Offshore SP Jig head weights

[jaredluke]

I know it's probably been asked many times, I only fish plastics in esturies and I am going to be fishing plastics offshore know. What jig head weights will I need? I will be fishing in whitsunday area so anywhere between 20-100m of water.

[BtotheM]

1/4 to bout 1oz,around 3/8 to 5/8 will be good, but if there is no current drop to 1/4 to 3/8 and give it plenty of time to sink, lot more natural

[bluefin59]

Jaredluke if you want to fish those sort of depths i would take 1oz up to about 30m and above that get yourself some 1 1/2, 2, and grab a couple of 4 oz for over 80mt especially if there is a lot of current otherwize you just wont get down there especially up in the whitsundays as they have much bigger tides than down here in brissy...matt

[krazyfisher]

I had a 12 oz lead on over the weekend and could not get the plastic down.... good luck with anything under 1 oz

[BtotheM]

I know people down here in se qld who fish 50 - 60m of water with 1/4 and 3/8 jigheads and catch heaps of snapper, people say that the shallower reefs are better for plastics up there (30 - 40 >0)

I kno people up there and they dont use heavier than 1oz (you want the lure drifting down, not plummeting down) they fishing in max 40m though so if you where goin 80 prob maybe 4oz. But they find the best fishing in 40>

[jaredluke]

krazyfisher what water depth were you fishing in? I think I might just use the dropshotting technique in the deep water. Heavy jig heads cost a fortune

[Scalem]

Jaredluke,

Your success in getting a plastic to the strike zone can depend on a number of things, not just the weight. If you have the wrong spool size and design for the depth of water, and the line won't freely come off the spool, you may as well whack on an engine block to get the jighead down in 100 mtrs of water. Same if your spool is only half full to begin with, or if you have not wound your line on correctly where the line often cuts into itself on the spool. If the line comes off eratically or hangs up occasionally, only expect midwater success if the fish are feeding in that part of the water column.

Other variables include line diameter, current, which can be controlled with either an electric motor or sea anchor and the size of the plastic being used.. If you use a 7" plastic on a 1/4 oz jighead, you are likely to be able to get deeper with a 5" plastic on the same 1/4 oz.

Provided everything I have said above works, and the current is minimal, and you cast ahead of the drift, 3/8oz will get you to about 30mtrs, 1 - 2 oz will get you deeper to 100mtrs

Scalem

[krazyfisher]

I use 7" plastics on a dropper rig
40-80ft
6.2mtr tides on the week end with a .2 low
in the run nothing got down even 20oz but in less run 4oz or 6 oz works well
airlie does have less run but I would still thing 1-2 oz as a min.
I was using 50lb jigman braid on a trinadad 40n

[wags on the water]

As stated previously, it all depends on the current. Throw your plastic well ahead of your drift and let it sink naturally. Have fished 1/4 oz in 75m with no current - variable to 5kn breeze.