Soft Plastics - Tips and Guide Help!

[ktan3235]

Hello Fellow Raiders,

My friend and I are looking to do a solid day on SP's, only problem is, we have not had much experience on them, seldomly hooking one up for a shot in the dark when our baited rigs are not providing results. Our success rates extends to maybe a 15cm snapper or bream (if we're lucky). We plan on going out on either Monday (weather permitting) and/or Friday in this coming week and trying out a new rig using only SP's. We were just wondering if anybody know of any solid land-based spots in the Sydney area (we live near the Botany/Port Hacking Region but willing to do a small drive further out) which have solid hits with SP's specifically targeting bream and flatty's.

Also since we are relatively amateur with SP's, does anybody have any tips on specific jigging techniques, rigs, or what sort of SP's to use for flatty's or breams given weather and lighting conditions etc.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Happy Fishing Raiders

[kiwicraig]

I get plenty of flathead on soft plastics - albeit mostly from a boat or kayak while drifting. However I have gotten a few from the shore casting and retrieving SPs. For flathead I can offer a couple of tips that will apply regardless of the fishing style.

1) Flatties like the bright bold colours. Green, orange, yellow and red all regularly produce. The venerable nuclear chicken colour from the gulp range is a good indication of how bright. The curried chicken and tandoori chicken colours have also worked for me - as have similar colours of other brands of plastics (I give those colours so you can look them up and get an idea of what I am taking about - but I don't think the brand of plastic matters much)

2) I prefer the curly tail grub or minnow patterns or a paddle tail shad. These have an inbuilt action and only need the slightest movement to set it off. I steer clear of jerk shads for flathead - these need all the action to imparted by the angler and work better in deeper water coming up through the water column IMO.

3) I'd start with a 4 inch tail. You would be surprised how small a fish will engulf it. If you find a spot and are catching small flathead, try going up to a 6 inch tail. I've caught some great flatties on these.

4) For casting light soft plastics braided main line and flouro leader are the way to go. The thinner braid gives you a bit more distance when casting and is less effected by the wind. Fish as light a jighead as the conditions allow - but if you are having trouble casting it go up a jig head size.

5) work it slowly. When you think you have it slow enough, slow down a bit more.

6) Lift, lift, pause and take in the slack. Let it sink. Watch the line where it enters the water as flatties will often grab them on the drop and this can be seen when the braid jerks in the water, even if there is slack in the line. Let it sit on the bottom for a bit, then repeat.

7) Cover ground. Ideally find a sand bank you can cast to from the land and pepper it with casts. If I am working along a sand bank then facing the bank I'll do a few casts to 10 o'clock, a few to 12 and a few to 2, then move along a bit and repeat. You can work a gutter along a beach the same way, but pay extra attention to the area where the gutter drains into deeper water.

8) Flatties are less concerned about time of day - it is all about tidal flow for them. When the tide is running in they lie in the channels and gutters and when it is running out they lie off the edges of sand banks and eat the smaller fish that are coming off the sand bank after going up for a feed.

I don't know any spots down your way, but there are a couple I used to go to in Narrabeen on the norther beaches. PM me if you want the details.

[mattfinn]

I get plenty of flathead on soft plastics - albeit mostly from a boat or kayak while drifting. However I have gotten a few from the shore casting and retrieving SPs. For flathead I can offer a couple of tips that will apply regardless of the fishing style.

1) Flatties like the bright bold colours. Green, orange, yellow and red all regularly produce. The venerable nuclear chicken colour from the gulp range is a good indication of how bright. The curried chicken and tandoori chicken colours have also worked for me - as have similar colours of other brands of plastics (I give those colours so you can look them up and get an idea of what I am taking about - but I don't think the brand of plastic matters much)

2) I prefer the curly tail grub or minnow patterns or a paddle tail shad. These have an inbuilt action and only need the slightest movement to set it off. I steer clear of jerk shads for flathead - these need all the action to imparted by the angler and work better in deeper water coming up through the water column IMO.

3) I'd start with a 4 inch tail. You would be surprised how small a fish will engulf it. If you find a spot and are catching small flathead, try going up to a 6 inch tail. I've caught some great flatties on these.

4) For casting light soft plastics braided main line and flouro leader are the way to go. The thinner braid gives you a bit more distance when casting and is less effected by the wind. Fish as light a jighead as the conditions allow - but if you are having trouble casting it go up a jig head size.

5) work it slowly. When you think you have it slow enough, slow down a bit more.

6) Lift, lift, pause and take in the slack. Let it sink. Watch the line where it enters the water as flatties will often grab them on the drop and this can be seen when the braid jerks in the water, even if there is slack in the line. Let it sit on the bottom for a bit, then repeat.

7) Cover ground. Ideally find a sand bank you can cast to from the land and pepper it with casts. If I am working along a sand bank then facing the bank I'll do a few casts to 10 o'clock, a few to 12 and a few to 2, then move along a bit and repeat. You can work a gutter along a beach the same way, but pay extra attention to the area where the gutter drains into deeper water.

8) Flatties are less concerned about time of day - it is all about tidal flow for them. When the tide is running in they lie in the channels and gutters and when it is running out they lie off the edges of sand banks and eat the smaller fish that are coming off the sand bank after going up for a feed.

I don't know any spots down your way, but there are a couple I used to go to in Narrabeen on the norther beaches. PM me if you want the details.

Pretty much it, really well summed up. All I can add is that getting down and scouting an area at low tide can help you find above mentioned gutters on sand flats that you can set yourself up in.

Recently went for a session where it was almost the dead low tide in the back of a small bay on the south coast there was nothing more then a trickle left in this gutter running off into a deep hole. First cast landed me a flattie and a few casts later I hooked a decent kilo tailor that jumped and threw the hook.

Scouting a sand flat on the low tide pays off!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hellcorner]

Some very sound advice from kiwicraig and mattfinn. Thanks guys!

I'll add patience to that list. It will pay off.