What Soft Plastic weight for deeper water

[myangle]

Weather permitting I am going to head out to Atkinsons reef on Saturday morning and I want to try SP's out there. I know it is between 10 and 20 metres deep and the current flows quite fast through the area. What weight SP sinker should I use to get the SP to the bottom fast.
Any other advice would be welcome. I am having a lot of success with SP's in the estuaries but have yet to land something in deeper water.

[Goldfinch]

If you are using Jerk Shads in 5" and 7", try weights from 1/4 Oz, then 3/8 Oz, then 1/2 Oz. You shouldn't need any heavier than that in up to 20m. Maybe get some 5/8 Oz just in case. For 5" Jerk Shads use size 5/0 and for 7" Jerk Shads use an 7/0 or 8/0. If you are using smaller SP's then reduce your hook sizes to suit. I often find my SP's get hit on the drop as I am slowly feeding line out. If the angle of your line is too much and it's not getting down, change to a heavier jig head. When I fish in 20-30m I start with a 1/2 Oz and work from there. I have a 2nd rig setup with a 3/8 Oz or 5/8 Oz so I don't waste too much time.

Best of luck.

Cheers
dave

[Scalem]

myangle,

I have a question. Are you planning to anchor? I have tried to drift through Harries and on a sat morning you will be hard pushed to find a line you can drift without bumping into anchored boats... so ...

If you anchor, you will likely need more weight at some point compared to drifting, or cast ahead of the current as far as you can, maximum distance in front of the boat so the line gets a chance to drift down before going tight at the back of the boat, and leave the spool open, don't wind in while the plastic drifts down. Make your casts at about 10 to 12 or 10 past 12 (clock face with the bow as 12) if on the other side of the boat. Then repeat the process over and over and over... I have picked fish up in 12 to 14 mtrs edge using 1/4 to 1/2, 3/8 oz if the tide rips through, but I didn't use 5 and 7" plastics, I used 3 and 4" which look proportional to the round TT jighead used, so most of my bay jigheads have been 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0 Gamakatsu hooks.

If you drift, similar weights work, but try down stream from the burley boys at anchor.

Good luck

Scalem

[slyman]

Depending on the windage of your boat and also the direction and speed of the wind, you may not be able to make the bow of your boat 12 O'clock as Scalem says, you might end up on a line going across the current direction with your vessel side on to your drift line. In any event, I always cast ahead of the boat in the direction of the drift.

The weights the others have mentioned should be good, lighter weights during slower flows at tide changes, and up the weight as the flow increases throughout the mid run. This weekend is almost 1st quarter, so the movement shouldn't be too bad. Dont be in a hurry to get your placcy to the bottom, some of the better sized fish are higher up... so try to fish as light as you can for the current, and try to stay in contact with the placcy as much as possible

If the weather is good, Harries will be the proverbial carpark, my brother and I have always done better here fishing away from the anchored crowds, or early morning or late arvo.

[Scalem]

Depending on the windage of your boat and also the direction and speed of the wind, you may not be able to make the bow of your boat 12 O'clock as Scalem says, you might end up on a line going across the current direction with your vessel side on to your drift line. In any event, I always cast ahead of the boat in the direction of the drift.

Simon, I was actually talking about trying to fish at anchor, which you may be forced to do if you want to fish harries on a saturday, but you raised an intertesting point. Even at anchor, conditions and where the anchor is mounted may change the way the boat sits, so maybe I should look at the clock face again and make the 12 the direction the current is coming from??

I would sooner be half a K downstream from harries drifting rather than anchor, if I can find the schools on sounder all the better. But there have been days when that didn't work either, so I would try anchor over a school that show up on the reef.

Scalem

[Nic]

If you have tried all the above and still can't reach the bottom, you may want to tie the shad on a 1-hook paternoster rig. The snapper lead will let it get to the bottom while still allowing the plastic to waft about.

[myangle]

Thanks all.
I am kinda hoping that Harries isn't too crowded at 3am... Hopefully I will be cleaning fish back at home by 7.30am.
Of course I could always switch and go to Mud instead...
I am planning to drift but if all else fails, I will drop the anchor.

[slyman]

Simon, I was actually talking about trying to fish at anchor, which you may be forced to do if you want to fish harries on a saturday, but you raised an intertesting point. Even at anchor, conditions and where the anchor is mounted may change the way the boat sits, so maybe I should look at the clock face again and make the 12 the direction the current is coming from??

I would sooner be half a K downstream from harries drifting rather than anchor, if I can find the schools on sounder all the better. But there have been days when that didn't work either, so I would try anchor over a school that show up on the reef.

Scalem

Whoops, sorry mate, it was late, I was tired with a couple of beers under the belt so I didn't read your reply properly We do nearly all of our fishing while drifting, and my mind was stuck on drifting. But you're right about conditions affecting anchored boats. The current at Harries runs to the NE on a run out and to the SW on the run in, and we've seen plenty of boats kicked out of the current direction due to wind. Drifting there with a reasonable SE wind and slow flow will have you travelling nearly at 90 degrees to the current direction.

I think if you're anchored and you're kicked out of the current line and you cast back in front of your boat, depending on what side you cast, your line could end up directly under you or even passing out the other side, instead of passing alongside you? Which would also mean that the other side could result in your line getting further away from you. So I guess making the direction the current is coming from your 12 o'clock when anchored would be beneficial? Does this sound right?

I added a picture to help explain what I'm thinking. Its a bit exaggerated, but the blue arrows are current direction and the green arrow is the wind, the anchored boat is kicked out to one side, therefore cast 1 will travel away from you and cast 2 ends up under you.

[Scalem]

Simon, yep, we are on the same page now and what you are saying is correct. In your diagram, using two rods to one fisherman is exactly why cast two ends up tangling around the prop Use one rod if conditions make the 2nd cast behave this way.

Scalem

[slyman]

I suppose you could always deadstick one rod out the port quarter with a bit extra weight to keep it down in the current, while casting a second rod forward and out from the starboard quarter?

Sorry Myangle for hijacking your thread mate!! Hope you did alright at Harries!