We’ll be back in a while after a short break
A
Fishing With Soft Plastic Lures
Fishing With Soft Plastic Lure, STRAIGHT & SLOW
This time round, I’m continuing my series of tips on increasing your
success rates when fishing with soft plastic lures. Here are the
second two of my “10 Commandments” for effective soft plastic fishing:
3. RIG ’EM STRAIGHT!:
One area that brings more novice
soft plastic fishers undone than any other is the rigging of the
plastic tail on the jig head or hook. While it’s simple enough, this
part of the equation is all too easy to get wrong, and small errors
can translate into dramatically reduced catch rates! The biggest
secret is simply to take your time, get the tail on the hook nice and
straight, and then quickly test swim the lure beside the bank or boat
before beginning to fish with it. This might add 30 seconds or so to
the process but, trust me, it’s time well spent!
4. FISH ’EM SLOW!:
Nearly everyone (me included!) still
fishes their soft plastics a little too quickly at times. Remember,
these are very realistic, life-like lures. They have action, scent,
texture and taste that no hard-bodied lure (and very few natural
baits) can hope to match. So, don’t be afraid to really slow down and
give the fish a good chance to look at (and eat!) your soft lures. As
a basic guideline, start out slow with plastics and, if in doubt, slow
down some more! It’s almost impossible to go too slow.
Next time, two more tips to improve your catch rates when using soft
plastics…
Tight Lines.
STARLO
Starlo’s daughter, Amy, knows how to slowly tweak a soft plastic, and
Fishing Success With Soft Plastics Lures
SUCCESS WITH SOFT PLASTICS
As promised last time, I will be bringing you my tips for fishing
effectively with soft plastic lures over the next couple of
installments. Here are the first of my “10 Commandments” for success
with soft plastics:
1. USE THE RIGHT GEAR:
You’ll get more from your soft
plastics by matching them up with the right tackle. This begins with
responsive, high modulus graphite rods, fitted with lightweight,
low-friction runners and quality hardware. Reels should also be
ultra-smooth, with plenty of bearings for long life and trouble-free
performance. The line used on these modern lure fishing combos is
typically gel-spun polyethylene (either braided or fused GSP), rather
than traditional nylon monofilament. Gel-spun or GSP line has had an
immense impact on soft plastic fishing. Its incredible
strength-for-thickness and ultra-low stretch translate into
dramatically enhanced casting performance and an amazingly high level
of ‘feel” when it comes to detecting bites and setting hooks, not to
mention steering powerful fish away from line-cutting snags!
2.USE THE RIGHT RIG:
Wherever possible, avoid adding
swivels, clips, snaps, rings and other unnecessary items to the line
or leader when using soft plastics. The cleanest, most effective rig
of all is gel-spun main line connected straight to a nylon or
fluorocarbon leader using a sturdy, reliable and thin-profile knot
such as a Double Uni, Albright or Slim Beauty. This leader then
attaches directly to the jig head with either a tight, fully-locked
knot (in light leader material), or a small loop (in heavier
material). What could be easier (or safer) than two good knots between
you and the fish? (You’ll find these knots clearly illustrated in many
knot tying books and also on-line.)
Next time, two more tips to improve your catch rates when using soft
plastics…
Tight Lines.
STARLO
- Snapper are just one of many species you’ll begin catching in good
You can catch as many Snapper as you want with
Whales buried as survivors do well
More than 50 whales which died in a mass stranding in north-western Tasmania have been buried.
