Soft plastics in maroochy river

[HarryClyne]

I've been baiting around here and there in the maroochy since I was old enough to reel in a line but just lately I've been hooked by this soft plastics craze. I'm a land based fisho so somewhat restricted but even places where I would clean up on bait I haven't caught a single fish on soft plastics.. I always fish light, (6lb braid and 10lb leader) light jigheads, reasonably sized plastics and many different varieties - have spent a lot of coin trying to get the hang of it.

Basically I've narrowed my problems down to technique and locations, I've got the gear just need to know how and where to use it. If anyone has any preferred style of plastics for snagging flatties I'd love to know what they are, and any spot worth swinging a line through I'm not fussy on what I'm catching I'm more or less trying to get the hang of the soft plastics - have been chasing flatties up til now as I heard they're the easiest to jag.

As for technique - what works for you? I've tried bouncing them off the bottom making sure they hit the bottom and sit for a few seconds before going again all sorts of motions just not the right one.

Open to any ideas or suggestions, I like the idea of the soft plastics makes fishing easy nice and instant but its not much fun when your not catching fish!

[Todddo]

Hi,
I always go for a flick on the maroochy if I'm driving past or staying up there. No specific spots, but I caught my biggest on the flats around Swan boat hire.
For flatties, They arnt picky at all in regards to plastics. I normally use 100mm squidgy wrigglers as I have a few packs for bream fishing.
I always use a heavy jighead(1/6) and work it hard; one big whip then wind up the slack, let it sit for about 2 seconds, then another big whip and so on. (bouncing it along the bottom basically)

Also I always use a scent for plastics. Im currently using Megastrike crawfish formula for bream, seems to work well for flathead too.

Be prepared to wade out aswell, I sometimes catch fish from the banks, sometimes I have to wade to get it out a bit further.

Everyone will have a different opinion on how to catch them, but this way works for me. Just take a bit of info from everyone and make it work for yourself :)

[Funchy]

I have had a fair amount of success with SP and have only used em for a year. I find the 3inch grub with curl tail are the best for me. Usually use gulp in watermelon or banana prawn. I fish a 2 -5 kg med action 6ft6in rod. 6lb Nanofil, 8lb fluorocarbon leader. Real light jig heads 1/8th oz max, preferably lighter. Make sure you are making contact with the bottom and find best results throwing up current and working it back with the current.

By the sounds of it you are doing /using same.

As far as action, I find less is more. I see guys lifting and lowering their rods like they are painting a wall with a roller. I only flick mine a small amount. Really concentrating on the SP having an action like a sick or wounded fish. I also find I catch a lot of fish in real shallow water close to weed beds, rocks or drop offs.

Keep persisting mate, they will start to come on. Also, maybe think about a yak? Since I left my land based days and started getting out on the yak my catch rate has vastly improved.

Good luck :thumbsup:

[gruntahunta]

Harry...all these blokes (& Sheila's) who say they catch fish on soft plastics are bull shit artists..they are dreamin

[Funchy]

Harry...all these blokes (& Sheila's) who say they catch fish on soft plastics are bull shit artists..they are dreamin

Ppppfffffffffffffffftttttttttt................... You fuuuuuunnnnny :LMAO:

[tunaticer]

Harry, I suspect your technique problem is line control.
Do not try to feel a bite, look for a bite. The line between your rod tip and the water should be a even curve, not straight with tension and not dangling loose. For about a 3 metre space between the rod tip and the water where the line enters I would try to maintain a droop of about 20 centimetres. The slightest bite will show as a dramatic shockwave in that droop.

Another reason for this droop is how fish feed, they get close to a bait and then inhale it, they generally do not race forward and throw their mouth around it, watch a fish feeding in a tank and you will see it. That droop in your line lets them inhale the bait fully.

Master that part of the art and the rest will quickly fall into place.

BTW, this last month has not been a good flathead fishing period, numbers are well down on 6 weeks ago.

[PixieAU]

The 3 tips I was given were:

1. graphite rod for the extra stiffness to get the action into the lure
2. braid line to remove the stretch and make sure the action in the rod translates through to the lure
3. my technique is probably closer to Funchy's description. Alot of short sharp flicks with the rod flicking parallel to the water, rather than upwards from the water

I'm sure this is complete opposite to others though.

[gruntahunta]

Wanta feed of fish mate, then buy a cast net and use live BAIT...fish prefer the taste of that...you ever tried eating a hunk of plastic?....pretty bland really

[Todddo]

Haha, I eat my missus cooking. So I wouldnt mind trying a plastic now and then!

[HarryClyne]

Thanks boys for the advice I'm still yet to land one on plastics but after reading through your tips I had a 45-50cm flatty up beside the pontoon I was standing on before it busted off - went straight down to bcf today and bought a landing net haha. That won't happen twice! Novelty of plastics has nearly worn thin ill give it a few more goes before I go back to bait.. Sick of the misses taking the piss out of me for not catching any fish ! Bloody women

[gruntahunta]

Hey Harry, do you want to buy ALL my soft plastics?....going real cheap...guaranteed not to work or your money back...

I even have a box of Ausfish plastics from about 10 years ago...that's how good they are....can't even use them as birley...actually I pobably could cause out of desperation I soaked them in Tuna oil once..

[Just_chips]

Youtube is your best friend when trying to learn something new.

Here are a few vids that popped up when I typed in 'Flathead on plastics' into the search box.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=flathead+on+plastics&oq=flathead+on+p&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l2.3598.8099.0.10621.17.16.0.0.0 .0.782.4271.0j5j4j2j1j1j1.14.0...0.0...1ac.1.vhAjA SrG6gY

My only other advise is to slow down, when you think you're working the plastic slow enough then slow it down a bit more.

Good luck with it, but as stated above, it is a bit of a tough time of year to get good numbers of flatties, they're still there but just not in big numbers.

Kev

[HarryClyne]

Well it's official plastics aren't for me. Gave them a miss today to Shoosh the mrs and running some live baits came home with a nice feed of bream and a new pb for flatty @ 65cm. Thanks for the tips all the same guys maybe ill try them again some other time but for now I'm on the bait!

[MudRiverDan]

Good method for flatys is firstly to try the high turn and outgoing tide.

A method I often used for flatty is say a lighter jig with larger hook, maybe a 1/8 with a 5/0, hard to get at some stores but when you put a 4 inch minnow or grub tail on the lighter weight it has more time to flutter to the bottom, that is when they will hit it.

So you still want a decent size hook but lighter lead with a plastic that has action on the drop, something with a tail like Berkeley mullet or grubs or squidgy minnows.

Keep letting it drop and drop again.

Yeah and try winter flattys, you will be surprised, I catch more winter than summer.

Colours I have results with are old faves, nuke chook, lime tiger, evil minow, bloodworm, pink shine, mango ripple, stuff like that.


Dan