Sp's, Hardbodies, Bait what do u use?

[TomMc]

Hey, im just wondering wat everyone uses when they fish for flatties. I normalley use bait but im starting to venture out and try diffrent things like sp's an hard bodies. So what do you use?
:beerchug:
Tom

[beats]

Hi Tom,
Try gulp sand worms as a good transition from bait, fish em on drop offs at the edges of sand bars or flats on a falling tide & you should have no problems picking up flathead & whiting & bream as a bycatch, camo probably the most consistant color.

[Bass flicker]

:dito: Yeah I would also recomend gulp though most softies in a minnow type design or even yellow ones with big wobly tales. Up the weight of your jig head and keep it bouncung along the bottom with a short lift every now and then!

[TomMc]

i do have lots of gulp an all but me dad took em all out of the packets:banghead: :ranting2: :Beating_A_Dead_Hors will this effect it in anyways?
:beerchug:
Tom

[imnotafish]

yep theyll be useless and dry now.
keep em sealed in their bags whole time, they arent like other plastics.
i agree with the others the gulps are the best - camo worms r great as beats said and will also get you in for other species - bream whiting etc.
i also like the 4" shaky shad or the 3" pogy with heavy jig heads
- and black n gold or gary glitter squidgy fish in about 80 - 100mm r good

[TomMc]

thanks for that i guess my plano box will be gettin more use now cause when i go back to buy the rod holders at windsor b n t ill also go and get some gulp
:beerchug:
Tom

[maxwellson]

gday tom
i mainly use the Berkely power baits towed with 4 lb braid with a flourocarbon leader. most work well, im not convinced that colour makes all the difference with plastics, im of the opinion that it is the sillohette created by the translucency, or lack of, that makes the lure more seeable to the fish. the action that is imparted on the lure is probably more important than anything else...i always vary my retrieves alot to see what the fish want to take..when i get a hit i will stick to that retrieve style for a while and more often than not it works...i will try and upload my latest flatty taken on a squidgy wriggler 120mm bloodworm in very low light and water that had a fair bit of colour in it.

good luck and keep learning

Maxi

ps. i just realised i have put this pic up on big breeder thread..excuse me please LOL

[TomMc]

thanks for that ill go get a few packs for saturday i think, ill try out the retreiving trick you told me.
:beerchug:
Tom

[TomMc]

ok i have an idea of which ones im goin to get now so can you fellas please tell me if ive made the right or wrong choice:
10 inch squid neon
4 inch shaky shad
3 inch pogy salt n peper
6 inch sand worm camo
2 inch pumkin
:beerchug:
Tom

[jamiej]

Hi Tom
Mate Ive Been having a bit of luck with the Squidgy flick baits in Evil Minnow 110mm on 3/8 oz jigheads. I also do alright on Squidgy wrigglers in Gold -75mm or 100mm.

As a side question for you guys that have already posted or anybody else. How do you rig your Gulp sand worms. I have looked at them a few times when I have been buying plastics and wondered how you would rig them.

They just seem so long. I was wondering do the fish grab one end and miss the hooks alot or do they seem to smash the whole thing down no worry's?

Anybody got a picture they could post?

Thanks.

[TomMc]

thanks for that ill take a look at them and i supppose with the gulp and power bait thta the fish just smash em?
:beerchug:
Tom

[d_k1ng]

Yea mate. They work just as good as any other sp. Favor the powerbaits over the gulps though.

[TomMc]

i went yesterday and brought a pack of 6 inch sand worms camo colour and a pack of 2 inch grubs watermelon, Ben said that the worms will work well for flatties, bream and whiting and the minnows for bass:hellyeah:
:beerchug:
Tom

[robeebee]

i do have lots of gulp an all but me dad took em all out of the packets:banghead: :ranting2: :Beating_A_Dead_Hors will this effect it in anyways?
:beerchug:
Tom

put them in a bucket of water for a couple of days

they will soften up again

put a bit of tuna oil for attractant

[TomMc]

thanks mate ill give it ago

[storms72]

Hey Tom, I was introduced to soft plastics by my best mate of 22yrs about 2yrs ago, first outing using them had about an hour and a half on the water and over 15 flaties in the boat, we were fishing at night and casting at a drop-off from about 8in to 4ft of water and retrieving from the light from a bridge into its shadow.....I was amazed how well they worked, took me a little while to get the retrieve sorted but once I did was hooking up every 4th or 5th cast......we were using powerbait minnows, pumpkinseed with 1.5gm heads. Since then only really use them when I fish with him.

[TomMc]

mate thats awesome! last few times ive been out i have been trying them with little success but i have been changing my retreives so hopefully it improves!

[bam]

Chartreuse twin tail mister twisters.....ol special...:warp: ....also try soak'n ya old gulps in a bag of prawn/ab gut...leave in shed for a week....becarful not to :puke: .....prime lure/bait.....:ohhh yeah: ....

[leelee]

Most flathead will eat anything that is put in front of thier faces.

I would be using heavier jigheads than you would normally use to keep in contact with the bottom. Big plastics work a treat and if you want to stay away from tailor and bream start looking at gulp craws and bigger shads.

Find the fish and they will eat just about everything you put past them as they are not normally a fussy fish.

Cheers

Lee

[TomMc]

thankyou both for the help

[storms72]

Tom, the retrieve I have used is to very slowly reel in the lure, let it rest for a second or two then slowly retrieve again, mix it up with a couple of little rod tip twitches. Everyone will have their own method but thats what has worked for me and we were very slowly drifting.

[TomMc]

thanks for the tips!

[mrus8504]

being new i was woundering that when you rig your soft plastics do still use a swevil and if so can you use the same line for your leader as what you have on your reel.
can you use just a small pea sinker with no swevil and then the soft plastic. i have no idear
in have been using the jig head and soft plastic with no swevil but i have a feeling that this may be wrong.

can someone point me in the right direction

thanks

[storms72]

Hi MRUS......As I have said in previous posts everyone will have their own ideas/method but I personally dont use a swivel, don't want anything near the plastic to put off the fish, just tie it straight onto your line coming from your reel....I don't use any lead because if you need to increase the weight for casting or to get to the bottom a little faster increase the weight of your jig head.

[mrus8504]

Hi MRUS......As I have said in previous posts everyone will have their own ideas/method but I personally dont use a swivel, don't want anything near the plastic to put off the fish, just tie it straight onto your line coming from your reel....I don't use any lead because if you need to increase the weight for casting or to get to the bottom a little faster increase the weight of your jig head.


Thanks for the help

i will give it a go