Very deep water plastics?

[Platitudinus]

Hi guys,
In the 1970's we used to fish 'the new' redgill plastic eels deep on the UK - Plymouth wrecks (240ft = 75m of water) using an L shaped boom with a 6 to 10 ft trace plus a heavy sinker on a rotten bottom. We had great success with the pollock, ling and coalfish. Has anyone got some advice on how to fish plastics and what rigs to use on our offshore reefs in depths of over 80 meters of water? We usually drift the 50 fathom Goldie offshore reefs at a rate of about 1 knot. Is it simply a matter of floatlining the plastic with an additional ball sinker running down to the plastic leadhead? If so then the only action will be at the rate of drift plus whatever we can get by lifting the rod. (We use 8 - 15kg braid to stay in touch.)
Obviously there has been plenty published around the world about plastic fishing in up to 30m of water but is anyone going really deep and avoiding tangles?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Peter

[Pete62]

Hi Pete, I have read about but not tried a method where the 200mm plastic is rigged with a light head and then set to a extended padenoster rig. Might b worth a try.
Good Luck, Pete.

[Platitudinus]

Thanks Pete
Yes, I still have a couple of stainless metal L paternoster rigs we used many years ago. I intend trying them tomorrow with a squidgie or two using the plastics off a 1 metre + flowing trace. Will advise how they go and how many tangles I get, when we get back.
Peter

[Pete62]

Hey Peter, when I said extended I was moreover talking about the drop to the sinker, keeps the pointy bits up off the bottom. For the padenoster rigs we us a simple dropper knot.
Use the same rig for Cobia with Livies.
Cheers, Pete.

[nezevic99]

We regularly use 1 1/2oz jigs and gulps at deep tempest on 16lb braid to catch snapper. Cast as far forward of the boat as you can and let it drop. As it passes the boat keep releasing line with the occasional stop to jig. Usually gets taken on the drop and it's just a matter of flipping the bail over and raising the rod to set the hooks. Our catch rate has improved dramatically using this technique over using paternosters with bait.

[Roo]

We regularly use 1 1/2oz jigs and gulps at deep tempest on 16lb braid to catch snapper. Cast as far forward of the boat as you can and let it drop. As it passes the boat keep releasing line with the occasional stop to jig. Usually gets taken on the drop and it's just a matter of flipping the bail over and raising the rod to set the hooks. Our catch rate has improved dramatically using this technique over using paternosters with bait.

Whats the water depth your covering at deep tempest?

[Pete62]

I'm interested in knowing that too, she's a long drop getting 1 1/2 oz down 80mtrs

[nezevic99]

Fishing 80 - 85m. 35lb trace of about 2 rod lengths with a double uni knot connection. Rods rated at 4-6kg with 3-4000 series reels. Can get 300yds of 14lb fireline on them(got the line weight wrong in first post). We use a large sea anchor to slow the drift and work schools we pick up on the sounder. The fish are generally holding about 60 to 75m. The trick is to cast as far as you possibly can in the line of drift, it's usually casting with the wind so you can get a good shot of line out if you aim a little bit high. Leave the rod in a holder with the bail open. You quickly get to differenciate between the plastic dropping and a fish. once it's in line with the boat let it go a bit behind then dead stick it for a little bit. Fish 2 rods each, as one is falling pull the other in and cast again. You can get a pretty good rythmn going. We mostly get snapper with very little bycatch. The odd pearly and amberjack thrown in. One thing to note though we don't seem to get much if there is nothing on the sounder and it's frustrating when you can see them and get no hits.
We've used the same technique in shallow water off the goldy and when the bite dies anchored up on schools and drifted unwieghted pillies down with a bit of berley and cleaned up that way.
The gear is prob a bit light in that sort of water but it works. We haven't hooked anything we couldn't stop yet and the best fish we've stopped was a 40lb+ (it bottomed out our scales at 40lb) amberjack/samson fish (there's still animated debate over what it really was).

[nezevic99]

This is a picture of the fish and gear i'm talking about.

[jigsnreels]

Have used plastics in 100 fathoms - just a hell of a sinker and a few (3) squiddy things on what we call droppers -(what you call paternosters)

No problem, so longs as the droppers are short.

No offense but 75 m and 1 knot current are neither deep nor fast in my neck of the woods.

[bluefin59]

Mate i fish plastics in 80mt+ all the time at least once a month ,in winter when the current isn't running so hard an 1 1/2 oz is enough but when the current picks up like it is now 2-4 oz jigheads are not out of the question i even carry 6 oz just incase t/t jigheads make them in these sizes and they do get down . We always fish on the drift casting them forward and useing jigging braid you will get it on the money every time ,i use a 4000 daiwa capricorn and a wilson live fibre blades and tails rod rated heavy and have pulled some great fish on this outfit ...matt

[Platitudinus]

Thanks everyone for the information. Hopefully, it will prove very useful and help others who want to use plastics but cannot imagine how to get down to the fish below 30m with an element of 'control'. Many people are still not used to floatlining and don't understand why they are slowing drifting a bait down to the fish. With plastics in deeper water the issue is similar.
I guess the more we exchange info on these subjects and experiment with the rigs the better for everyone.
Cheers
Peter

PS: the reason we used an L shaped boom rather than a drop knot paternoster was that in using overhead reels with heavier braid (dacron in those days) the 10 inch boom kept the plastic on the trace clear of the main line as it went down off the back of the boat. No way could you cast heavy dacron!

[champion]

We only really fish like this in deep, 115mt - 1 or 1/12 oz jighead with either a 3 or 4 ball above (depending on conditions) para anchor, jigging 30lbs braid to 30 or 40 lbs leader. same again cast as far foward as you can, let it hit the bottom and start ripping!!! depending on depth then open the bail arm and go again. There are no squire brought up from that depth, all around 4-9 kg mark. And the kingies and Ajs make you work all the way up. We use either Certates 3500 or Twin powers 4000 with the S10's. Very much hard work but great fun !!

Cheers Joe

[BLOOEY]

Haven' t done this sort of fishing with deep plastics myself but find it interesting. There is an article in the latest QLD fishing monthly on just this topic which could be worth a read. Octajigs get a mention in there also. Ben

[Scalem]

1 to 2 Oz weight does the trick, but pay a lot of attention to how well the line falls off the spool when your bail arm is open. Some line is better than others, but if the line catches on itself because you have not put adequate backing on the spool or the spool is not big enough to carry the right amount of line for the depth you are fishing, looking at only jighead weight is only PART of the solution. Your spool should still be 3/4 full once the jighead has reached the bottom.

Scalem