Nuclear Chicken, What can't they catch?

[Scott nthQld]

Headed down to Aplins Wier this arvo for a bit of a prefish before the M&G next weekend. I went in and bought a couple of packs of plastics on the way down to see how these bloody things work, and figured i might grab a pack of 4" minnow Gulp in Nuclear chicken, as well as an assortment of fluro leaders and jig heads.

Got down to the weir to find the wind was a shocker, making casting and retrieving difficult, so I upped the weight of the jig head and went to a 1/8 TT 2/0 weedless jig head, to try and combat the conditions, and decided to give these nuclear chooks a go since a lot of you rave about them so much. A couple of casts in and I was begging to think it was all a crock and was about to chuck it in. Tried different techniques to try and present the plastic better but nothing was happening. 1 more cast I decided (we've all heard that before), cast out, let it drop and a couple of jerks, retrieve, repeat, then the lure gets a lot heavier, but no fight, damn I thought, how does a weedless jig head pick up bloody weed. Hang on, no, it moving, its a bloody fish, yeah, my first on plastics. Then the fish started to fight, must've realised theres a hook in its gob, with 6lb fireline and 10lb fluro leader, the extra fight started to make the heart start pumping.

Up to the surface, and a jump, a barra! Yay, first fish on a softy and its a Barra, how good am I? . A couple more aerial displays and the fish is in. Took him out of the water, got a couple of snaps, and back he went for another day (or year, he had some growing to do). Out comes the brag mat and he goes just over 37cm, so no real feat, but still, 6lb line and 10lb leader, not bad for my first plastics barra. The fish was very thin, and pretty dark in colour for a salt water barra, Pics attached below.

After a couple more casts, I stubbed my toe on a rock, got the shits and went home, the wind was starting to pick up any way.

[Fisher4life]

It looks like that poor fish definitely needs a feed...

Well done scott, Congrats on your first fish on SP

Cheers
Josh

[alleycat]

I bet that pumkinseed or nipple pink would have caught just as many or more, anyone else think we get a tad carried away with the colour being the edge when it was the only colour used anyway?.

[Scott nthQld]

Yeah, the fish was in very poor condition, maybe its been too busy spawning to get itself a feed, which may not be a bad thing, if it dies from starvation (not likely, heaps of bait around), that will be 1 dead fish for potentially hundreds of offspring.

I did try other brands, colours and styles and this was the only fish raised, I had a couple of other bumps and knocks, but this was the only hook up.

[ALB78]

Hey alleycat, considering you havn't been doing so well lately maybe you should take the hint and get some nuclear chickens and try them, never know you might even catch a fish!!!!!

Well Done Scott nthQld, thats just the start of an addiction hard to shake, good stuff!!!!!!

[alleycat]

Hey alleycat, considering you havn't been doing so well lately maybe you should take the hint and get some nuclear chickens and try them, never know you might even catch a fish!!!!!

Well Done Scott nthQld, thats just the start of an addiction hard to shake, good stuff!!!!!!

OUCH!!!!! ok alb i will do that.

[Lutjanus johnii]

Nice work scott. I allways say one last cast, end up saying it fifty times. I will also be grabbing some SP's for next weekend. Nuclear chicken is on the list.

[Flattie Assassin]

There's no doubt about it, Nuclear Chicken work. But not all the time. I've had times when nuc chicken is kinda slow, and changed to a natural colour, and bang. Straight on. Pumpkinseed are good. I've been using Blue Pepper neon with great success. Camo's good. Lime tigers good. There are heaps of options. I do carry some nuc chooks sure. But not as many packs as i do others. I got 4 or 5 packs of nuc chook. thats out of 30 or 40.

[nuggstar]

give the new penny a go next time and i bet you go much better

[Redfisher]

i went out to broomfield reef on friday and decided to give these nuclear chooks a go landed a fish on every drop untill they were rooted, i only had 3. ended up landing 2 nice red throut a trout and a bloody shark took one aswell. my mate had some white ones he used and he seemed to do a bit better he gota few red throut and 2 real nice trout. at times when it was quite these were doing better then bait.
redfisher

[Dorado]

Great work Scott on your 1st sp caught fish and a Barra to boot! It's a great feeling aint it when you finally get one and you realise...heck these bloody things do work after all!! Cheers mate

Dorado