Soft-plastic basics - Techniques and strategies

(Part 5)

Yes, it's time to actually get your soft-plastic lure in the water and catching fish!

Hope you haven't lost interest - after all, it's taken five months to get to this point!

On the positive side, at least you're now perfectly poised to take advantage of the great soft-plastic fishing available at this time of year.

Shallow water tactics
There's no doubt about it, casting soft-plastics into the shallows is the most exciting way to catch snapper - and trevally and kingfish and kahawai - and so much more!

The basic concept involves drifting and casting over areas with some structure and/or weed, or casting out towards rocky coastline/exposed reefs, preferably with active swells producing some sudsy white-water.

Although usually more productive in early morning or late evening, soft-baits can also be surprisingly effective at other times of the day, especially if the conditions are overcast and with minimal boat traffic to make resident snapper wary or send them into hiding. So, if times are tough out deep, it's always worth a crack in shallower, because you never know.

Tackle
For the benefit of readers who have not been following this series, this technique and conditions suit soft-plastic spinning outfits loaded with 3kg Fireline (which actually breaks just under 10kg) or other brands of superlines up to 10kg (which also usually break significantly above their stated rating).

To make the most of these lines, which you'll often need to do when attempting to control big fish in shallow, reefy territory, your rod should be powerful enough to handle the demands required by 6kg line, minimum. The rod should also be made of graphite for optimal lightness and power, and two-metres-plus in length, to get the soft-baits well away from the boat and into the target zone.

As for the reel, it should hold at least 200 metres of the chosen line and exert at least 3kg of drag pressure to be truly useful in reefy shallows.

Soft-plastic lures can be rigged on lead-heads or ‘worm hooks,' but in both cases they need to possess just enough weight to be cast and not much more. Weights between a quarter and three-eighths of an ounce are popular, although even unweighted tails work sometimes, especially the larger ones with a reasonable amount of inherent weight.

The smaller hook sizes are easier to set, but obviously as they get smaller they also tend to be weaker, and the bigger tails increasingly ‘choke' the hook's gape, making hook-ups less likely. Consequently, most anglers settle on 3/0-4/0 hooks as a good compromise.

The soft-plastic tail you choose should reflect its shallow-water role. For example, the larger, bulkier soft-plastic tails sink more slowly than smaller, more streamlined types - a useful attribute for situations where the lure should stay in a specific area or part of the water column for as long as possible. If your lead-head is heavier than ideal, use a bigger tail to help neutralise this problem.

I suggest 5-inch (13cm) tails as minimum, with 6-inch (15cm) and 7-inch (17cm) even better sometimes, especially in places not subject to much fishing pressure.

Utilising your floating platform
The type, weight and size of the vessel you use - and how it's used - will have a bearing on your success.

As we're dealing with a species of fish that often reacts badly to unusual noises, it pays to be on a water-craft that's as quiet as possible, with minimal or no engine noise and a hull that produces very little wave-slap (this is why kayak fishers often do so well using soft-plastics in the shallows).

Having said this though, those aboard relatively noisy tinnies and large charter boats can still get amongst the action by taking a bit more care and thinking smarter, especially if targeting sections of coastline that drop away into deeper waters.

It pays to take precautions prior to reaching the location. When a hundred metres or so from ‘Spot X,' ease back on the throttle to just above idle and slowly trundle in, taking care to skirt the area you intend casting into or drifting across. The boat's shadow and engine noise often mean fish are less likely to take a lure once the boat's passed over them.

Ideally, the boat is positioned to take advantage of any tide and/or wind, so the anglers can start or finish a comfortable casting distance away from the targeted area. The boat should continually encounter new territory while it drifts along the coastline or reef, rather than revisit ‘old' ground.

Most anglers will be surprised how close to the rocks some anglers will take their boats. For example, my friend John Eichelsheim regularly fishes spots that require him to push off from the rocks while drifting and casting from his 12-foot tinny, a strategy that rewards him with some great fish. Obviously this is best done from small craft in reasonably benign conditions - and owning an old, dinged-up boat like John's doesn't hurt either!

Shallow moves
Wherever you end up, concentrate on casting your soft-bait into new water; this usually means up ahead of the boat's drift direction or out to the sides, but of course there will always be exceptions, especially if the boat is drifting away from the best territory and you're still keen to cast back into it. 

The key after casting is to know when to stop feeding line off the reel - or whether to feed out any at all.

In very shallow water (less than two metres, say), it can be best to engage the reel right away, giving a few sharp, rising jiggles with the rod, then winding the handle two or three times to remove the slack line, perhaps allowing a slight pause (especially if the soft-bait is very lightly weighted) before executing more rod jiggles and reel-handle winds. Essentially you want the lure coming back towards you in an erratic fashion, while slowly sinking as the depth increases, all the while ensuring there's minimal slack line. (Obviously you will need to wind faster if the wind or current is blowing the boat towards the lure.)

Catching up momentarily on weed and structure is actually good - it means you're down where the snapper are lurking. But do it too often and either the lead-head is too heavy and/or you are winding too slowly.

Fortunately, a snagged lure is not necessarily a lost lure. As the jig-head's hook faces up, it tends to catch on weed fronds, so can often be ripped free with a sharp jerk of the rod or steady pressure. The same pressure can cause jammed jig-heads to ‘trip over' hard structure, freeing them. If all else fails, it's usually possible to carefully motor up towards the snag, keeping pressure off the line, but not allowing too much slack either. Then, once past its position, wind up quickly and pull back hard with the rod from the opposite direction. This usually does the trick. (With Gulp! soft-baits, I have actually had fish bite them free for me!)

Despite all the precautions and measures though, particularly gnarly terrain can exact a high price in terms of lost soft-baits and patience, but at least it's provides plenty of knot-tying practice! At such times you may decide to find more forgiving territory (and, probably, fewer big fish during winter) - or perhaps try hanging in there and using ‘worm-hooked' soft-baits instead. The great thing about worm hooks is that they can be rigged in soft-baits so the point barely emerges or even stays completely hidden, enabling the more streamlined tails to slither and jiggle through the subterranean jungle without snagging. It is only when that battle-scarred kelpie rushes out and crunches down on the soft-bait, pushing the hook-point through the bait, that the hook can be set.

Such fishing is best done with very little weight. I generally toothpick a tiny, one-eighth-ounce ‘bean' sinker in place (it's more streamlined than a ball), although as previously mentioned, a completely unweighted tail can prove effective at times, especially when given a very slow, twitching retrieve.

Probing the depths
Deeper water often produces exciting action, especially during the warmer months when the fish are schooling and actively feeding.

While it's possible to use exactly the same rods and reels as those used in shallow waters, small freespool and baitcaster type outfits can be even more effective, for reasons that will be revealed shortly.

Deep moves
Obviously the sea varies a great deal in depth, so much of your success will depend on your ability to choose a strategy that best suits the existing conditions. For example, you need to decide on the lead-head weight before starting. Do you tie on a heavy one to plummet the soft-bait down so it reaches the fish congregating on the sea floor as quickly as possible, or do you use a lighter one to take advantage of the times when the bigger fish are up off the bottom and taking the lure in mid-descent? Or perhaps a compromise between the two will ultimately prove most effective? You will need to experiment and adapt to the changing conditions.

The next big question to ponder is: Do I need or want to cast? The answer is yes, probably (unless heaps of fish are showing on the fish-finder directly under the boat). Although you no longer need to worry much about the effect of the boat on any wary snapper in deep water, casting or lobbing your soft-bait up ahead of your drift direction allows more time to jiggle the soft-bait back to the boat and then, perhaps, out behind the boat for a while. This results in more area being covered and causes the lure to assume a variety of actions, any of which might be the one that triggers a strike.  

So how far up-current should you cast, and how much line needs to be released before engaging the reel?

Basically, the further you cast ahead and the shallower the water, the less line you should release. For example, if the water is 20 metres deep and you have cast 30 metres, even if the bail-arm is closed immediately, the lure must eventually reach the seafloor.

However, as the lure will descend more quickly if given ‘free reign,' most anglers feed out line after casting. Some like to start off by whipping the rod upwards a couple of times to produce some slack line, then continue with further uplifts each time the limp line looks ready to disappear.

In the deeper water (30-50 metres, say), it can be worth changing over to pulling the line off the spool by hand as ‘the zone' approaches, staying just ahead of the disappearing limp line in order to better detect any bites or strikes that occur on the way down. Sometimes I allow the descending lure to simply drag line off the spool or slip lightly through my fingertips, as although this slows the descent, that's not always a bad thing, serving to keep the line slightly tighter to the lure, enabling better bite detection and a more rapid angler response.

Then, when you suspect the bottom is not far away, try engaging the reel and giving the soft-bait occasional twitches with the rod as it continues to angle downwarrds. This ‘swims' the soft-bait slowly downwards - right in the main strike zone - and, even better, you're already in gear just waiting for the bite, enabling you to strike and set the hook immediately.

It can be hard to know when the soft-bait has reached the bottom, especially if the seas are choppy and the drift is fast. So, if in any doubt, don't hesitate to let out more line, watching closely as it sucks down steadily, before momentarily slowing and producing slack line, indicating the seabed has probably been reached - or that a fish has grabbed the lure!

The latter situation happens surprisingly regularly, especially when the snapper have congregated prior to spawning or when drawn up from the bottom by slow-moving work-ups overhead. These fish are typically larger specimens and well worth staying alert for, with the descending line jerking, suddenly stopping or charging away. In all cases, strike immediately!

However, should your soft-bait reach the bottom safely (and sadly), commence jiggling rod-lifts, winding in the resulting slack line, the speed of which is determined by the wind and current conditions at the time.

For once, a wind-against-tide situation can be a good thing, often producing the nice slow drifts needed for soft-baits to stay near the bottom for longer, and enabling the use of lighter lead-heads and slower retrieves. Otherwise, light winds and a light or modest current in the same direction can be productive, too.

Too much wind is the soft-bait angler's greatest enemy, although certain measures can be adopted to keep us drift-fishing through to around 20 knots tops.

First to be deployed is a sea anchor/drogue, the bigger the better, as far as I'm concerned. As my Stabi-craft 389 is small and ‘open plan,' the drogue is attached to my bow's anchor-cleat so my bow points safely into the swells, while my buddy and I cast all around.

Casting further ahead helps here too, especially when drifting with the wind. Despite a faster drift speed, the longer casts mean soft-baits can still spend a reasonable amount of time down near the bottom, and if cast with the wind, the line doesn't billow, making it easier for anglers to see when the line reaches the bottom or a fish takes the lure.

Other small things can help too, including using the thinnest possible mainline for minimal water resistance; tying on a heavier lead-head to get down more quickly; and selecting slimmer, more streamlined soft-bait tails, again enabling them to descend more rapidly.

Those in more confined boat cockpits can work in with each other to retain maximum effectiveness, taking turns to cast ahead and then move down along the side, slipping under or over each other as necessary - the ‘soft-bait shuffle'.

In all cases, don't be too quick to wind in once the boat has passed over the soft-bait. Unlike shallow water fishing, good fish can still be in your boat's ‘exhaust,' so keep the soft-bait down and working by letting out some extra line, then engaging the reel and giving the rod an upwards jiggle. This is generally repeated until a) it becomes obvious the soft-plastic lure is nowhere near the seafloor, b) you get bored, or c) a fish nails the lure. Indeed, when drifts are not too fast in reasonably deep water, it's sometimes possible to simply trail a soft-bait behind the boat, jiggling it occasionally, and to still end up fighting plenty of good fish. Simple, huh?

Or, even simpler, forget about much of everything I've talked about to this point, and just place a 2- to 4-ounce bean or ball sinker straight on top of a suitably-sized worm hook (but preferably not too big, as they're harder to set) and drop it down. Despite looking as subtle as a fist between the eyes and the heavy sinker deadening the jiggling uplifts, this rig's a killer. Sometimes just getting down to the bottom quickly and then staying there is more important than anything else. This rig is particularly effective on schooling snapper, but also slays gurnard and blue cod - small wonder, as all are opportunist predators, making them ideal soft-bait cannon fodder. I almost feel guilty taking advantage of them...â€Â