No this is not a thread about ##### size.
I've got my hands on 20 packs of 5 inch Slams in various colours and I was wondering if they're any good for the reefs up here in Cairns. Most of the things I've read and seen say 7 inch are the go. What's your thoughts? I'm fairly new when it comes to plastics so any advise would be appreciated.
Cheers.
never seen a fish yet with a tape measure in his pocket or one that could read! go for it.
More concerned about getting past the pickers also with Jig Head size v's size of plastic, there can be a bit of run in the current around some of the spots I fish.Originally Posted by Noelm
it's not the size that matters, it's how you use it, (but the bigger it is the more you get to use it)
it depends what you are targeting, you'll be restricted a bit by hook size, i normally only use the 5" jerks in shallow water with a 1/6th 3/0 jig head.
last time i was up that way i was useing the 7" jerks, was catching the reef or a fish every cast, my best advice is keep trying, it took me 4 trips before i caught my first fish on a plastic now 99 percent of the fish i catch is with them.
Blythy you ae on the money. I think I am fussy when it comes to fishing plastics, but I think for good reason. Why don't they just make one size and be done with it?? Why wouldn't I whack a 5" on one of my deepwater 3oz Jigheads like the one pictured below? You get more 5" in a pack than 7" right?
It's because the fish that i am chasing with this jighead are deepwater hoodlums that are too powerful for most 5/0 hooks, or you can miss the strike alltogether because the gape of the hook won't penetrate the corner of the mouth, it needs to have a wider gape for bigger mouth fish. The amount of weight you need to get down more than 60 mtrs would not fit on a 5/0 hook, so I need to go to a bigger hook to get down that far. The reverse works however, if you are fishing shallow water, you can use lighter weights with larger, stronger hooks. The bigger the hook, the bigger the plastic you need to keep the whole thing looking like it was originally intended when you decide to try and decieve a fish into thinking the plastic is a natural food source, not some piece of tupperware dangled on the end of an un- natural looking lead weight. Hook sizes vary, especially comparing brands Gamakatsu, Owner VMC or Mustad, but in the example I am thinking of Gamakatsu in a 5/0 hook, but the biggest Gamma I can get is an 8/0, still not big enough for some of the fish such as Amberjack, Jewfish and Kingfish. Match the hatch and think about what your quarry might be feeding on especially if you see baitfish and know what sort they are.
Scalem
Coddie, sometimes your approach to get past the pickers might be right on the day, but I know a very fussy plastics fisherman who makes his own jigheads but uses different density of lead. Why? Look at the sounder! Sometimes the fish you are after are feeding mid water, not on the bottom, so if using a 1oz TT fits a 7/0 gulp jerkshad perfectly, he can lessen the weight without reducing the profile of the Jighead, and the plastic spends more time in the strike zone instead of wizzing past on the way to the bottom where they are not. A good example is snapper. I often cast a light weighted jighead and get slammed within 2 seconds of splashdown. There is no way they were anywhere near the bottom.
Scalem
Spot on Scalem. The size of the Jig head and hook required to get down to 60 odd meters for the big fellas was my concern, thanks for the info.
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