Fav Moreton Bay Snapper Plastics and matching Jig Head weight and hook size

[craigie]

I know this topic has popped up in the past but with the release of new equipement all the time I thought I would ask for an update on what the Snapper Guru's are using.

Zmans's, Berkley's, Transams etc still the go ?
Recomended models and colours Please ?

Thanks and Regards,

Craigie.

[Moonlighter]

A oldie but a goody - Zoom 4" shad in colour Arkansas Shiner. Still slays 'em!

Also the Baby Bass colour and Watermelon seed are go-to colours for me in the Bay.

My alltime fav colour though isnt available any more, at least not the same as it was.

Zoom shad again, but this time in Electric Chicken. This one had the bright red tail and chartruse body, pink above. New ones dont have the red tail.

Wife saw them in a Basspro catalog in the days before they were readily available here, and made me buy them, which i grudgingly did.

She insisted one day when she came fishing with me that we try them, i didnt want to bother with such a stupid colour, but put one on a jighead for her after she kept harrassing me.

It wasnt in the water for 30 seconds beore it got smashed and a 50cm model comes up. The fish had mangled he plastic's head so I took it off the jighead, cut a cm off the head to tidy it up a bit, put it back on and cast out again.

Same result. Wfe laughing at me, and I sheepishly asked if I could have one to try too...

I am still trying to live that down......

Oh, and i always use TT jig heads with Mustad hooks, 3/0 or thereabouts in the Bay, weight to suit the current, but 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 oz would be the most common. But as light as I can keep them.

[Blackened]

G'day

For me, it's a jighead of 1/8 matched to a gamagatsu 3/0 HW, and a Zman StreakZ 3.75' in baby bass, this is pretty much the only one I will use in the bay reefs, and is very consistent.

Dave

[netmaker]

i'm in for 1/8oz on a 4 or 5/0 with 5" zman grubz in pearl shimmer or white. don't really use any others anymore.

[craigie]

Awesome guys, have ordered a selection of Zooms and Zman's based on your advice.
Do these lures come mixed with a liquid like Berkley Gulps, to give them a bit more stink appeal ?
Or is it all about the action ?

Just curious as to why they are so effective ??

I take it you guys fish them light............10lb braid main with similar sized leader ????

Thanks
Craigie.

[Mossy247]

Do not mix your Zmans with other plastics... they will melt.

[timddo]

Didn't you guys forget one things. Jighead types

[netmaker]

Awesome guys, have ordered a selection of Zooms and Zman's based on your advice.
Do these lures come mixed with a liquid like Berkley Gulps, to give them a bit more stink appeal ?
Or is it all about the action ?

Just curious as to why they are so effective ??

I take it you guys fish them light............10lb braid main with similar sized leader ????

Thanks
Craigie.

after getting bites on grape hubba bubba and catching a squire on red lolly snakes I am convinced the stink is a gimmick and their effectiveness is all in the movement. fishing light is the most fun. I use 6lb braid and 12lb leader.

[Moonlighter]

Awesome guys, have ordered a selection of Zooms and Zman's based on your advice.
Do these lures come mixed with a liquid like Berkley Gulps, to give them a bit more stink appeal ?
Or is it all about the action ?

Just curious as to why they are so effective ??

I take it you guys fish them light............10lb braid main with similar sized leader ????

Thanks
Craigie.

Its all about the action. Wriggly tails. Fish light as Dave said. As soon as a plastic loses its tail, i replace with a new one. Zmans are more durable than Zooms so tend to last longer.

8lb braid and 10 or 12 lb leader. I have stopped snapper to 6.5kg on this gear. And spotty mackerel to 3kg too.

Yes, you do get smoked n occasions, but by crikey, it is good fun on this light gear!

Zooms and Zmans dont come in a liquid like gulps.

[tunaticer]

For a sleeper line I use a 100mm squidgy wriggler in bloodworm colour.
For the working rod I use Zman curl tail minnows or powerbait 4" minnow jerkbaits in watermelon colour.
Aint nothing like rocket science as far as placcies go.
Rigs are a different kettle tho.
Time of the bite period is the big winner.

[GreekBoi]

Which plastics are good at night for snapper?
I used zmans 5" shad in the pink color with 3/0 - 3/8 TT jighead and so far have caught a 56cm snapper.
I cast it out let it drop to the bottom, lifted it and hooked up.

[Scalem]

I have used so many, I wish I could have settled on just two or three, but even that might change shortly. I am sick of walking up to empty peg hooks and not having the preferred colours which are currently Zman 4" curly tail grubs in New Penny, Baby Bass and motor oil. 1 in 4 visits is the average when they actually have the stock, and they are the only store for miles around. Spent $70.00 on my 1st on line order last week with a totally different brand, should be here within the next two days I reckon. They are tried and proven, so that might be the answer for me.

Scalem

[dayoo]

Cragie,
I have personally found that ZMan 4 inch curl tail in new penny and baby bass are my go to plastics. For the bay (areas like Mud and Peel) you need 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigheads on 3/0 and 4/0 Gamakatsu hw hooks. If you get hold of of my jigheads match the colour of the plastic to the colour of the jighead.

Cheers
Bazza

[Tangles]

whatever happened to nook chook, lime tigers?

Craigie you bagged out last week on snaps on bait but if you need, have a bunch of those zooms, zmans, berkleys if you want them, tackle red mist raised its head so i bought stupid amounts and never used them, will be chucked out shortly so a give away as well as some other fancy jap jobbies and those lowly nuke chooks as cant see the point in keeping them

[solemandownunder]

whatever happened to nook chook, lime tigers?

Craigie you bagged out last week on snaps on bait but if you need, have a bunch of those zooms, zmans, berkleys if you want them, tackle red mist raised its head so i bought stupid amounts and never used them, will be chucked out shortly so a give away as well as some other fancy jap jobbies and those lowly nuke chooks as cant see the point in keeping them

Got any 4" Minnow Lime Tigers available ?

Thanks, Ray.

[Tangles]

Nope they actually worked lol, nah just preferring bait now

[bennykenny]

I have used so many, I wish I could have settled on just two or three, but even that might change shortly. I am sick of walking up to empty peg hooks and not having the preferred colours which are currently Zman 4" curly tail grubs in New Penny, Baby Bass and motor oil. 1 in 4 visits is the average when they actually have the stock, and they are the only store for miles around. Although the customer service is A1.

Scalem

I must agree with you there Brian.;D
Its because i buy them all before they get put on the shelf.:P
i did have some there for you last week, but they only send about 3 packs of each per week and they go quickly. let me know when you want some ill put them aside for you.

[Blackened]

G'day

As far as rigs go, nice long light rod (mine's a graphite pfluger 3-5kg at about 7' with a 2500 Stradic) spooled with 10lb braid to 12 lb flurocarbon leader. This is a must and make it nice and long (mine's usually 12'). Thsis setup with the above plastics have caught snapper to 84cm, consistently fish in the 60 and 70cm bracket and heaps and heaps under 50.

Dave

[craigie]

Thanks again guys for the tips and suggestions.

Well I hit Mud Is last weekend with a selection of Zmans and 1/8 oz 3/0 TT Headlock jiggy's.
Had no idea where I was going ??? just cruised around trying random drifts where ever I saw a bunch of boats, Blowfly special !!
Mainly tried the South East quadrant from in close out to 25 feet of water, not sure if I was putting my plastics in the strike zone ? needless to say I drew a donut on the Snapper but I did get a double hook up on large pike which gave me some confidence for another attempt.
Anyone want to offer any other tips ? I fished one outfit with 6.6lb fireline and the other was 10 lb braid, 8 kg fine mono leader. 4" Baby Bass curly tail and 3.75 streakz in red watermellon, Caseldine guys said they had cleaned up on these colours the previous week.

Persistance eh !

Regards
Craigie.

[Lucky_Phill]

Here's my number one tip.

Unweighted....... whole .... Cuttlefish... Winter..... Dusk..... GGW.



Anchor here on the out tide.

[Moonlighter]

Craigie

Try this: nice long cast, leave the bail arm open and lift rod twice to let more line off. Close bail arm. Put rod in rod holder. Drag set properly.

Then prepare rod #2 and do the same thing.

Sit back and watch rods. Pick up the first one that bucks over with a fish on it.

I cant tell you how many times I have taken newbys out and done exactly that and have got half way thru setting rod #2 ready and showing them how to rig the plastic when the first one goes off. It is remarkable how often the dead stick one gets hit.

If you want to be a bit more adventurous, work the second rod a bit by sharply lifting it high and then opening bail arm and letting out some line, then watch as the braid sinks. If it takes off, take up the slack and the fish will be on. Most snapper hit when the plastic is on the drop.

A fisheries researcher I know told me a secret - if you get a hit but don't hook up, immediately open the bail arm and let line out.

They found that captive Snapper will hit a bait and then go around in a 2or 3m circle and come back to the same spot to have a second crack. But if you have drifted away, the bait is no longer where they originally found it and they then move away.

So letting some line out quickly means your plastic stays close to the original position it was hit in, and the snapper comes back and gets it second time around. And therefore, you get him!

No bites in 10 minutes at spot one, move 50 meters and try next spot. Use a different plastic on each rod so you get a chance to work out which ones working today.

As others have said, I have found that the time of the tide rather than the time of the day is most important. Must be some run in the tide.

I like to start fishing an hour after the top of the tide, and find the best bite period then lasts about an hour or maybe two after then.

Persist, persist, and it will work.

[marty+jojo]

Try youtube snapper on soft plastics.
Marty.

[MrNanks]

I am only a newbie to Craigie so I am just going to pass on what little I have learnt. I used Bazza's jig heads on a Z Man curly tail in New Penn and I got lucky with a 66 cm on Saturday. My first keeper. I drifted and moved away from the masses that were there on Saturday. I was using a similar rig and line to you. Keep going . The are unreal fun when you land one. Good luck.
Dave