soft plastics

last year started getting my mitts on some soft plastics but have a few questions for anyone with the experience of them. ive tried using them at a few very snaggy marks havnt got a bass on one yet just 2 pollack but 99% of the time i snag and loose the whole lot after about 5 casts. the jigheads i used were 3/4oz bullet heads. i also know that they tend to be used more in estuary situations trotted down the tide, that i can understand pretty well so really what i am looking for is what is considered a fairly robust and successfull set up for very snaggy ground or is it pointless given the ground and would the U.S style weedless jigheads be of any use in combating the harder snags

Hi Seanie
I had great results with them this year. The main thing is to keep the hook hidden. Look up on you tube how to use them Texas style there are loads of videos. The normal jigheads are okay but if you want the hook hidden and presented well, try are source some offset jigheads. Hard to get I'll be looking them up myself later and I'll post you what I find. It's hard to have faith in the fish hooking themselves when the hook is hidden so well, but they do hit them hard.
Hope this helps

Tommy

I feel your pain Seanie , I have gone through a fair few myself!
I have reduced the amount of snags by going with a smaller head. Some of the French lads I fished with would cast and count down – knowing how long it takes the head to sink – I’m not that good – Yet! They reckoned, loosely 1-4 grammes per metre depending on conditions, tide etc.
I had to review my whole rod & line setup in order to get the lighter heads out there.
That’s all very fine unless there is a big run of tide or fishing from the boat when it can be hard to “feel” the bottom.
I snaggy areas I have found rigging drop-shot style and then weedless reduces the amount of loss, but I still lose a fair few.

Rig them up weedless - texas style and fish 'em at low-water kelp strewn marks....deadly!!!

Sean, here is a discussion from 2007 about various rigging techniques for softplastic lures from 'rapalajoe', very interesting reading and maybe it helps:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=13959

Hi Seanie
I had great results with them this year. The main thing is to keep the hook hidden. Look up on you tube how to use them Texas style there are loads of videos. The normal jigheads are okay but if you want the hook hidden and presented well, try are source some offset jigheads. Hard to get I'll be looking them up myself later and I'll post you what I find. It's hard to have faith in the fish hooking themselves when the hook is hidden so well, but they do hit them hard.
Hope this helps

Tommy

thanks tommy going to get some off set hooks and that was my worry having the hook set internally just have to hope the fish hit it hard

I feel your pain Seanie , I have gone through a fair few myself!
I have reduced the amount of snags by going with a smaller head. Some of the French lads I fished with would cast and count down – knowing how long it takes the head to sink – I’m not that good – Yet! They reckoned, loosely 1-4 grammes per metre depending on conditions, tide etc.
I had to review my whole rod & line setup in order to get the lighter heads out there.
That’s all very fine unless there is a big run of tide or fishing from the boat when it can be hard to “feel” the bottom.
I snaggy areas I have found rigging drop-shot style and then weedless reduces the amount of loss, but I still lose a fair few.

hi jim probably was going to heavy with the jigheads to start with, see now theres a load of different style jigheads out there suppose trying to balance the whole kit whilst still achieving a bit of distance from the shore would be key to the enjoyment of it aswell, what kind of breaking strain braid do you use if you please

Rig them up weedless - texas style and fish 'em at low-water kelp strewn marks....deadly!!!

i will give it a good try out for sure in the upcoming season pat thanks

Sean, here is a discussion from 2007 about various rigging techniques for softplastic lures from 'rapalajoe', very interesting reading and maybe it helps:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=13959

brilliant read martin thanks for that good to put pics to terminology

Texas style is the way to go Seanie, soft plastics saved many a blank for me this year, fishing over very snaggy rock marks can be lethal! I have found that bites can be very delicate at times! But its a lethal method to have up your sleeve when the going gets tough!!

Best of luck!

Braidspeak: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=31759

Texas style is the way to go Seanie, soft plastics saved many a blank for me this year, fishing over very snaggy rock marks can be lethal! I have found that bites can be very delicate at times! But its a lethal method to have up your sleeve when the going gets tough!!

Best of luck!

cheers james seems to be the way to go if you dont want to say goodbye to 30 euros worth of japans finest artwork really looking forward to getting into those tackle graveyards in west waterford

Braidspeak: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=31759

had a read good info ive used as low as 12lb bs braid plug fishing just to be able to increase my cast to clear patches when the water was very coloured in close dont think i would go lower bs myself

hello from france


a web site very good for soft lures http://www.bricoleurre.com/

nowsince 3 years i do myself all my soft lures specialy the best ever in the world xlayer

if you want some details

salutations

If your down around this neck of the woods again Seanie il show you some effective SP's and various set ups.

a web site very good for soft lures http://www.bricoleurre.com/

Thanks for the link, good site!

hello from france


a web site very good for soft lures http://www.bricoleurre.com/

nowsince 3 years i do myself all my soft lures specialy the best ever in the world xlayer

if you want some details

salutations

thanks for that

If your down around this neck of the woods again Seanie il show you some effective SP's and various set ups.

thanks danny 50/50 on renting a house for a week during the summer very close to last time i was talking to ye

If your down around this neck of the woods again Seanie il show you some effective SP's and various set ups.

Will you show us too?