KEY POINTS:
Any angler who has not heard of soft plastics has to have been living under a rock for the past couple of years - a statement soft plastics expert John Eichelsheim makes in his new book on the subject.
Soft plastics are selling out and bait sales are sliding away.
But unfortunately many of those trying what has gone from fad to first-choice for lots of anglers have poor knowledge of the techniques required and poor gear.
That was the message from both Eichelsheim and Malcolm Dawson who is importer of the Berkley Gulp brand that has a majority market share.
Too many people use line that is too heavy. It takes too long to sink and defeats the purpose of using soft plastics which is to present a lure that swims realistically.
Too many do not set the lure on the jig-head properly and hence it does not swim properly and catch rate is lower than what it might be.
Too many use poor-quality gear - hooks that break, jig-heads that don't have a good ribbing to hold the lure firmly in place.
Too many fish as they would with bait - anchor up, put the rod in a rod-holder and concentrate on drinking.
Soft plastics are so effective that the latter method works. But Dawson conducts seminars and can't believe the comments he gets. "You Jafas only catch small fish on those things because you only have small fish in the Hauraki Gulf."
On Wednesday Eichelsheim landed an 8kg snapper 50m from the rock face at Kawau Island.
And comments that they don't work in deep water are wrong also. You just have to use a tear-drop sinker attached to the jig-head and keep the line weight down, no more than 8kg braid. Mono is next to useless, it's diameter is twice that of braid and takes too long to sink.
Eichelsheim and Dawson combined for this advice: You should be drift-fishing at a slow rate. A drogue is essential if you wish to properly pursue soft plastics fishing, so you can control drift.
Cast in the direction of the drift, let the line sink to the bottom then put the reel in gear and work the lure with short jerking movements.
Invest in good rods and reels. A lightweight rod is essential given the constant movement required and there has been rapid development in rods for this technique of fishing. Reels need a decent drag system to deal with big fish.
In wash-fishing near rocks, "pogy" style soft plastics with a wide body and spoon tail work best. In deeper water use the slimmer-lined "jerk shads" because they offer less water resistance and sink faster.
"There is no proven formula," is Dawson's answer to questions about lure movement. But a short jigging action is general, bringing the rod tip from facing the water to close to vertical then letting the lure fall to the bottom again.
Keep the line tight at all times. The majority of hits are on the down drop rather than the rise.
Use visible braid rather than clear. It enables you to see others' lines and avoids tangles. As the boat drifts and line angle increases at different rates, anglers should employ what Dawson calls the "soft plastics shuffle" - moving under or over each other's lines in a rotation around the boat that prevents tangles.
When snagged, first try putting the line in free-spool to let out slack. In around 60 per cent of cases the jig-head will roll over and free itself.
Soft plastics can be used more than once. This week we regularly caught two or three snapper on the one bait. If the head becomes loose after being hit by fish, Dawson advises removing the plastic from the jig-head and cutting about half a centimetre off the head end then re-fitting it.
Dawson said asking any soft plastics exponents which is the best lure will produce different answers. The big sellers are the green and red "nuclear chicken", pink shine and sapphire shine, lime tigers, watermelon and pumpkin seed. On the Manukau Harbour we have great success with the crabs.
Used baits should not be put back in the resealable packet as they will degrade the unused.
The baits are made of biodegradable foods including tofu. Berkley have just released the "Gulp Alive" brand to counter this problem. The baits come in a screw-top pot and, once used, can be returned to soak up more of the secret fish attractant ingredient Dawson calls "go-go juice".
Thirty Gulp Alive baits will cost around $30, comparable in price to the packet baits. Soft-bait fishing is great fun given the feel that braid gives, the excitement of the take and the fight on light gear.
Recommended for those who want the full story are Eichelsheim's book Gotcha and Geoff Thomas's DVD on the subject. This week's trip will feature on the Black Magic Fishing NZ show on Sky Sport and Prime TV in coming weeks.
