The soft plastic phenomenon

First hi all, good to meet you, this is my first post.

The purpose of my post it to hopefully shed some light on soft plastics and methods to use them, to help those of you just brushing the surface of this all new phenomenon. And to hopefully help you catch those first fish that get you hooked like 1000's of others on soft plastics. I am in no way a pro or anything like that, just someone willing to share some hard learned info with you to give you some ideas.

To start off ill just mention I am a kiwi who's been living in Australia for the last 4 years but frequently come back to get my nz kingfish and snapper fix. I am a plastic fanatic and throughout my post I�ll refer to soft plastics as "sp's " to save some typing :)

Soft plastics in some form or another have been around since the 70's in the bass hunting scene in USA but only in recent times have they migrated to colonize other countries such as Australia Japan and more recently New Zealand.

I have been fishing the plastics here for the last 3 years and they are so effective when used correctly that I may never touch bait again. Not to say that they out fish bait (don't want death threats :0 )  But a lot of times they can out fish bait in quality and sometimes in quantity too.

Here in oz it is still a craze and we have waves of thousands of dedicated fishers who use them on a variety of fish species, they have even spurred their own competitions such as the ABT (Australian bream competition) which is national and travels to all states. It has got to the stage that the shops here sell more sp's than they do hooks and sinkers, and the amount of finesse gear at hand such as rods, reels and line is amazing.

On recent trips to New Zealand I have noticed that the small range that you have available is slowly increasing but without a mad rush for them it may take some time. Hopefully soon you will have the range that you may in the future desire.

The problem with sp's is not their effectiveness to work, but the anglers lack patience and or faith in the lure's.

If a lure is presented correctly to the right area they are deadly. They will catch any fish that eat others and also some that do not actively eat other fish e.g. carp,

Personally I have caught snapper, kingfish, kahawai, trevally, barracuda, mullet, yellowtail, slimes, Aust bream, Aust flathead (dusky stargazers), shook (pike), brown and rainbow trout, red perch, carp, and even flounder all on soft plastics.

There is a wide range of plastics available but the two main players down in our pacific nations are Berkley and Squidgies (known as blue fox in nz I think) these two offer endless options to plastic fishing. Also you have your storm and tsunami lures which are pre weighted and great for larger species but lack the ability to be customized to suit different conditions such as current, wind, depth etc.

I personally prefer the squidgie and Berkley range for the sheer size of the range and options, a personal favourite is the Berkley gulp range of (bait/plastic) bait or plastic? there is a bit of controversy over this issue as they are not a traditional plastic, same as food source lures, but this argument is best left for the pros not us humble rec fishers who just want to catch fish on lures.

On fishing soft plastics.

Tackle.

To start with to fish a soft plastic effectively you need the right tackle. It doesn't have to be expensive but needs to be suited to the purpose. For targeting smaller snapper and kahawai and similar fighting fish, the lighter the tackle the better in terms of working the lure, casting and also for sport. For this application a 2-5kg rod with a 1500 - 2500 spin reel would be the go (my finesse outfit is a 2000 team daiwa luvias on a team daiwa pro caster 6'6 rod 4-6lb test however if this is too light I have a shimano squidgie spin 7 rod 7' and 2-4kg which I have caught numerous big kahawai and smaller kingfish on) where possible go for a graphite rod as the feel and action of these rods cannot be compared to the glass ones when fishing with plastics.

Next up is line.

Now I don't want to preach but braid is killer when fishing soft plastics because you are always connected to the lure no matter what the depth, and combined with the light tackle you can feel everything from the lure brushing against some weed or a rock to the subtle inhale of a lure by a snapper, being able to feel these subtle vibrations through your gear is a must if you are to be successful. However in saying that it is not at all impossible to fish with nylon lines but I believe that you will lower your chances of catching more fish. A fish may grab your lure and spit it out and you may not even know. I have had instances where on retrieving my lure and letting it sink I could feel that the lure had stopped in mid water even in pitch black conditions and on a slack line, struck and came up solid on a fish. Such is the importance of suited tackle. One other advantage with braid is the fact that it is thinner for the same pound rating, meaning better distance when casting. Example 4lb fireline is thinner than 1lb mono but used correctly it may but up to 7-8lb in breaking strain. I'm using 2lb platypus super braid on my finesse reel which is 0.078mm diameter. Pretty thin aye. But this line is more suited for the Australian estuary fish and I would recommend 6-10lb for safe fishing for most harbour fish.

A further note on lines is that you should always run a leader if you are using braid. Braid may be stronger than mono but it has less tolerance to abrasion. Also in most cases braid is fairly visible and a fluorocarbon leader of 4-8 feet is recommended. On colour of braid it doesn't matter if you are using a leader, if you are using yellow or pink etc it just helps to detect bites as the more neutral colours blend in too much.

On the rubbers.

Arr so many options, shapes, sizes, colours but don't be alarmed the old trout fishers have already figured this one out for us. "match the hatch" if you are fishing for some kahawai breaking the surface hunting anchovies or whitebait don't but on a 8" lure, go for something of 2-3" in a similar shape and size to the prey and worked correctly you will catch a lot of fish.

It seems strange to chuck a lure that is similar to the bait into a school of 1000000's of others and think why they would take this one. Well your lure just happens to look sick or scared and strays from the protective school and bang! You�re on.

this is just a guide line common sense should help you pick the right lure, as for colour there has been debate after debate on this so I can only give you my opinion not a solid "this is how it is". In murky water I would go for something that would stand out say bright pink for example. In deep or dark water or at night I would either elect for something bright in colour or in glow or I would go as dark as possible doesn't make much sense but it works.

Jig heads and weight.

well this is a tricky one, some times I go down to 1/22oz .5gm jig heads in good conditions and in say 1-2 meters but if there is a bit of current I may then got to 1gm 1/16oz or even 1.5gm. When you start getting to the deeper 10-20m of water then you have to think about the size of the lead you use, if 4gm just drifts off and doesn't hit the bottom then try a heavier lead. In the deeper waters especially when on the drift you can try using a 'drop shot rig' as the yanks call it. Use weight at the bottom of your leader and then coming off your leader above the weight tie on 1 2 or 3 plastics, similar to a flasher rig and jig it off the bottom as you are drifting.

On working soft plastics.

This is where the fun starts. There are many different ways to work your lure depending on the situation and species of fish you are targeting. Now I can�t list every possible option but I will go through a few tips.

Kings

normally with a king fish you can upsize your lure a bit although I have caught them on Berkley 3" minnows I would probably elect for a pre weighted lure because if you haven't been threading sp's onto jig heads for long it will be hard to get it to swim straight at speeds.

You can troll lures for kings which is effective but not a new tip. Also when you find a nice rock drop off a head land you can cast and retrieve across or near the surface and this will grab the king�s attention but good luck getting them away from the rocks :)

Also in the same areas you can let it sink a bit and do a fast'ish lift the rod to 60deg then drop the rod tip and wind in the slack and repeat to the boat. Jigging for them in deeper reefs will also be productive.

Snapper

Not only are they a prize on the table but they are also dead fun to catch on plastics. In the shallows you can cast out and let the lightly weighted lure hit the sand, then wind the slack and lift the rod with a few light flicks "lift flick flick" retrieve. when your rod reaches say 60deg then quickly drop it to horizontal and give a few quick winds to bring in the slack and leave enough slack to see it twitch or move to indicate a bite. More times than not the snapper will hit the lure on the drop so leaving the (controlled slack) line will indicate a bite. Sometimes if wind is an issue you can keep the line tighter however this may reduce the hook up rate slightly as it is harder for the fish to inhale the lure. This method will work on most fish and is the pretty much standard retrieve for sp lures. You can even get flounder on this method; I have never really targeted them but get them as a by-catch frequently normally when using 2" Berkley gulp grubs. Give it a go on the flats and it should go off.

While bait fishing I would recommend leaving a rod with a sp on it just floating near the bottom in the burley trail and letting the bounce of the boat do the working for you is method never fails to amaze.

When jigging using either a heavy sp or a drop shot rig as previously stated you can jig and get great results using the plastics, again jigging is nothing new so I don't need to explain this one thoroughly.

Kahawai

When hunting these bad boys or similar pelagic species you can adopt a different method. Cast out let it sink for 3-4 seconds and if no bites proceed to wind fairly fast back into the boat and while winding give the rod some sideways flicks to impart a darting motion to the lure. Also the lift flick flick method around rocks or similar kahawai holding areas will work.

Hope this helps some readers. Tight lines and good luck

Welcome John.

Now that's what I call an informative and comprehensive post. Really good information!

yeah top post John and welcome to the forum!

Very timely indeed as I'm going out tomorrow morning to give them a proper go for my first time.

Thanks for the tips

Dang that is a comprehensive and informative first post John, its interesting you mention leaving a soft plastic Just floating above the bottom (presumably in a rod holder unattended -so to speak) .I remember reading something Sam Mossman wrote in a fishing news awhile back where he found it to be very effective on one particular fishing trip out.

Again great post can't wait to read more of your postings.

Well done, very informative. i'll certainly take aboard several of those suggestions,

Cheers, Stu.

Well Done Son.

It really is my son. I feel really cheated cos he buggered off to Aussie just when I started to like him. He would make a great fishing buddy.

Its a great post and I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of SP's through John's zealousness on his annual trips back home. Around the buoys they are like instant livebait and work where poppers are not  working and the dropper rig with multiple SPs are lethal on the drift.

Come on John, fess up. You put it through a spell checker first - didn't you?

Cheers, Dad

@kezza

Yeah I have noticed the storm range of non integral weight lures they are there but they don�t have the selection as the others do, I have found them fairly rigid and well I guess �plastic like� not as soft and flexible as say Berkley lures, so I would be wondering how this affects the movement of the lure in the water. Again a personal preference, not saying they don�t work because they wouldn�t be on the shelf if they didn�t work. How ever I do like their grubs that have the hidden weight on the hook that sits in the middle of the lure so the sinking lure doesn�t nose dive it flutters horizontally. There is an ozzie company which makes similar over here on a say size 4 or 3 hook and is straight and is ideal for most sp�s their called TT lures.

@Wizard

Rigging/threading sp�s is tricky to start with but can be done well over time, ill give you a few pointers.

1        choose a lure, say a blue fox fish or a Berkley 3� minnow/drops hot

2        Choose a suitable jig head for the conditions and make sure that the hook isn�t too big for the lure. You only want the hook to fill say 30% tops 50% of the body of the lure otherwise you will restrict the inbuilt action of the lure or the movement you put to the lure if it is a form of stick bait like the Berkley drops hot minnows.

3        Once both of the above have been selected lye the lure on its side and grab the jig head and put it against the side of the lure, push the jig head snug up against the start of the lure and take note of where the (u) of the hook is on the lure, this is where the point of the hook will have to come out.

4        Now grab the lure in one hand and push the point of the hook into the centre of the lure (this is easiest while looking straight down on the lure) thread the lure onto the hook slowly (this doesn�t have to be done in one motion) keep an eye on the hook as it passes through the plastic and make sure it is on dead straight. The flash from the moulding process is a good guide for this, when you get to your ponit you measured out push the hook through the lure and out. And you�re done.

5        A few more tip, look at the lure from all angles to make sure it is as close to straight as can be and then tie it on and give it a test swim in the water beside you before you start fishing with it.

Hope this helps wizard.

@ joker.

Of course I used spell checker otherwise id make a twat out of my self J

I�ve got plenty more tips up my sleeve guys. Feel free to ask

Oh on another note there are a few DVD�s on the market worth getting hold of. They all cover Australian fish but the techniques will work on nz fish. Take Australia bream. They are very similar to snapper only smaller and much harder to catch on lure, but what will work for bream will work for snapper. They also catch king�s snapper and all the usuals on the DVD�s too

1 squidgie secrets with Steve Starlo and Kaj Busch. Part 1 part 2 and part 3. Are worth a watch. They show a lot about what you can catch and show you a lot of fish catching with a little bit of education here and there. Still a good buy on ebay.com.au or if you can get your local shop to order it even better.

2 the Berkley soft plastic DVD. This one is excellent and informative as hell. �mad dog� the pro who I think needs to take Ritalin in the vid goes through in depth through tackle, lines, casting, lures, jig heads, different fishing situations, and different fish including trout. And is a top video for anyone starting out. Even on how to tie knots.

So yea I would recommend this one to anyone to start out on and the squidgie one for an enjoyable watch and to explore the possibilities

great stuff John! you have certainly inherited your fathers enthusiasm for getting out there and catchin fish. Next time your back here, i want you and ya dad to get Ian White out with yaz and show him, no just remind him how it's all done. .  ..  tell Joker to get in touch with Ian and demand he gets the Haines on the briney.

Your dads old haunt around Waiwera has been fising well i  hear.

Well done that man what a great post off information   you could not have said it any better it will help a lot of people great stuff man.

Hi John welcome to the site can't weight for more info.

I whent out for a fish with the Capten & Mike from Berkley Aus in september and man i was hooked. The fish we got on the sp on the drift in the foul snaps from 3-8lb, yellowtail, spottys, kahawai, john dory,trevally all in a day on sp. My bb snap on a sp is 23lb on a berkley realistix rainbow smelt boy did that fish hit that sp hard.

Talking with the Capten on the way back from fishing if us in the trade and people like you and useing the wright tackel people will not be useing bait in two or three years time. For me iam hooked.

                Keep that good info comeing Tiny.