tackle talk
No bait? ”You’re joking!”
Everything you need to know for softbait and lure fishing success.
By: JOE DENNEHY
Everything you need to know for softbait and lure fishing success.
By: JOE DENNEHY
When softbait fishing hit New Zealand in 2007, it was a perfect storm that brought four things together at one time. Really light but strong graphite rods, amazing little spinning reels with 4 kilos of drag, new technology lines, both braid and fluorocarbon, and of course the famous Gulp softbaits. All this technology (except Gulp) had been around for years in various countries, including Japan and the US for bass fishing, and Australia for bream fishing – but it all came together here in 2007. It was the greatest revolution to hit the recreational tackle industry ever: these rod and reel sets weighed less than a few hundred grams, and could be cast for hours without tiring the user.
Thousands of upper North Island anglers caught the wave and purchased the gear, but the quality of advice varied a great deal. Reputable pro tackle stores set up their clients with the right rod and reel sets (entry level sets were $200) plus braid, fluorocarbon, jigheads, and the softbaits. We spooled the reels, and taught the customers how to tie the braid with fluoro knots, and the leftys loop, and how to thread the softbait onto the jighead. Unfortunately many stores just wanted a piece of the action and sold the wrong rods, inferior reels, often no fluorocarbon trace, and didn’t spool up the reel with suitable braid, or show customers how to set up the tackle. There were many nightmares to undo for the pro tackle stores in that mad stampede to meet the demand for tackle.
The rush was on
I was the tackle manager and buyer for Fish City’s fishing department at the time, and we were ordering 200 softbait sets a week, but we just couldn’t get enough jigheads. So we set up Ron’s Sinkers and Diveweights, with American jighead moulds and Mustad hooks, and every Tuesday Ron would faithfully deliver 200 packs of (5) jigheads which he’d forged, and which he and his wife had spent hours gluing eyes onto. They would be gone before the weekend.
I once said to Ron, “Just put a drop of red nail polish on the eye section,” but he insisted on the decal eyes, and the one that worked the best for me was the quarter-ounce model with green eyes; I don’t know why. Most suppliers except Shimano – probably even Pure Fishing, who created this wave – underestimated the demand in those early days and often couldn’t supply product regularly.
Things settled down a bit after 6 months or so and the supply of product caught up with demand, but I reckon that by mid 2008 half a million softbait sets had been sold. Fish City alone had sold tens of thousands. Probably only 10% of anglers had much success, and many sets went out and came back for months at a time without catching a fish. But as more and more anglers caught fish on softbaits, we used to get up to fifty customers a week coming in, frothing at the mouth about the success they’d seen mates have with softbaits and wanting to get tooled up RIGHT NOW!
Most anglers who purchased softbait sets expected instant results without bothering to learn the technique. They didn’t really understand how to cast or work the softbaits, or to drift and use sea anchors, and many were disappointed. Most of the anglers who bought softbait sets in those early days still went out with bait and anchored-up as usual, and even if they tried softbaits, the minute a snapper was caught on bait the softbait set was put away and out came a Black Magic Snapper Snatcher flasher rig, baited with bonito or pilchard and a “many-oz” sinker.
Converts
Many of us however came to love the lighter tackle, and strong light graphite rods, small reels, and braid and fluorocarbon, even if we were using bait. This carried on for a couple of years until 5 or 6 years ago when two “slow jigs” came onto the market: the famous Shimano Lucanus (Madai jig), and the Daiwa Shipwrex jig, the first of the inchiku type.
I first used the Shimano bottom ship inchiku jig 5 years ago from an anchored boat, with fantastic results; I was on a borrowed overhead set-up with braid and fluorcarbon trace, but for reasons unknown I didn’t really use them again for more than a year, as I was too busy catching solid snapper on softbaits.
I’ll never forget the occasion I first tried the inchiku jigs seriously; I had to write an article about them for NZ Bay Fisher in September 2012. I’d been generously supplied with jitterbugs, and I went to a reef which I knew was holding fish. It was two days after new moon with big tides (the perfect time to fish, according to my secret fishing calendar). High tide was around 7am, so I fished the flush of the outgoing tide from 9 till 11. I had a small Avet lever drag overhead reel spooled with 10 kilo Black Magic Inferno braid on a light 15lb (PE .8 to 1.5) 5’8” jigging rod.
I arrived at the hot spot and lowered my 100 gram orange jitterbug which was smashed just above the bottom by a hungry 45cm snapper. Wow! For the next 90 minutes I must have dropped that jig down 40 times for 40 strikes. If the lure made it to the bottom, I would jig it up with the rod and then let it down again. I was however doing the work with a rod which was too short and too stiff, according to Paul Senior, the importer of jitterbugs, from whom I’d sought advice. I had lost fully a third of the snapper I hooked because I had the wrong rod.
I was told that I needed a longer graphite rod, held horizontal to the water; I should let the reel do the work. Just wind slowly and the fish would bite. For the next year, once I had the correct rod, I was absolutely fascinated with these lures, without ever really trying the famous Lucanus.
The Lucanus lure had been out on all those trips and back again without making it into the water. I had seen good results with it but never really used it myself, although mates had caught many solid snapper on them with the rod in the rod holder, drifting gently along. I thought this was a bit like cheating, with no great skill required; what I liked about the Inchiku jigs was that a method was required to use them.
Techniques
I found my own best method with my flash new 2 metre overhead jitterbug rod and reel set-up; the rod was like a wet noodle, bending right through the butt when it had a good fish on. The accepted wisdom at the time was to just slowly wind the inchiku jig up 8 metres or so from the bottom and then release it down again. I preferred to use a mini “mechanical jigging technique” whereby the lure would fall over sideways, between winds, like a kingfish jig, creating way more action. So I lowered the inchiku jig to the bottom, and then worked the overhead reel with my bendy rod held horizontally: half a turn (violently), half a turn… half a turn…… which set up an exaggerated nodding action in the rod, and was really successful at catching snapper.
Then a few years ago I was asked to try the new Freestyle Kabura jigs which have a large weight in the shape of an eye, and a much lighter skirt (like a Lucanus) with high quality small hooks. I used this lure continuously for 18 months with superb results; just lower it to the bottom and wind steadily, about one turn of the reel per second (1 metre) and fish would bite. But when they did, it was the very weirdest bite I had ever experienced. I described as like a clatter: the fish would have a tug at the lowest point of the skirt (just keep winding) and then have another one or two tugs before getting lightly-hooked in the lip, rather than the corner of the jaw, so we fished with just 1 kilo of drag rather than the 2 kilos used when softbaiting.
I realised with this slow jig that a lure doesn’t have to look like a fish or squid. The lighter skirt and the smaller/lighter hooks meant that the Kabura skirt moved in a manner enticing to snapper. They didn’t even have to think it was something good to eat; it moved in a way they wanted to check out, and that was enough. Fish don’t have hands and so they have a chew, and with the light skirts of the kabura, the second or third chew usually meant a hook in their lips.
There are now many imitators of this jig, which in my opinion are not as effective, as they have bigger hooks and consequently move in a less fascinating manner – yet these copies still catch fish, although I doubt that they’re as effective as the original.
Micro jigs
Then micro jigs burst upon the scene. But they just looked like small standard jigs to me, and so I was slow on the uptake; I just didn’t understand that it was the movement of these new jigs which provided the fascination. At first glance they just looked like the small “grim reaper”-style jigs that had been around forever. But not so; these micro jigs, and the Catch flutterbugs, dart from side to side as they drop, and the snapper has to make an instant decision to grab the jig or see it disappear – and then, with the jig assist hook hanging down to the belly of the fish, they were hooked. If one of these lures makes it to the bottom, bring it up 5 metres with a lift and a few winds and then release it to flutter to the bottom again.
Grant Bittle who’s probably had more experience trying and testing lures on snapper than anyone I know, thinks that when a snapper or kingfish attacks a lure they really do inhale as they attack it, so that the jig assist hook is sucked into their mouths, hooking them instantly; and I’m sure he’s correct.
What rod and reel set do I need?
Tackle suppliers and shops would prefer you to have separate sets for slow jig fishing and softbait fishing, and tackle slut that I am I do: I have two overhead sets, one for 100 gram inchiku and kabura fishing with a Penn Fathom reel and the most fantastic new light Abu Garcia 6’3” light jigging rod, and a lighter Abu Garcia low profile reel and nano tech rod overhead set for micro jigs. I do however have mates who use their softbait sets for everything and they catch fish, so if you want to give slow jig fishing a crack, just use your softbait set and give it a go.
The advantage of an overhead set is that if a fish strikes on the drop it’s easy to detect and put the reel in gear. It’s much harder to detect a strike on the drop with a spinning reel, as you have to gauge the speed at which the braid is looping off the reel, which requires a fair bit of concentration and much bending down. However you can use your softbait set easily with lures of up to 60 or even 80 grams, although if the weight is more than that and the rod is bent too far over you won’t get any action from your rod.
A Tip: whatever set you use for softbait or lure fishing you must have a light graphite rod, braid, a small powerful reel, and fluorocarbon tied to the braid without a swivel (the allbright knot is perfect).
For softbait fishing use 2 kilos of drag (so that you can barely peel braid from your reel without cutting your hand). The same is true for lures, but for the kabura jigs, with their ability to lip-hook the fish, I use just 1 kilo of drag.
Drifting is important.
Don’t anchor; you’re hunting the fish, so go to where you would usually fish, head into the wind or tide, whichever is stronger, and drift back over your spot. Deploy a sea anchor in any more than 6 knots of wind, but above 15 knots the fishing gets hard, so GO HOME.
With lures and softbaits often fish will strike on the drop, so be aware of this as it heads to the bottom, and be ready to slam the reel into gear or the bail arm over and lift the rod at medium speed, but don’t strike. Just lift the rod with moderate action and give the handle two quick winds.
Have a fishing plan worked out beforehand. I usually have 3 to 5 spots I plan to fish; the first one I try is always the closest (fish your feet first). Plan B is always the furthest out, C and D are on the way back, and sometimes E is right back at starting spot A, but at a different tide time, which often works.
Don’t be afraid to move: We’re all taught that patience is necessary to catch fish – but we’re not anchoring and investing time and money in a berley trail, so after a couple of drifts that you’re sure have covered the right spot, head for plan B; many of my fish have been caught on plan C or D or even E.
What I love about lure fishing is the “hunting” aspect of this method: we hunt the fish, rather than just hope they’ll swim past at some stage.
Thousands of upper North Island anglers caught the wave and purchased the gear, but the quality of advice varied a great deal. Reputable pro tackle stores set up their clients with the right rod and reel sets (entry level sets were $200) plus braid, fluorocarbon, jigheads, and the softbaits. We spooled the reels, and taught the customers how to tie the braid with fluoro knots, and the leftys loop, and how to thread the softbait onto the jighead. Unfortunately many stores just wanted a piece of the action and sold the wrong rods, inferior reels, often no fluorocarbon trace, and didn’t spool up the reel with suitable braid, or show customers how to set up the tackle. There were many nightmares to undo for the pro tackle stores in that mad stampede to meet the demand for tackle.
The rush was on
I was the tackle manager and buyer for Fish City’s fishing department at the time, and we were ordering 200 softbait sets a week, but we just couldn’t get enough jigheads. So we set up Ron’s Sinkers and Diveweights, with American jighead moulds and Mustad hooks, and every Tuesday Ron would faithfully deliver 200 packs of (5) jigheads which he’d forged, and which he and his wife had spent hours gluing eyes onto. They would be gone before the weekend.
I once said to Ron, “Just put a drop of red nail polish on the eye section,” but he insisted on the decal eyes, and the one that worked the best for me was the quarter-ounce model with green eyes; I don’t know why. Most suppliers except Shimano – probably even Pure Fishing, who created this wave – underestimated the demand in those early days and often couldn’t supply product regularly.
Things settled down a bit after 6 months or so and the supply of product caught up with demand, but I reckon that by mid 2008 half a million softbait sets had been sold. Fish City alone had sold tens of thousands. Probably only 10% of anglers had much success, and many sets went out and came back for months at a time without catching a fish. But as more and more anglers caught fish on softbaits, we used to get up to fifty customers a week coming in, frothing at the mouth about the success they’d seen mates have with softbaits and wanting to get tooled up RIGHT NOW!
Most anglers who purchased softbait sets expected instant results without bothering to learn the technique. They didn’t really understand how to cast or work the softbaits, or to drift and use sea anchors, and many were disappointed. Most of the anglers who bought softbait sets in those early days still went out with bait and anchored-up as usual, and even if they tried softbaits, the minute a snapper was caught on bait the softbait set was put away and out came a Black Magic Snapper Snatcher flasher rig, baited with bonito or pilchard and a “many-oz” sinker.
Converts
Many of us however came to love the lighter tackle, and strong light graphite rods, small reels, and braid and fluorocarbon, even if we were using bait. This carried on for a couple of years until 5 or 6 years ago when two “slow jigs” came onto the market: the famous Shimano Lucanus (Madai jig), and the Daiwa Shipwrex jig, the first of the inchiku type.
I first used the Shimano bottom ship inchiku jig 5 years ago from an anchored boat, with fantastic results; I was on a borrowed overhead set-up with braid and fluorcarbon trace, but for reasons unknown I didn’t really use them again for more than a year, as I was too busy catching solid snapper on softbaits.
I’ll never forget the occasion I first tried the inchiku jigs seriously; I had to write an article about them for NZ Bay Fisher in September 2012. I’d been generously supplied with jitterbugs, and I went to a reef which I knew was holding fish. It was two days after new moon with big tides (the perfect time to fish, according to my secret fishing calendar). High tide was around 7am, so I fished the flush of the outgoing tide from 9 till 11. I had a small Avet lever drag overhead reel spooled with 10 kilo Black Magic Inferno braid on a light 15lb (PE .8 to 1.5) 5’8” jigging rod.
I arrived at the hot spot and lowered my 100 gram orange jitterbug which was smashed just above the bottom by a hungry 45cm snapper. Wow! For the next 90 minutes I must have dropped that jig down 40 times for 40 strikes. If the lure made it to the bottom, I would jig it up with the rod and then let it down again. I was however doing the work with a rod which was too short and too stiff, according to Paul Senior, the importer of jitterbugs, from whom I’d sought advice. I had lost fully a third of the snapper I hooked because I had the wrong rod.
I was told that I needed a longer graphite rod, held horizontal to the water; I should let the reel do the work. Just wind slowly and the fish would bite. For the next year, once I had the correct rod, I was absolutely fascinated with these lures, without ever really trying the famous Lucanus.
The Lucanus lure had been out on all those trips and back again without making it into the water. I had seen good results with it but never really used it myself, although mates had caught many solid snapper on them with the rod in the rod holder, drifting gently along. I thought this was a bit like cheating, with no great skill required; what I liked about the Inchiku jigs was that a method was required to use them.
Techniques
I found my own best method with my flash new 2 metre overhead jitterbug rod and reel set-up; the rod was like a wet noodle, bending right through the butt when it had a good fish on. The accepted wisdom at the time was to just slowly wind the inchiku jig up 8 metres or so from the bottom and then release it down again. I preferred to use a mini “mechanical jigging technique” whereby the lure would fall over sideways, between winds, like a kingfish jig, creating way more action. So I lowered the inchiku jig to the bottom, and then worked the overhead reel with my bendy rod held horizontally: half a turn (violently), half a turn… half a turn…… which set up an exaggerated nodding action in the rod, and was really successful at catching snapper.
Then a few years ago I was asked to try the new Freestyle Kabura jigs which have a large weight in the shape of an eye, and a much lighter skirt (like a Lucanus) with high quality small hooks. I used this lure continuously for 18 months with superb results; just lower it to the bottom and wind steadily, about one turn of the reel per second (1 metre) and fish would bite. But when they did, it was the very weirdest bite I had ever experienced. I described as like a clatter: the fish would have a tug at the lowest point of the skirt (just keep winding) and then have another one or two tugs before getting lightly-hooked in the lip, rather than the corner of the jaw, so we fished with just 1 kilo of drag rather than the 2 kilos used when softbaiting.
I realised with this slow jig that a lure doesn’t have to look like a fish or squid. The lighter skirt and the smaller/lighter hooks meant that the Kabura skirt moved in a manner enticing to snapper. They didn’t even have to think it was something good to eat; it moved in a way they wanted to check out, and that was enough. Fish don’t have hands and so they have a chew, and with the light skirts of the kabura, the second or third chew usually meant a hook in their lips.
There are now many imitators of this jig, which in my opinion are not as effective, as they have bigger hooks and consequently move in a less fascinating manner – yet these copies still catch fish, although I doubt that they’re as effective as the original.
Micro jigs
Then micro jigs burst upon the scene. But they just looked like small standard jigs to me, and so I was slow on the uptake; I just didn’t understand that it was the movement of these new jigs which provided the fascination. At first glance they just looked like the small “grim reaper”-style jigs that had been around forever. But not so; these micro jigs, and the Catch flutterbugs, dart from side to side as they drop, and the snapper has to make an instant decision to grab the jig or see it disappear – and then, with the jig assist hook hanging down to the belly of the fish, they were hooked. If one of these lures makes it to the bottom, bring it up 5 metres with a lift and a few winds and then release it to flutter to the bottom again.
Grant Bittle who’s probably had more experience trying and testing lures on snapper than anyone I know, thinks that when a snapper or kingfish attacks a lure they really do inhale as they attack it, so that the jig assist hook is sucked into their mouths, hooking them instantly; and I’m sure he’s correct.
What rod and reel set do I need?
Tackle suppliers and shops would prefer you to have separate sets for slow jig fishing and softbait fishing, and tackle slut that I am I do: I have two overhead sets, one for 100 gram inchiku and kabura fishing with a Penn Fathom reel and the most fantastic new light Abu Garcia 6’3” light jigging rod, and a lighter Abu Garcia low profile reel and nano tech rod overhead set for micro jigs. I do however have mates who use their softbait sets for everything and they catch fish, so if you want to give slow jig fishing a crack, just use your softbait set and give it a go.
The advantage of an overhead set is that if a fish strikes on the drop it’s easy to detect and put the reel in gear. It’s much harder to detect a strike on the drop with a spinning reel, as you have to gauge the speed at which the braid is looping off the reel, which requires a fair bit of concentration and much bending down. However you can use your softbait set easily with lures of up to 60 or even 80 grams, although if the weight is more than that and the rod is bent too far over you won’t get any action from your rod.
A Tip: whatever set you use for softbait or lure fishing you must have a light graphite rod, braid, a small powerful reel, and fluorocarbon tied to the braid without a swivel (the allbright knot is perfect).
For softbait fishing use 2 kilos of drag (so that you can barely peel braid from your reel without cutting your hand). The same is true for lures, but for the kabura jigs, with their ability to lip-hook the fish, I use just 1 kilo of drag.
Drifting is important.
Don’t anchor; you’re hunting the fish, so go to where you would usually fish, head into the wind or tide, whichever is stronger, and drift back over your spot. Deploy a sea anchor in any more than 6 knots of wind, but above 15 knots the fishing gets hard, so GO HOME.
With lures and softbaits often fish will strike on the drop, so be aware of this as it heads to the bottom, and be ready to slam the reel into gear or the bail arm over and lift the rod at medium speed, but don’t strike. Just lift the rod with moderate action and give the handle two quick winds.
Have a fishing plan worked out beforehand. I usually have 3 to 5 spots I plan to fish; the first one I try is always the closest (fish your feet first). Plan B is always the furthest out, C and D are on the way back, and sometimes E is right back at starting spot A, but at a different tide time, which often works.
Don’t be afraid to move: We’re all taught that patience is necessary to catch fish – but we’re not anchoring and investing time and money in a berley trail, so after a couple of drifts that you’re sure have covered the right spot, head for plan B; many of my fish have been caught on plan C or D or even E.
What I love about lure fishing is the “hunting” aspect of this method: we hunt the fish, rather than just hope they’ll swim past at some stage.