Missed Hits on SPs

[CarlRak]

Raiders,

Just a quick question about missed hits when using SPs. Spent the last few weeks concentrating on this technique and while I am catching plenty of flatties (albeit little ones) I’m missing plenty too. If a fish hits my plastic as I’m bouncing it along the bottom, usually over the flats, and I fail to hook-up, what should I be doing?

Sometimes I pause and let the plastic sit on the bottom for a few seconds more than I normally would before hopping it along again, other times I just keep hopping it along. Sometimes they come back minus their tail, sometimes they don’t. Usually I’ll try and send a cast back to the spot where I got the hit, but I never get a repeat.

Suggestions? Advice?

Cheers

Carl

[tasksta]

Where are you fishing?

I had this problem with LJ's in Cowan, there sharp teeth bite the tail off my wrigglers but are too small to actually hook up.

[CarlRak]

swordfisherman: Thanks, will do that and hopefully see the results.

tasksta: Spent the last two weeks on the mid-north coast, fishing a few estuaries. Wasn't sure what was taking my tails.

[LeoB]

I've also had the same problem fishing shore based from puffers in middle harbour. Also little choppers, but you can't help that as that's what the buggers are aiming for.

Cheers Leo

[GregL]

Hi Carl

When fishing plastics, specially on the the flats, there are alot of small fish that love grabbing tails but are to small to eat the hook. These you feel as the tap taps on the end of your line, usual suspects on the flats are the little bream, snappers, little whitting, little tailor and toadies.

Not much you can do about them and not really worth catching as they just bugger plastics up. Flats fishing is sometimes just sorting through a lot of little ones to nail a few big ones.

If you think they are bigger fish holding onto the tails, products like scents, like s factor could help or maybe even a change of tail shape, ie go from a wiggler style to a minnow style, the faster drop rate could help.

Maybe even jig head weight, a slower or faster sink rate could be the trigger....

Greg

[CarlRak]

Thanks Greg,

I suspected the lost tails were the result of little fish, so a couple of times when I first started using platics I added a little #12 treble as a stinger and came back with puffer fish. I suppose my question was more when I get a solid little "boof" from a flattie, but fail to hook-up.

Will try and strike at everything like swordy says and vary my jig-head sizes. Thanks for the advice re tail-shapes too. Didn't realise that they made much of a difference to sink rates.

[humesy]

In my experience, flatties will wolf down the whole lure in one go, even small ones. There isn't generally a need to strike. Missing tails are generally the result of chopper tailor (hence the name); they attack and imobilise their prey by biting off their tails. If you want to land a jew and are in the right place, strike and strike often. I have landed 4 on plastics so far and these have all hit the lure hard and run and I haven't needed to strike. I dropped a good fish this week because I didn't set the hook. The lure stopped as if I had snagged up. The lure started moving and I needed to strike there and then to set the hook. I caught sight of the fish as it shook the lure free 5 seconds later. Hook was not as sharp as it could have been either.

[Richie]

tasksta: Spent the last two weeks on the mid-north coast, fishing a few estuaries. Wasn't sure what was taking my tails.

I added a little #12 treble as a stinger and came back with puffer fish.

Hi Mate,

You answered your own question

If you are talking about Wallis Lake, or particularly Smiths Lake, they can be a there in almost plague proportions at times.

Now I'm kayak based I can move out of their zone.

Cheers,

Rich.