Softly Softly?

[slinkymalinky]

Just wanted to share some recent experiences and my thoughts around going 'softly softly' on agro fish. I'd like to know what other Raiders think.

Up until the last 6 months, I was a total skeptic when it came to the idea of going easy on agro fish, like Kings. The theory has always been that if you go gently, the fish is less likely to panic and try to brick you.

I started Mangrove Jack fishing with 20lb... got busted off, went to 30lb... got busted off... and then my eyes were opened when I first accidentally and then deliberately started hooking them on light estuary gear. Instead of immediately power diving into the nearest snag, when hooked on light gear with a much lighter and therefore softer rod, they spend the first part of every fight wombling around more confused than angry. By the time they work out they're in trouble, they're far enough away from home to make them a whole lot easier to land.

Then on Friday's Mackerel session the same sort of thing happened. Jewhunter's first Mack was hooked on 50 and it dragged him all over the boat. All of mine were caught on the same Jack outfit, this time loaded with 12lb braid. The longest run from any of the 7-8kg fish was probably only 20-30m... about the same as the longest run of the same size fish on JH's 50lb outfit. The Spaniards were mostly calm and persistent rather than panicky, making them surprisingly catchable on light gear.

Is there anyone else out there with experience in the 'softly softly' approach? I'd love to know what you've learned coz I'll be doing a lot more of it.

Cheers, Slinky

[brettmann86]

i've had much the same experience,

for example when targeting carp or yellowbelly i always down size my gear to at least 4lb, they seem to stay calm and tend to swim back and forth aimlessley in open water rather than to duck and dive for cover.

i've never really had much experience with going soft on the salt water species though, although i have landed many large fish on outfits never designed to handle such large fish i'm still in the old school of "you go soft your going home empty handed" although it's interesting for you to share what you've experienced this firday night were heading to a spot that frequently holds large jews so i think i might take the light gear just to see how they react (although secretly i'll have a seperate reel with heavier line hidden in my backpack)...

thanks slinky food for thought... to skull drag them to the surface and wreck yourself and the fish or cradle them up and save both much stress......

Brett

[Trapper Tom]

G'Day Slinkey.

Wow I thought this was a forgotten art as I have not seen one reference to it in any reports.

Started using it years and years ago after reading an article on it by Steve Starling (pretty sure).

It was specific to kingies then.

It was in the days when not too many people new about the kingies on Botany Bay.

Paul Rumsey was teaching us guys about the bay and yeah we were losing more than we landed around the drums and pylons.

And yes it is a real concept and really does work, as you have found out. And it has a bonus which I will elaborate on.

One method was.

1. Using bottle squid(small bean sinker, almost a floater type arrangement) we would caste towards then drift past the pylon/drum ect.

Once taken, very little force was used. Just feel the weight and retrieved the line very slowly.

The fish more times than not will come reasonably meekly along till it realises what the hell.

Then it bolts. The advantage is that you get the damn thing away it away from structure, as you know they are a very dirty fighters. Therefore stacks more time to play the fish instead of the mandatory 2 second bricking.

Note hook was set with only very light force (if any). We even sometimes free spool the line if the fish bolts straight away. It would stop shortly after and just happily swim around being a kingfish again. Very light pressure after this soon saw it clear of the structure

Whilst we generally fished 6lb line we always had/have a second rod with 25lb on it. Did not then or now notice any difference in captures for the different line classes. Therefore it is the technique itself.

The bonus to this method is that a couple of their mates will happily swim along side it as it comes up as the fish is not spooked.

Easy as, ya mate flicks out with a lure or other bait before its spooked and bingo instant double hook up.

The same technique works with soft plastics very well.

Just remember this technique is not initially a fight, its all about "Tricking" the fish to gain an advantage.

Use is for inclose very hard structure, or getting bottom clearance with very large kingies.

I hope I haven't hurt the kingy population in Sydney H and Bot Bay to much as I am sure other FR will now try this.

But thats the the purpose of the report and this site, what good is knowledge unless you pass it along.

All FR note took us about a year to get reliability into the method

A couple of also's here while I'm at it.

Slinkey Do you know the bucket of water trick?. If not pm me and will divulge I'm sure it will help with your style of fishing.

Thought 2.

For Roberta and Dan Bubba who do the bream tournies.

Might be worth a think on this for you, especially Roberta fishing the racks at foster.

Many times I have stood on a little sandy beach in the hacking having lunch and throwing left over chicken out to the waiting hordes of smaller bream and then larger ones. Noted they dash in grab and dart out again, BUT only for a metre or two away. I have never actually done softly softly on bream before but the above "behavior" smacks of some potential for the racks. Hope same helps with the big blue noses.

Oh by the way after every chicken lunch on a beach in the hacking, line goes out to deeper water, bingo never fails their a sucker for it.

Cheers all

Trapper Tom

[johnno]

thats how i bass fish

*sethook for bass

*pole bass away from snag

*pole into boat/land bass

*release bass into water

then softly softly put next cast into next snag

Slinky i have heard your becoming a softy softy as of late

with bananas on board and all

Edited June 9, 2010 by johnno

[framedtrash]

on one of my jigging dvds filmed in NZ one of the jiggers uses a similar method

once hes connected to a fish he backs the drag way off so the fish forgets its even hooked

now he can bring the fish to the surface without it trying to brick him

allows you to fish for bigger fish using lighter gear

seems to work on 30+kg kingies

[tentonner]

was an article in a big fishing magazine this month the inspiration for this topic slinky? because I read an article this morning on the exact subject. It was interesting reading. My limited experience with kingies is the times i've targeted them on light (6-10lb) gear. Most of my fishing is in the harbour and 90% of the kings i catch are only rats and they often can take just as long get to the boat using 20-30lb as they do using 10lb gear. Obviously i've never landed kings of any serious size using the light stuff but find taking the softly softly approach is fun and often more rewarding than using brute force on rat kings

[slinkymalinky]

was an article in a big fishing magazine this month the inspiration for this topic slinky? because I read an article this morning on the exact subject. It was interesting reading. My limited experience with kingies is the times i've targeted them on light (6-10lb) gear. Most of my fishing is in the harbour and 90% of the kings i catch are only rats and they often can take just as long get to the boat using 20-30lb as they do using 10lb gear. Obviously i've never landed kings of any serious size using the light stuff but find taking the softly softly approach is fun and often more rewarding than using brute force on rat kings

Nope, tentonner... haven't read it but I'd like to. Can you pm me the magazine and issue. I'll go out and get one.

cheers, Slinky

[arpie]

Gotta agree with you there, Tony!! When I finally started playing with the 'silly string' 1-2lb fireline Crystal, I made sure I used a soft tipped rod & backed the drag right off ...... and started fishing the flats. Got some fish - flatties & bream but nothing of size. STarted getting game & tossed 2" gulp shrimp on tt HWS 1/32th amongst the oyster racks ....... and blow me down, if I am not landing better fish - both flattie & bream!! As you say - they seem more confused than angry - what is this that I have in my mouth?? I would gently lead them out of the racks & onto the flats, & only THEN lay into them!! I had a very nice (possibly) mid 30's bream on in the racks & brought it to the surface - it was opening & shutting its mouth, sort of 'gulping' (so to speak!) and I ALMOST had it in the net, when it finally realised it was hooked & made a bolt for it, unfortunately busing the line in the process, as I'd forgotten to back the drag off!

It is something that i will play around with some more, next time I am in the racks, Trapper Tom - the first couple of bream i caught after the GF were on the 6lb string ...... & it was only when I was bricked by the bigger fish, that I upgraded to the elephant gun!

If using expensive lures on the flats, it would pay to back off the drag & use a bendy rod - and hope that they don't find the oyster encrusted rocks & thick weed to bust you off in!!

CHeerio & keep up the good work, TOny!! We'll miss you at the Social!

Roberta

[Jewhunter]

Gotta agree mate.

I never tried the 'softly,softly' on the jacks this year as you know & I got dusted every time.

That Mack gave me heaps of curry on 50lb. The one I got on your light stick took ages but really behaved itself.

I've also done it with kings before. There is a really old vid of guys catching kings in Moreton Bay around the markers doing the same thing. Hook 'em up, drag 'em out slowly & then lay into them.

I've got some nice kings on 6lb doing something similar. Give them some but as soon as they head for a pole throw the reel into freespool. The stupid things turn around & swim back to where you hooked them. I remember a very nice l/based king on 6lb & a plastic that I landed after freespooling him 8 times!!!!

Also got an 11kg jew on 6lb in the yak that I just couldn't hurt if I tried. I actually paddled it out from the moored boats & it towed me for 45mins after that before it was stuffed.

It never got angry & never wore through 10lb leader.

Let's try it on the snapper soon!! I'm game if you are.

Cheers,

Grant.

[GregL]

Slink, something to try playing with bream.

Turn drag up and hook a bream, go hard till it sreams off away from you, now flip open the bail arm and see what happens.....

90% of the time it will stop dead in it's tracks!

SOmething good to think about when they scream around the back of pontoons and poles.

Then there's when using light fluro straight threw, amazing how many big flatties ya get to boat. Nice slow and steady retrieve and they sorta glide up to the net.

Greg

[tide'n'knots]

gday tony, I have seen the softly softly approach work on jew! A good mate of mine several years ago got a 17lb jew that ran straight around a bouy where there were moored boats and he immediately backed the drag right off, up anchored and motored around the other side of the bouy before tightening the drag again to fight the fish. The whole time the fish just stopped dead and didnt move until the pressure was applied again. Another time the same guy had his brother in law onboard who had no idea about fishing and his brother in law had the drag set very loose on his rod and was winding the line very slowly and saying I think I have a fish, meanwhile my mate joe was busy rerigging another line. This went on for about 5mins without the fish fighting or taking line, basically just sitting in the same spot until joe finally finished rerigging and took the rod off his brother in law, tightened the drag and lifted the rod, and all hell broke loose several minutes later another jew around the 17lb mark was landed! so jew definately dont panic until real pressure is applied.

whether or not you could bring them to the boat or not I am not sure.

pete

Edited June 10, 2010 by tide'n'knots

[Trapper Tom]

Hey Greg

As you are a renowned fisho and one of the Gods of the site.

Have you ever tried the softly softly on the GT's.???

Would be very very interested to know.

Cheers

Trapper Tom

PS did note the bananas comment by Johnno about Slinky and was perplexed until I saw Slinkys June catch of the month.

I was mortified :1yikes:

Mods reckon he may have infected the whole FR system and 11,000 members with the dreaded "Banana" curse. No one potentially will catch fish now.

This is a catastrophic and unprecedented event. Never have I seen a banana pictured on the site before, and rightly so.

Strongly suggest a FR poll on Slinky for his terrible terrible and obviously premeditated indiscretion.

1. Should he be keel hauled.

2. Hung drawn and quartered.

3. Sentenced to fishing with banana's on his own boat for the next 3 months, and re-displaying his black cat avatar.

4. Any other punishment Mods or FR can creatively think of.

Note this is just a fun comment and not serious Slinky, hope you do not take offence, would be very interesting though.

Trapper T

[slinkymalinky]

I'm now a proud, card-carrying member of the 'Banana Fishers'. There are a few of us lurking around Fishraider trying to infect you all with the dreaded yellow bendies.

The more Raiders who think I'm nuts the better... then fewer of you will learn the power of the Yellow Herb and there'll be more fish for those of us in the know to catch.

Cheers, Slinky

[AndrewNR]

i have tried the softly softly strategy and it worked for me but if the fish got any sort of idea of resistance that was too much they always did the bolt to some sort of structure. I say watch all the pros as they do it day in and day out and they use line as light as possible for the reason of the line being more invisible rather than tricking the fish to thinking its not hooked. None of the pros use the softly softly they all set their drag right and bring the fish in but what would i know, my name is cant catch any.

[GregL]

Hey Greg

As you are a renowned fisho and one of the Gods of the site.

Have you ever tried the softly softly on the GT's.???

Would be very very interested to know.

Cheers

Trapper Tom

Seen a 50kg girl get a few 50lb Gts on 50lb popping outfits....

Didn't get done the whole trip either and fished one lure and took it home at the end of the trip. Must work!

Greg

[Moro Mou]

Slinky,

I agree with the softly softly approach when you land the fish! and when you don't i beleive in the skull dragging approach and vice versa. The old should have could have . . .

No seriously i like the softly softly approach especially on kings. A mate once landed, albeit a rat, king of about 55cm on 4lb. It was just pinned by a little sinew on the jaw. Bottom line is if he went hard he would have pulled the hook.

Good topic though so apart from kings, bream and jacks what other species can we add?

Cheers

Moro Mou

[slinkymalinky]

Certainly works on Mackerel and trevally