techniques for soft plastics???

[Coza]

Hi i am very new to this sport of bream fishing with soft plastics and i love it but i am not sure on what techniques to use for sp fishing and what habitats are good for finding bream?
any advice would be very helpfull
thx all

[Emo]

Welcome Coza.

This whole forum is basically dedicated to answering your two questions (and a few more), I suggest you read through as many threads as you can and you will definately find what your after.

Cheers.
Steve

hey there coza

Here are some tips on how to use soft plastics from dilbanger

the first thing i think you should know how to do is to learn what the right jig heads to use on the day!!! If you are in shallow and/or still water i would be enclined to use very light jig heads as they do not make much splash and they let the sp sik a little slower and more natural. if you are in shallow water and you make splash you are likely to scare off any bream around the area you just casted to. In deeper or more flowing current water you should use a heavier jig head. as it dosnt matter as much if you make a splash. matching your jig heads up with the conditions on the day can realy up your cacth.

the second thing to know is how heavey your line should be. I use berkley fire line as main line anywhere from 2 to 6 pound is good but its the eader that conserns me more. again i would use lighter line in shallow and clear water so the fish cant see it and spook. therefore 2 to 4 pound leader is good for shallow or clear water but if you fishing around snags you should be using anything from 4-8 pound depending on the day. matching the line with the conditions will also up your catch.

ok now that youve got the idea on what line and jig heads to use lets get your lure in the water. but first a few things that you should know. Make sure your sp hits the bottom. you can tell if when this happens when you see your line relax. another thing you should aways keep both your eyes on your line as when your lure is on the drop most times you cant feel the hit but u see it through the line as is twitchs jerks or straitens.

ok now for the retieves. if you are using a grub style lure then slow lifts of the bottom work well for me. once your sp hits the bttom then raise your rode tip very slowly and then let it sink back to the bottom, watching he line all the time.

if you are using flic baits then i would be leting i sink to the bottom and when it hits the bottom to 2-5 quik sharp jerks and then lit it sink back to the bottom again.

ok now for some final tips to finish off with.

As you are just starting off and arnt very experienced at bream fishing then i would not be using sp's over 2 inches as catching bream on anthing bigger is found to be harder. so stick to the 2 inch grubs and flick baits. if you are fishing in clear water and you can see the fish then they can see you. try to be very quit and not make any sudden movements as this will scare the fish and aslo keep away from the waters edges. im not saying that you have to not be able to see the fish to be safe but just keep it calm. and finaly for choosing colours i would be using natural colours to start off with in dirty water but if this dosnt work i would change to lighter colours and vice versa in clear water. also keep changing colours and make sure you have a wide variety of colours and styles in your tackle box.

well i hope this helps you land your first bream on sp.

[kamikazeghost]

Having done this for many years, the first bit of advice I give is Finnesse, finnesse, finnesse, finnesse........

No hard jerking, but rather subtle hops with twitches and shake retrieves. Keep everything as light as possible and don't strike with the arms, shoulders, elbows, or whole rod, but rather most effective is the good old firm tip strike.

Keep in contact with the plastic most times and watch the line.

Keep leaders around the 7ft mark and light around 4-6lb if you're keen, and also have a few well learnt knots at your disposal:

Bimini Twist
Albright
Double Uni
Surgeon's
Perfection Loop or Lefty's Loop

just to name a few.

Don't just stick with 2" plastics. Fish accordingly to watch surrounds you.

I'd at least start with a small kit of:

2" shrimp
3" dropshot minnows
80mm squidgie wrigglers
other flick baits
2" Atomic Fat grubs
3" fry
6" worms

and a range of jigheads from 1/8oz - 1/40oz size 2 or 1. I personally prefer 1/0 and 1's. They don't fail me.

There are many areas to fish and bream habitats are numerous:
Rock walls
Pontoons and canals
Oyster Leases
Flats
Mangroves
Moored boats
Deep water
Rocky bars
beacons

If anything, if you have some gear, learn to cast accurately. Without accuracy, you may miss out on many occasions. So learn:
the normal cast
punch cast
flick cast
pitch cast
back flick
bow and arrow
backhand overhead (use if completely in an area where you're really in cover)

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions.

[Coza]

Hey their guys thanks for the info. that hepls a lot. I also want to know what are the good tides for bream fishing in qld
thx

Hey coza
i find that where i live (currumbin QLD) the best tides for my area are 2 hours from the top of the tide and onwards till 2 hours past the top.

[bream_mc]

hi kamikazeghost

i was just wondering if u could go into those casts in more detail.

i can do the

normal (overhead) ????
forhand cast
backhand cast
and the bow and arrow

but wat is the
punch cast
flick cast
pitch cast
back flick


thanks so much


PS i got my first bream on sp....i credit this to ur tips that u have provided me so thanks very much

thanks again

[kamikazeghost]

Hi Bream_mc, I'm glad that you've caught your first on SP.

Now it is a matter of continuing to learn and grow with the techniques and skills that you've started with. It will take a lot of time to become quite proficient as there are many little nuances, so give a good, hard 3yrs of learning and you'll start to find that you'll still be learning but at a slower rate.

Ok...... casting tips..... hard to explain but I'll try.

Punch Cast - It is a cast that you use to get in under cover from a high point without using backflicks, bow and arrow casts. You want to get in there quick, softly enough and fast without too much fuss. You start from a mid high point like you normally would do, and then skoot it in by releasing at a lower angle than you would normally. So, instead of lobbing overhead, it will shoot through more so. You're using a wrist snap. Don't use elbow or shoulder as I know a lot of anglers do use such in all their casting. I rarely use this cast unless from a certain distance in which a backflick won't get me there but you can use it in other circumstances.

Pitch Cast - Like a pendulum of a grandfather clock, you're holding your plastic in the palm of your hand, holding your tip high, keep the palm near your side, release and move the rod forward through the tip to the butt if that makes sense. So, it is a close combast cast which allows you to control the landing of the plastic on the water very softly. It doesn't normally have a lot of distance, and is very accurate. You can cast this on a 20c coin. Very effective cast for close quarter combat when the fish are not spooked by your presence.

[kamikazeghost]

Keep getting HTTP Error 406........ let's try again.

Backflick Cast - Just a flick of the wrist on the backhand to get the cast skittering across the surface which mimics escaping baitfish and prawns. Great cast for tight spots. One you should learn and become very proficient. Best way is to practise at home cast between chairs and under them otherwise you'll have a frustrating day out if you try to learn it on the water.

Flick cast - something I've done for quite a while in windy conditions if I want to get to a spot in structure which other casts won't do. I roll the wrist to get the SP to spin and curve across the water on the forehand. You don't have too much aerialised line then to try and mend back.

Glad that you're enjoying a new realm of learning and you'll continue to do so for some time to come. Glad that I've managed to help you. Anytime.