Paddle tailed fish profiles reign supreme for these two species and a paddle tailed plastic rigged weedless and slowly rolled out of timber snags or along rock bars is one devastatingly effective technique. There was a point during the testing and evaluation period before the Gravity Stick soft plastics came to market when I reckon I probably had say 25+ lures pre-rigged on their 6/0 weedless hooks , plus whatever DoLive Sticks I had rigged up on What this displays is that there are times where the fish are “lazier” but will certainly take the opportunity to eat when the offering comes past home and up in their face. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. He fishes light drags and lets the 'hoo make a big first run with the boat in gear. Want to maximize the action of your plastics? Changing bait profile over color with Ed Loughran 2:54. Improperly rigging soft plastics hurts the action of the lure and promotes line twist.” The most common mistakes occur with the hook size and placement, according to Benedict. When you’re rigging your soft plastic on the weedless jig head, make sure to not rig the lure too high. 07 April 2020 There are varied ways to rig your weedless … There are many hook patterns and brands such as Owner, TT, Mustad, VMC, Gamakatsu and Wilson, who are all now producing high quality worm style hooks. All are effective but it must be mentioned that the “ball in loop knot” method is absolutely useless if using a worm style hook that features an eye sitting at 90 degrees. For the newcomer to fishing or for the more experienced anglers who have never used this type of lure, rigging them weedless is a very straightforward process. When fishing soft plastics through heavy structure, anglers have adopted numerous methods to ensure they have a reliable rig to hook their quarry while still being able to work their offering productively through weed beds, mangrove snags, rock walls and other cover. Similar techniques can be used for bream and along oyster racks, mangrove lined edges and man-made structures such as our jetties and bridge pylons. When fishing heavily pressured waters one of my favorite methods is using soft plastics. weedless soft plastics This is a popular option for rigging frogs to fish on the surface for bass, mangrove jack, barramundi, saratoga, Murray cod and other species that feed off the top. Casting and experimentation is your key to success with weedless soft plastics and as regular success comes your way, confidence levels will always rise. With an understanding about hooks, weights, sizes and patterns the job at hand now is to actually “rig” your chosen soft plastic. How to wacky rig a soft plastic: • Take a small sharp hook and hook it through the middle of your plastic bait. A plastic rigged bent, kinked, or a hook point positioned incorrectly will leave you with a “warped” looking presentation that’s certain to swim like a true lemon. Your plastic now needs to be rotated 180 degrees and once done you need to carefully align your hook up with the chosen bait to determine where the hook will rest. One of the things that makes soft plastics so effective is their natural appearance and action. Though most Williamson soft baits come pre-rigged, he outfits the Williamson Live Mackerel with a short piece of No. Soft Plastics How to rig a Tube weedless (Stupid style) ... Rigging elastic soft plastics with Jeff Gustafson 5:42. If you do, this can lead to there not being enough room for the weed guard to come down and off the hook. Another soft plastic technique that deserves its own special mention is “surface frogging”. What this refers to (as the name applies),is surface soft plastics that replicate a “frog”. Surface frogging brings about the adrenaline fuelled visual excitement we all thrive upon and some of the hits from fish such a barramundi, cod and mangrove jack can be so seriously explosive it will keep you coming back time and time again. Pay attention to detail and apply logic to your approach. Rigging a weedless soft plastic can be a bit tricky. Choosing between a Jig and Texas Rig with Luke Palmer 2:20. Soft plastic jerkbait rigging is a good alternative to working hard-plastic jerkbaits when you are tossing a lure into grass beds and thick cover. Worm style hooks are what the vast majority of anglers (myself included) are using these days for 90 per cent of weedless soft bait rigging. If you’re using a big soft plastic, you can rig it lower on the hook if you need to. This setup is ideal for buzzing lures across the top of weed beds and among lilies, reeds and timber. Rigging a weedless soft plastic can be a bit tricky. Rigging Soft Plastic Weedless. The soft plastics below are oriented correctly on a jighead. A jighead is the go-to rigging method, as the plastic is typically too small for a weedless hook. There are the anglers who love the ease and versatility of spinning set-up and there are those who love the accuracy of bait casting rigs. I said I was going to carry on talking about fishing! What you need to assess in any given scenario is the type of terrain you're fishing across and whether or not your gear may be like taking a knife to a gun fight. Atomic lures make a range of 3 and 4 inch 'Prongs' that represent a small prawn.Prongs almost always receive plenty of action on trips into the creeks. These hooks come as straight shank, true turns and extra wide gape patterns, and can be purchased as both weighted or weight free hooks. In a field that was once dominated by casting and trolling hard bodied lures, soft plastics have now stamped their authority when it comes to targeting these structure orientated brawlers. Related Videos. Some days hard baits just won’t trigger a response and the more finesse, slower style of fishing soft plastics saves the day. In the hunt for barramundi, mangrove jack and cod I much prefer the accuracy and ease of operation offered by bait casting set ups. Check it out. A plastic worm is a staple in any bass fisherman's arsenal. Bigger fish such as spangled perch and even baby bass are all high on the menu. The “rigging them all up on weedless hooks beforehand” way I have been doings things has been working just fine in the past, and there is every chance that you are far more controlled than me and don’t have a whole heap of soft plastics sitting on a whole heap of weedless hooks. Let's look at our popular species and the reasons why weedless-rigged plastics work so well. Bream and bass comfortably retain their positioning at near the top of the table when discussing the popularity of weedless plastic techniques. Top right we have the mega soft paddle tail type,this one has a nice little slot in the top to aid weedless rigging and is rigged on a 3.5g jig head with off set hook. Copyright © 2021 Sport Fishing Magazine. Weedless Rigging of Soft Plastics for Fishing in Grass . 10 wire near the swivel. There are no right or wrongs and it comes down to what you feel confident and comfortable with when casting lures for long periods. The Neko rig presents the worm in a stand-up orientation and it looks like something feeding on the bottom. They're a fantastic looking fish and their willingness to crash a surface lure, swimbait and other lures is also a huge contributor towards this surge in popularity. Surface frogging is a visual way of catching mangrove Jack and other species. With this I simply incorporate a 1/16th bullet head sinker and allow this to run down my leader to meet the lure (Texas style rigging method). Home Portal Forum Index Fishing Tackle Soft Plastics & Lures Search Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. It really does pay to have a more in-depth look at the various methods of rigging weedless presentations. January 21. They need to push the hook through the plastic as well as into a fish’s mouth. Try nose-hooking them. But when soft plastics are rigged and used properly, they can be extremely effective in consistently catching quality fish all season long. Check it out. Rigging a soft plastic is a simple task but it must be done with accuracy and precision so that your final product is one that looks incredibly realistic and, more importantly, swims correctly. I've had many lure casting sessions myself whereby I have thrown surface lures non stop for zero hits only to turn around and cast a weedless fish profile soft plastic along the same snags, and bang, a fish first cast. Soft jerkbaits like the Mister Twister® Exude® RT Slug give you all the weedless benefits of a soft plastic lure with an erratic darting motion that's great for both surface and sub-surface work. A Bonnier Corporation Company. It begins by simply inserting your hook point into the head of your soft plastic and back out through the “chin” area. Weedless (also referred to as snagless) rigging minimises the chance of your soft plastic fouling or snagging, allowing you to more effectively target fish in and around structure, including weed beds, mangroves, fallen timber, lily pads, reef and so forth. The variation to this method occurs when certain hooks such as the Owner Beast and VMC hooks feature a “twist lock” keeper in the eye of the hook. It is similar to the Texas rig in that the plastic worm or bait is rigged weedless, but the weight is separated from the lure with a leader and a swivel. Nose-Hooked Rigging A Soft Plastic On A Dropshot. Rigging your Squidgies and other soft plastic lures “weedless” or “snag-proof” is much easier than many people seem to think! The unweighted version of these hooks give you the ability to simply “crimp” on the desired weight and position it on your hook to sit directly under the “chin” of your soft plastic. Smaller plastics from say one to 3-inch rigged weedless are every bit as deadly and we have the luxury of many differing bait fish, crab and prawn patterns to choose from. These are specifically designed to imitate a frog swimming and hopping between lillie beds and in any freshwater scenario where barramundi, bass and cod are your targets you would be labelled a genuine madman if you didn't carry a few in your luring kit. This is not where you wish to be. Given the unique nature of the material in Zman’s soft plastics, the rigging technique and jig head styles are a bit different than other brands. Once established (or even marked out) you are able to insert the hook point through the body (underside) with the hook point coming out on the “back” of your chosen plastic. What this gives is one incredibly realistic swimming action, keeping the head slightly down and tail beating strongly. Rig Jigheads So the body Is straight, not crooked If a soft plastic has a straight back then it needs to be rigged onto the jighead in such a manner that it remains straight. It sounds like a very simple technique but it's also one that looks incredibly natural and realistic and gives a barramundi or jack holding on the structure the quick opportunity to pounce on a passing meal. We now down size the offerings (from that of barramundi & jacks) and start looking at much smaller plastics and smaller worm style hooks to match. 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