Soft plastics at night?

[Paul H]

hi, guys

As a born again fisherman i have recently discovered the wonderful world of soft plastics. i have read a fair bit on what is recommended, when and where to use them etc, and as a result have a array of types, colors and sizes, a fair few have been put to use with a good level of success on my light rig with 4lb braid and 6lb leader, also had to learn the hard way about the importance of a landing net when fishing of the rocks. Bye, bye bloody nice flathead!!

Anyway, what i haven't read a lot about is the use of soft plastics at night? The type of fishing will be land based of the rocks, structures etc around Moreton Bay.

What are your experiences, are soft plastics something to use at night?

Cheers, Paul

[Funchy]

I have had some success at night , well early mornings. I find the larger curl tail grubs seem to be effective. I presume because they impart a decent vibration in the water. Must admit though, dawn is the best bite period.

[Horse]

A dark plastic around permanent lights such as bridges etc works well. I know they work at night on Snapper in the Bay so they should do OK along rockwalls and the like

[tunaticer]

Generally a much better quality of fish at night hit the plastics......more work but bigger results.
I am not convinced that colour has much impact at night but vibration does as does how you work them. They also work well in heavily silted waters after floods etc.....if the fish are there and hungry they will home in on the vibration and feed well.

[Paul H]

Generally a much better quality of fish at night hit the plastics......more work but bigger results.
I am not convinced that colour has much impact at night but vibration does as does how you work them. They also work well in heavily silted waters after floods etc.....if the fish are there and hungry they will home in on the vibration and feed well.

Great, i wonder how the Zerek 'live shrimp' with the built in rattle would go?

[JB sniper]

Have killed it at night with 7" jerk shads on the reef catching red throat and spangleds and other by catches Moon light Is the key to success I have found.

Cheers JB

[Crunchy]

The glow ones would work well wouldn't they? gulp NukChook etc....

[Scalem]

I don't design a trip to go at night but on one session that went way longer than I had planned we were still fishing long after the sun went down, but still a glow to the west. Scored a 70cm snapper on Nuke chook shad which I held under the dolphin torch for a few seconds before casting it. Also use glow powder paint on my jigheads which I think helps.

Scalem

[grave41]

Glows work a treat, yosuri glow shrimps as well,glow octopus lues too=great fun.Small gillies glow slugs
Graham

[Nicko_Cairns]

yeah they work very well, worldrecordbarra owner Mark uses a lot of soft plastics trolled slowly at night for huge barra, he prefers the darker colours at night apparently, probably better contrast against the water surface. cheers.

[Peter4]

You will have much more success fishing dark plastics at night rather than 'glow' plastics...

[MudRiverDan]

They can work.

I think if you just go to your daytime spot to catch flathead at night, like sand flats or something, then don't expect too much.
Though around lights and structure at night with light gear you would be surprised what is lurking round for a feed.

In saying that my only catches on SP at night have been a 90cm jewie on light plastic around a bridge, medium size estuary cod and few flathead.
The Jewie was the most impressive, but that a few years ago now.

I did land a whopper flathead one night on a plastic worm just light jig flipping it slowly around pier pylons, actually when I first started sp fishing I used to do a fair bit at night as at the time there were some great reports of Jew, Threadfin, Bream, Cod and flathead around breakfast creek area land based at night.

Hard Bodies and vibes also work but I never have enough patience to use them long enough ::)

Dan

[moater]

I remember a magazine article where a bloke was using saltwater flies to catch jewfish at night...not too much vibration in the flies!