Soft Plastic....Rigging ,Aplication & Presentation....

I know this kind of lure not very popular among angler here compare to plug and spinner...but i am sure theres a few out there that really use them to target our local species such as wrasse ,bass and pollack.....lets share on how we rig and present the lure.Btw they are versatile and economic to be use on rough and snaggy terrain where fish hold.What is your favourite rigging tecnique for this lure in the most snaggy terrain such as kelp bed where big pollack love to hold tight???I'll post my favourite plastic and rigging method later with pic.....cheeerssss.

I always soft plastics for the like of pollock and i favor the storm sandeel and the berkly fire tails. i find i get better results with these than spinners tho i've never tried plugs...but anyway i rig them up on a 2/0 sakuma manta extra and bring the hook outta the eel about 2 inches from the head of the eel with 2ft of 30lb line then a swivel, bead, then a 2oz drilled bullet, another bead and then a spot knot or another swivel...i generally let the eel bounce on the top of the kelp, mid water or along the sides of rock faces if i can get close to the edge...

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

I know this kind of lure not very popular among angler here compare to plug and spinner...but i am sure theres a few out there that really use them to target our local species such as wrasse ,bass and pollack.....lets share on how we rig and present the lure.Btw they are versatile and economic to be use on rough and snaggy terrain where fish hold.What is your favourite rigging tecnique for this lure in the most snaggy terrain such as kelp bed where big pollack love to hold tight???I'll post my favourite plastic and rigging method later with pic.....cheeerssss.

Joe,,
The only plastics i will use are Storm shads for Bass in estuarys, must be deep channels fished basically with a 1oz ball lead around 3 to 4 feet just sliding on a simple rig, but very effective you will see the method used on henry gilbys bass dvd that he and i made together last year

cheers gee

I wont use storm....theres a lot of other stuff out there which is more interesting and fun to use....its not because they dont catch fish....i've use them 4 years ago back home,catch loads of fish with them too....for me they re lousy old tech softies......theres no point of having a potruding hooks and fish them in the kelp.....sorry JIMHO,no offence....c'mon man....be creative and explore the wide spectrum of softies.....theres still loads more of improvement can be done.....

Got some soft baits recently to use off the the back of Dun Laoghaire pier I usually hook them weedless like this [img]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r30/jack01986/DSC00412.jpg[/img]
Have used the twin tails for pollack in the west even managed a wrasse as well on them. Liked the look of these guys [img]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r30/jack01986/DSC00414.jpg[/img]
as well have caught a good sized pollack on these from the boat. Normally fish them on a short baitcaster with a multiplier very good for controlling the lure in the water.

softies for boat anglers ,,,,,,,,,
it was just a example of how to catch a bass on a diff method so jo why diddent you do it??????????
or are you too advanced for us mere mortals


gee

Had a great season on softbaits, fish them weedless in the kelp and dead drifted round the washes on reefs etc. Gotta have that hook hidden to make it effective or you just keep getting hung up on the terrain, boy can it be effective :D Lots of room for experimentation with baits and weighting methods.

It has to be said the far east and america are light years ahead of us when it comes to this style of fishing, some focused internet research can reveal an awful lot.

Marty

softies for boat anglers ,,,,,,,,,
it was just a example of how to catch a bass on a diff method so jo why diddent you do it??????????
or are you too advanced for us mere mortals


gee

Don't be down on the guy too much, he knows a lot about using softies, more Japanese and US bass style, with light rods and multis, he's not trying to put anyone down, he's gauging the Irish attitude, not trying to be all in your face.

softies for boat anglers ,,,,,,,,,
it was just a example of how to catch a bass on a diff method so jo why diddent you do it??????????
or are you too advanced for us mere mortals

No offense G.....but who say that softies only for boat anglers???I did use them for bass from shore.I know a lots of local guys from this forum that are using more advance lure and softies technique.But when i do the search not many of them want to reveal their advance skill and tactics because they have their own reason specially when its come to bass.For me i respect their opinion and reason.As for me i only want to share info and knowledge with fellow lure angler on what i think a more fun way of fishing.Is Henry Gilbey DVD is the only advance source for bass fishing tech???Nah...I dont think so....


Yes US,other European Country and Far East country are far advance with lure fishing.....but in certain discipline of fishing they still look up at UK style and they still far behind.

[rapalajoe]

Theres a lot of style u can use this plastic lure.For me i like to rig them weedless....either "exposed" or "skin".For weedless presentation theres a special off-set hook and jighead.....
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0757.jpg[/img]

The plastic...
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0764.jpg[/img]

Weigless Rig
Some plastic are salt impregnated so they tend to float.Rig weightless and u can walk them on the top of the water.U can put weight insert to make them slowly sink and suspend.Theres a specially made nail sinker which can be insert to the plastic lure,for me i just use a piece of lead and shape them in 1cm long and 2mm thick and use them as an insert.
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0766.jpg[/img]

Drop Shot
Just cast them out....and u can shake them back slowly in between the crank.The key is to keep in contact with bottom.It can be shake statically in one spot suspected fish holding area.The hook is tied using palomar without triming the tag end.Theres 2 type of rigging....weedless or using circle hook or any wide gape short shank crab hook.The length from the bait to the sinker is depend on what height u want the bait to be shake.Shake mean only a small amount of rod tip is move and keep contact with the bottom.Suitable when fishing on deep marks and high on the rock.The sinker usually attached by threaded in the line through sinker and secure by a knot.In case u got a snag....u wont loose the whole rig.
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0775.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0771.jpg[/img]

Wacky Rig
Can be fish using jig head or just by a hook weightless.Some times the weight is inserted on both end of or only one end of the lure.A hook or jig head is thread at the centre of the bait/lure.The rig can be shake in the water colum and be drop back to bottom and can be shake up again.The position and how many weight is inserted in the lure will determine how it fall to the bottom after each shake.
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0778.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l6/rapalajoe/IMG_0776.jpg[/img]

Other than that....there is carolina rig(As describe by Jonny Gillbert ,thanks for sharing)with a few variation....and a few variant of texas rig too.

Last edited by rapalajoe on Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

Those soft baits look really good, only have the basic jelly worms compared to your ones Joe. Need to get some better hooks for fishing them as well only have normal leadheads that you cant really hook weedless. Have you caught anything here on those crayfishy/lobster lures?

Thanks Jack.....the long stick bait is a slug-go by lunker city.....i've heard somebody is bringing them to uk....just try google them....the hook mostly i got from online....i saw that viking tackle do carry the owner brand,but i am not sure of the size that they have rite now,last time they only have the small size....the jighead is Tru Tungsten 1/4oz....using tungsten head wch is more dense than lead make it more smaller size and sensitive...unfortunately the biggest they can offer is in 1/4 oz.....The one with the bib is a Tru tungsten jig modified to give it some action when i am only doing some lazy cranking....its make the plastic wigle left and right without a need to jerk and twitch it...its actually an imitation of a scrounger head.
[url]http://fishinfanatics.com/Scrounger.html[/url]
The original scrounger was reproduce by Aron Martens....its been said that the bib will also make the jig snagless....
Other than Tru Tungsten theres only a few jighead on the market that offer the offset hook... with a decent weight.For me,i have no problem casting the 7g(1/4oz) with the plastic.u can look at owner sledge head and
[url]http://jigfish.com/catalog.php?homeinclude=catalog&category_id=&parent_id=0&product_id=33&countdisplay=1&start=0&addcountview=Yes[/url]
[url]http://www.ownerhooks.com/pages/products/hooks/ultraheads.htm[/url]
So far with the small lobster,i only cought 1 pollack and loose one fish that keep on stripping the line and snap it.
Btw i like using them...u got a bunch of them for few quid....

wild fancy rigs ,,
sorry but had no sucess at all on this type of stuff apart from peskey pollock ,
give up many years ago with a preference to proper lurefishing sorry not realey into plastic and rubber :roll: :roll:

Good stuff Joe. I haven't used soft plastics before apart from the storm stuff. I'll have to give it a go in conditions when loose weed would prevent use of other lures ...

Thanks for the pics.

very interesting joe, just out of interest what rigging method have you found most succesful for bass over here.

also what weight is the shot/weighted hook you use, is there much difficulty in gaining casting distance with them...

re. cazbass maby you have to look at the skill of the practitioner using the methid as a guage as to how effective they are. i know guys in new jersey who only use soft baits for stripped bass and have exceptional success with them, couldnt see why they shouldnt apply over here.

G...
What do you mean by "proper lure fishing"????
Using plug???I do use plug and all other lure as well.Its all lure fishing.Whats wrong with pesky pollack???With a proper balance gear they re all fun to catch....i wont give up using it not because its only catch Lateolabrax japonicus in japan its also well proven by french,italian,spanish and portuguese angler catching Dicentrachus Labrax.For me fishing is about catching fish....but i want to catch them in the most fun way other than using conventional lures.

Teacher,
thanks.I just make sure to have the plastic with me all the time when i am out fishing.I am sure that most of the time its best to pack light and do 'run and gun' looking for bass rather than waiting for them.The versatility of plastic make it easy to use when u came across weed/kelp infested rocky cove wch are suspected to holds bass but theres too many risk of getting the plug snag.Other than that i do use them for pollack and wrasse in case theres no bass around,since i can present it much close to the structure and deep near bed.

Lumpy,
So far its only jighead swim and jigged among rock and kelp that get me a bass.The other other rig only manage to attract pollack and wrasse.I do heard that some french angler have great success on bass using wacky and drop shoting rig.So i dont think its not possible to use this method on them.I am sure in the right hand/bass angler they re vital for bass.In the hand of people that know how to predict bass and know where to look for them on the right time maybe the result will be different.The key is to work them slowly....most angler cant stand the urge to crank it in fast as other lure like crankbait minnow.So i dont think its gonna be a prob if one use to fly fishing.Theres a lot of experiment can be done....different weight insert will determine a different rate of fall.....different position of the weight insert will determine on how the action of the fall.
As for the weight....i still can get a nice 25m of distance using a 7g(1/4oz) jighead with a 6" plastic using multi.With a small FS spinning reel and a suitable rods i reckon u can get more than that.Use heavy jig with big plastic...u dont want the set up just sink to the bottom straight.....it should glide and wiggle down to the bottom.Most of the take usually from the fall.

i was first exposed to softies when i worked in Texas and Mexico - we chased bass and reddrum with local guides and watched the bass pros use them to devasting effect in competitions.

of course i couldnt wait to get back here to try them as a pleasure angler. now that things have changed and i fish for a living i can honestly say that i simply cant leave them out of the setup -

my success is based not on my own fishing but on my customers - if i can put him on fish with the right techniques then my job is done. the technique and equipment of advanced soft lure fishing is one that any professional cannot be without.

the rigs that are shown (and theres more) here by RJ are ones that are used by all the professional guides that i know and worked with in Europe and the US and I learned the techniques from them and use them here too. I might post a few fishy fotos later.

my advice - look and learn from this thread its valuable information for the bass fisherman in Ireland. In my opinion RJ threads are a mine of accurate and progressive information and a great contribution to this site

best
Jim

joe, sorry if that went the wrong way,i apologise for calling a pollock peskey,,
as i said i do not do the plastics but i ,as a lure angler obviously realise they are variations to every sport , i personally find the jigsaw of watercraft ,reading the water,selecting lures thro years of trial and error what works where at what stage of tide in what weather conditions at what time of year eventually reading beaches ,rock strewn gullies allowing for water clarity knowing when not even to cast a line after a good or bad weather forcast looking for all the right pointers to produce good catches of bass to order possibly too much of a challenge at times
so this is mabey why the technique of plastic has passed me by and left me high and dry with a storm shad to my credit only ,,

gee

Jim.H,
Thanks for the nice words...

Gee,
Sorry and i would like to apologize too if any of my words are not nice to hear....its in the forum and anybody can easily misunderstood the meaning of one words.....btw we all angler have our own style,method and technique of preference....specially when its come to bass....i understand and respect their opinion and cause if they dont want to share it publicly.....for me i think its one of the way to implement a conservation mind for bass...hoping that people will appreciate more when they catch them in more fun way....cheeeerrrsssss

jo ,, off to south america tommorow cant wait,,,orinoco delta

keep u imformed thanks

gee