Large blades?

[faker]

Hi all,

Not sure how many here have experience using big blades lures. We are talking about 20gram to 45 gram.

Do you guys reckon flathead & perlagics will take a 128 mm blade ?

[Couta]

I have used blades and found that the larger they are the harder they are to pull through the water. They have the advantage of the the vibration that fish can feel through the water. I do think they attract fish but I find they take a lot of effort and a large one would be quite tiring. 

[faker]

59 minutes ago, Couta said:

I have used blades and found that the larger they are the harder they are to pull through the water. They have the advantage of the the vibration that fish can feel through the water. I do think they attract fish but I find they take a lot of effort and a large one would be quite tiring. 

Was watching Japanese fisho using then in japan catching large flounder got me wondering about flathead etc

[big Neil]

I think that most fish use their sensory equipment to locate potential food sources "eyes, smell and lateral line". The lateral line picks up vibrations even when a fish can't see the prey. What lures do is trigger these sensory reactions. That can lead to a fish targeting it as a source of a potential meal.

Flathead are one of the easier fish to fool into taking your lure, whether it be a soft plastic, a blade, or a hard-bodied lure. Pelagics like Salmon, Tailor, Tuna, etc will readily chase down fast-moving lures.

When I fish estuaries for Flathead I usually drift with the current and cast soft plastics ahead of the drift. At the end of the drift I slowly trawl hard body lures back to the starting point. Both are successful at catching different species of estuary fish.

Maybe you should try what you have seen in the Japanese video, it will most likely work for you. Good luck and let us know if you do try it, how it goes.

Cheers, bn 

[faker]

32 minutes ago, big Neil said:

I think that most fish use their sensory equipment to locate potential food sources "eyes, smell and lateral line". The lateral line picks up vibrations even when a fish can't see the prey. What lures do is trigger these sensory reactions. That can lead to a fish targeting it as a source of a potential meal.

Flathead are one of the easier fish to fool into taking your lure, whether it be a soft plastic, a blade, or a hard-bodied lure. Pelagics like Salmon, Tailor, Tuna, etc will readily chase down fast-moving lures.

When I fish estuaries for Flathead I usually drift with the current and cast soft plastics ahead of the drift. At the end of the drift I slowly trawl hard body lures back to the starting point. Both are successful at catching different species of estuary fish.

Maybe you should try what you have seen in the Japanese video, it will most likely work for you. Good luck and let us know if you do try it, how it goes.

Cheers, bn 

I was in Japan, watching people.

What do u mean ahead of drift?

[big Neil]

11 hours ago, faker said:

I was in Japan, watching people.

What do u mean ahead of drift?

The boat drifts with the current and you cast in the direction you are heading (ahead). Not necessarily directly ahead...best to fish the drop-offs from the shallows towards the deeper water. Hope that makes sense.

Can you further describe the lures the anglers in Japan were using...size, shape, weight, etc.

bn

[faker]

5 hours ago, big Neil said:

The boat drifts with the current and you cast in the direction you are heading (ahead). Not necessarily directly ahead...best to fish the drop-offs from the shallows towards the deeper water. Hope that makes sense.

Can you further describe the lures the anglers in Japan were using...size, shape, weight, etc.

bn

They use alot of shore casting rods from at minimal 10ft to 13 ft depending on area. Spool sizes were 4000 to some really strange tall spool spin reels depending on location but they were chucking things at least 80 to 120 m by my estimation.

As for lures used, most are within the <50g range. Ranging from vibes, metalmaru, slow jigs, fast jigs with spinners at the end. Most common technique was slow retrieve and side one pitch jerks. 

This is off beach. You only see 7 foot rods used near Mt Fuji lakes and baitfishing in harbour but those are all In 1000 to 2000 size reels. 

Although I have seen alot of iso fishing gear on sale. I didn't go to any spot where I saw them used.

Ajing is quite popular from hk, Taiwan to Japan though. Although  baitfishing is most common in harbour

It also explains why tackle stores do not stock slow jigs >40g. They all jump to 80 + jigs

 

Edited January 13 by faker

[big Neil]

Many thanks for your in-depth reply, Faker. What a buzz going to another country and seeing the different angling methods used. Thank you very much.

Cheers, bn

[faker]

16 hours ago, big Neil said:

The boat drifts with the current and you cast in the direction you are heading (ahead). Not necessarily directly ahead...best to fish the drop-offs from the shallows towards the deeper water. Hope that makes sense.

Can you further describe the lures the anglers in Japan were using...size, shape, weight, etc.

bn

So if u are drifting on paternoster rig. You are effectively dragging bait across bottom? But how would you tell its at bottom since it keeps taking line if lowered straight down with current?

Edited January 13 by faker

[big Neil]

10 hours ago, faker said:

So if u are drifting on paternoster rig. You are effectively dragging bait across bottom? But how would you tell its at bottom since it keeps taking line if lowered straight down with current?

QUOTED ABOVE: When I fish estuaries for Flathead I usually drift with the current and cast soft plastics ahead of the drift. At the end of the drift I slowly trawl hard body lures back to the starting point. Both are successful at catching different species of estuary fish.

The method quoted above is for lure fishing. 

I assume your paternoster rig is being used with bait? Whilst I was quoting a method for lure fishing from a drifting boat, you can actually catch Flathead from the bank, or an anchored boat, using a double bait paternoster rig SLOWLY dragged across a sandy bottom. The sinker, when moved slowly across the sand/ mud bottom disturbs the bottom and attracts the interest of hidden Flathead. A double paternoster rig can also be dragged along the bottom BEHIND the drifting boat,. However, this can easily get snagged.

When you go fishing, don't be afraid to try different things. That's how we learn to fine-tune our efforts and improve our results. I hope that I have answered your query.

bn