minimum length for a rock rod? - maybe I can compromise in the middle somewhere and get one to suit both.

My reason for getting into soft baiting mainly is to get fish with lightish tackle as I love a good scrap, one for the pan is a bonus, the main species I want to target is both dory and eagle rays as well as others.

Trying to choose a good rod is proving difficult due to just about every store recommends a different brand from kilwell to diawa and from offshore to shimano.... and nearly each one saying bad things about the others lol

I just don't want to end up with a lemon.

Hey mate, 

Like the others have said a softbait rod is usually in the 7ft range and can be used for all sorts of applications. I use my softbait rod as my go to rod and it is used for things like straylining off the boat, softbaiting, and I even use it off the rocks from time to time.  This rod is an old T-Curve in 5-10kg weight range. This weight range lets me softbait using both light and heavy jig heads, and also gives me some leverage on those bigger and tougher fighting fish. I also have a 1-3kg, and a  3-6kg model however it is difficult to throw the heavier lures out there and the rod does not respond as well given its typically slower/softer action when using heavier weights. 

The fight you will get from a john dory and an eagle ray are going to be very different to say the least. They have different power capabilities and if you're not prepared with the right tackle, it may become a little challenging (not impossible but challenging). I have taken many a good fish on my old trusty 5-10kg model including snapper up to 23lbs and 15+kg kings, however, I would find it extremely difficult to do the same with my 3-6kg model. 

In my personal opinion, what matters more than the brand of the rod is the weight class of the rod. From this, I believe that you can draw upon the functions of the rod and judge its versatility. There are other things that play a part of course such as blank material (typically graphite, nano, carbon, or carbon infused in softbaiting rods), but FOR ME, the most important thing is having the right tool for the right job. Chasing Johnnies in the harbour = 3-6kg any day (given a lack of need for heavy weights). Chasing bigger deeper water fish then the 5-10kg class. 

I have a whole bunch of rods from different brands in different weight classes. I use my shimano T-curve 5-10kg rod a lot, but have recently changed to the Daiwa nano rods just for its very fast/stiff action whihc i find good for softbaiting as action is imparted very directly, and the lightness of the rod itself which makes casting and working the lure very easy on the wrist. 

Hope that helps, 






Posted By: kaimaikid
Date Posted: 16 Nov 2014 at 8:09am
Thanks for all the info

have narrowed things down to either shimano or daiwa probably will stick to between 7 - 8 footer allowing me to get more versatility out of the rod

as for the reel tossing up between daiwa aird or lexa and shimano stradic ci4 or the likes with 5 to 6 kg fireline.

Edit:

Ok took the splash and purchased a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 4000 and a Nano STS 8-15lb 7'3" Spin combo - should last me a few years and hopefully be versatile enough to use from both land and boat for both soft baiting and straylining.

Quite pleased with my purchase - got a very decent deal from Top Catch in Tauranga. Hopefully will blood it next weekend.

Thanks everyone for their help.


Posted By: OneWayTraffic
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2014 at 6:48am
If you run two spools with different line weights you'll get a bit more versatility as well.
10lb nano fuse is a good baseline.


Posted By: kaimaikid
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2014 at 8:58pm
Yes have been thinking along those lines

must suss out if you can get spare spools for the stradic 4000 ci4 plus


Posted By: Daniel K
Date Posted: 28 Nov 2014 at 9:54pm
Took to the marina early this week trying to catch some piper for bait. Caught quite a few and had an excellent fight with a decent Kahawai. 50+ cm which was great fun on my 1-3kg gear. Second time i've caught a biggish Kahawai at the marina, normally its just those little tikes. 



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