Soft Plastics in Deep Water

Hi All,

I am aiming to have a crack with some soft plastics (Gulp 5" & 7" shads) in some deep water 30m + over the weekend. Reading literature on this type of fishing, which is mostly eastern states snapper fishing, suggests that light jig heads up to not much more than 1/2 oz are the go. This seems a bit light to me as I wonder if such a light weight would get down near the bottom with any sort of current running.

I reckon we will most likley anchor and burley

Just wondering if anybody has had a crack at this sort of fishing, if so any tips on jig head weights etc would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Steve


Colin Hay's picture

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The big secret appears to be the drift Steve

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:37

and catsing out ahead of the drift. So the current and the wind will have the biggest effect on your success.
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yep, I have read that Colin.

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:42

yep, I have read that Colin. However I get the feeling that most of the "magazine" fish are caught in something around 15m of water. When fishing in 30m+ my worry is that I will drift past the cast and be gione before the jig gets anywhere near the bottom. I have some 1oz heads, so I suppose the trick is to just give them a go.

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That is my concern too Steve

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:51

Though I have seen quite a few shows where they have supposedly been fishing in 40 m water.
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I've found the j-hook style

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:47

I've found the j-hook style jigheads a bitch to rig on SPs, the worm-hook styles are much easier to rig and you can just put a bean ahead of them or dropshot them.

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Till, I had a thought that I

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:51

Till,

I had a thought that I could fish it basically like a drift bait, but replace the snelled hooks with a worm hook loaded with SP.

Is this what you are suggesting?

Steve

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In stronger currents they do use paternoster rigs which seem

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:51

to work ok
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If I need to use paternoster

Thu, 2008-11-27 14:53

If I need to use paternoster I reckon I will stick with bait. Just looking to do something a bit different with some lighter gear

Colin Hay's picture

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I have seen guys on TV run the SP on one hook

Thu, 2008-11-27 15:04

and bait on the other. Amazing how many times the fish have gone straight past the bait to grab the SP.
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My experience has tended to

Thu, 2008-11-27 15:11

My experience has tended to go the other way. I hooked  two legal dhufish and a pinky all on bait with a lumo squid over it, the 7" berkley jerk shad was untouched.



I just think you might not get it down with zero weight, so a bean ahead of it, or a dropshot rig might work for you.

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Till, I generally have been

Thu, 2008-11-27 15:22

Till, I generally have been using a No5 bean sinker above snelled hooks for the drfit baits. Might set one up with a SP below it and see how I go.

Then again if we anchor the smaller jig heads might be enough.

What colour SPs were you using? I have a couple of colours, 7" Nuclear Chicken which is supposed to glow, some 7" white ones and also some mulie coloured ones in 5"

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Orange/white with black dots

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:14

Orange/white with black dots

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damo6230's picture

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SP fishing

Thu, 2008-11-27 16:33

steve

I use SP regularly and this depth should not hinder your fishing.

as people have previously said if you drift then throw out ahead of the drift; slow your drift with a the sea anchor, otherwise put a slightly heavier head on.

the aim is to use light as posible. i start with a 1/4 and then move up until i am confident i am in the zone. remember the profile of  SP is slim, this will reduce drag. then move up to what ever weight you need, 1 once is no problem if you need.

 at that depth i would not use anything less than 5 inch, preferably 7 inch jerk shad.

remember fish don't always hold on the bottem and a good sounder will indicate fish depth so you don't always need the SP on the bottom. i have caught fish mid water and fish readily rise to eat fish.

i have caught fish by simply casting out and then placing the rod in a holder and the natural action of the boat imparts action on the SP and you still catch fish. even works well when anchored.

anchoring is self explanitory and you can markedly reduce head size/weight. sometime i use 1/8. 

just experiment and enjoy and be confident. most of all rig your SP straight on the hook, can't emphasise this enough and test it before you throw.

they work well

 

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Thanks Damo, hopefully the

Thu, 2008-11-27 18:35

Thanks Damo, hopefully the weather plays the game on the weekend and I can have a fair crack at it.

 

Might invest in a couple of smaller jig heads as well. Most of mine are either tiny or around the 1 oz mark.

 

What size hoook to you have on the 1/4" heads?

 

Cheers

Steve 

 

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Sps

Thu, 2008-11-27 18:40

we use the sps around 25m mark for snapper.
We anchor and burley. depending on current to the size of the jig head. had good results with them.
Good luck

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yea i have fish this sort of

Thu, 2008-11-27 19:01

yea i have fish this sort of depth with SP's i find that if there is much current or wind ect then it is not really worth bothering. the idea of cast then wait for the doat to drift works depending on the depth, but this way only allows u to have a short period of time wile the lure is at bottom before u have to wind the lure in and re-cast. as damo said make sure the lure sits streight on the jig head so it can sink. if it isn't on streight the fish wont take it.

good luckWink

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5inch sanpbacks, 7 inch gulp

Thu, 2008-11-27 19:27

5inch sanpbacks, 7 inch gulp and 8inch squidgie flick baits are all the go. 30m isnt that deep for sp fishing just adapt your head size for the current etc. I fish the 30m's al the time with sp,s and have been right down to a 3/8 head but 1/2 or 1oz will be better. 2oz if you really cant get bottom. TT heads are the only way to go IMO. The extremes are the only ones i use now and rate them highly.

 

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

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SP fishing

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:00

all good comments and info being added steve,

i like TT around the 3/0 myself for all sizes, but you can go either 2/0 or 5/0. i reckon 4/0 would be the perfect size  but as far as i can determine TT dont make that size.

nitro's are decent

agree 110% with spess re SP brands and size. snapbacks are the toughest i reckon (IMO).

once again don't be to hung up on getin the SP on the bottom, i usualy aim for a few meters off. i find hang time more crucial than bottom time, but thats my style.

you can try to texis rig them also. very easy but different hook style; use a good wide gap worm hook and fish the barb either just under or on the back of the SP. texas rig has a free running lead above the hook eye. if not sure just google texas rig for diagrams (sorry cant draw on this site) 

also watch the slack in your line as this indicates when a fish hits.....any unusal movment then strike

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TT's make them up to a 12/0

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:04

TT's make them up to a 12/0 mate ive got a few in 8 ounces for real deep shit. 3/8 TT with 5/0 hook is what i use mainly but 3/0 are great for pinks etc as well. I just ordered some of the new slam baits this week as well in 7inch. Cant wait to see what they can do. Go right off id reckon.lol.

 

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

RETAIN-A-WALL AND LANDSCAPING..............

For all your limestone, bobcat and truck

damo6230's picture

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SP fishing

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:09

just bought 3'' slam minnow.

will try on TT down the Donnally this weekend for bream.

hoping the boags don't get in the way....     ha ha

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yeah that 3' looks the goods

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:11

yeah that 3' looks the goods im keen to get some spare time to try them out. Let me know how they go cheers spess.

 

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

RETAIN-A-WALL AND LANDSCAPING..............

For all your limestone, bobcat and truck

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I'll be keen to hear how the

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:14

I'll be keen to hear how the slams go.

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sounds like a comp

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:16

sounds like a comp is brewing...ha ha

will keep you informed

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Had a good talk to the rep

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:37

Had a good talk to the rep about them and he showed me all the styles etc i was alittle impressed i should say.

 

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

RETAIN-A-WALL AND LANDSCAPING..............

For all your limestone, bobcat and truck

damo6230's picture

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yeh agree

Thu, 2008-11-27 20:43

hopefully the hype is true

time will tell. supposed to be designd for Oz/NZ enviro's.

was surprised to find them in bunno so quickly

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Thanks For all the input

Fri, 2008-11-28 07:37

Thanks For all the input fellas. All very helpful.

 I am using the TT jig heads, they are bloody sharp and the hooks have a bit of meat to them which would be handy if a decent Pinkie or Dhuie takes hold. Might just pick up a few smaller sizes this arvo.

The Slams look OK, but only seem to be available in the 5" at this stage. Been using Gulps with some success on skippy, but haven't really gone hard at the bigger fish yet. One problem is re-sealing the bags that the Gulps come in, I found that they leak. Have overcom ethi sby putting all Gulps together in a tupperware container.

Wonder if the Slams & Gulps could be stored together?

Will give it a go Saturday, unfortunately it will be a late start due to kids sport being on early morning.

Maybe a few SP "enthusiasts" could get together at some stage to get out and give it a good crack. Willing to use my boat .......... and your spotsSmile (kidding)

Cheers Steve

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good idea

Fri, 2008-11-28 10:55

about catching up and throwing some SP around

i'm in bunno though and with my broken jaw still need time before i can go wide.......getin real itchy though

i have caught good sambo's on 1/8 head/ berkley 3" powerbait minnow......one good thing about bunno is the flat seafloor so you may chase the fish once hooked but thats half  the excitment. was on a 1-4kg ugly with 4 kg fireline......caught plenty of pinkies also.

agree with gulps they do leak, but i wouldn't put both together.

good luck