Seeing the Light!
As a bait-using, paternoster-twister from way back, Graham Brake offers his tried and tested method of transitioning to artificials offshore. If you still haven’t caught trophy fish on “those plastic things” this article is for you!
By Graham Brake
Mackay
One statement I continually hear from other members of the older generation is how they struggle to get into artificials while fishing offshore. I can sympathise with them as I can honestly say that if it wasn’t for the influence of the much younger editor I would find myself in the same boat.
Even now, I can still be found rigging large, flappy baits on paternoster rigs while Lee is working octo jigs or soft plastics beside me, although I do occasionally see the light and join the “dark side”. For me, there seems to be an invisible boundary line where artificial offerings are considered the norm, but once you overstep the line it gets a little harder to make the change. This line appears to coincide with the thirty-metre depth and where the targeted species change from the inshore fish to the bigger, redder species. In the shallower, inshore waters I very rarely use bait having changed to soft plastics and metal jigs a long time ago, but I cannot remember the last time my first drop in the deeper water was with something hand made. But, I do use them and have had great success on many different species, so while I may not be a diehard, artificials-at-all-costs fisherman, I think I can relate to the group who are struggling to try the metal and plastic offerings or have tried them without success and discarded them as useless, and hopefully I can offer enough some advice and encouragement to see them given another chance.
For the deep water, artificial virgin, the first step is to put together a small collection of tackle that will give you the best chance of success, as early success is the most important thing in convincing you to continue fishing this way. Having no luck at all will quickly have you tying another paternoster and going back to the tried and proven bait. I won’t go into rods and reels too much here as what you have been successfully using for bait fishing will suffice for your initial forays into the world of artificials. If you would like to upgrade your armoury and want a quality outfit that suits both bait and lures perfectly, do yourself a favour and check out the latest Penn Reload rods. Teamed with either their new Battle II spin reel or Fathom lever drag overhead you can get a quality combination for a very reasonable price. Loaded with 50 pound braid and connected to 80 pound leader you are all set. There are three different styles of lures to consider and while two of the three are used on similar targets, the other has a completely different quarry in mind. The odd one out is the knife jig and as it is predominately used to target pelagics cruising above the bottom, I will not focus on it other than to recommend having a couple pre-rigged with wire assist hooks and wire trace ready for when you see those tell-tale lines on your sounder. Drop one to the bottom, rip it up and hang on. Catching Spaniards on knife jigs is one of fishing’s greatest pleasures! The two lures we will focus on, and are proven takers of all deep dwelling red fish, are the octo-style jigs and the humble soft plastic. For the soft plastics you will need a few different size jig heads as a start. Grab a packet each of one, two, three and four ounce heads all with 7/0 or larger hooks and you will cover most conditions of water depth and current. For the plastics, I regularly use and have success on ZMan Jerk ShadZ and StreakZ , Berkley Gulps (Jerkshads, Nemesis and Squid Vicious) and the American Got Stryper plastics. Go for the larger 7-8″ inch models for maximum presence in the water and while I am not sure if colour plays much of a part at fifty metres, I like to stick with blues and greens as these are still visible at that depth. As this is not light, finesse fishing, there aren’t many tricks to rigging the plastic on the jig head, as long as the end result lays nice and flat to the shank of the hook and doesn’t spin as it is pulled through the water. You also don’t want the hook to protrude so far down the body of the plastic that it impedes the tail action. There’s a good rigging video here if you want some more information – http://www.fishandboattube.com.au/media-gallery/295-advanced-reef-jigging-tips-with-octo-jigs.
For the octo-jigs, I use Reidy’s Sea Bugs and Berkley Squiddo’s but in both cases they are “pimped” and upgraded from their standard form. The main reason for this is to increase hook size and strength, but adding “bling” in the form of plastic squid skirts or even small soft plastics increases their presence in the water and makes them more appealing. Check out the editor on the following link to see what I am talking about – http://www.fishandboattube.com.au/media-gallery/256-how-to-pimp-up-your-octo-jigs-reidy-sea-bugs.
Now we have our selection of artificials ready, the next tip is not “how to use them” but “when to use them”. As I said earlier, how quickly and consistently you taste success will determine if you persevere or relapse to bait. If you are fishing on someone else’s boat, you most likely won’t have an intimate knowledge of their sounder to the extent you may not be confident there are fish showing below. In this case, hedge your bets. Start off with a two hook paternoster rig but instead of two baits, rig a big curl tail soft plastic on one hook (a straight shank O’Shaughnessy-style hook works well). Curl tail softies require little more than a rise and fall type action, so are perfect for this scenario. Continue with this rig until, between yourself and the others, fish start coming on board to the extent you know you have a reasonable bite happening. Now is the time to change to your man-made offering. It doesn’t matter if you choose a soft plastic on a jig head or an octo jig. Lower the lure to the bottom and then work it up with two or three lifts of the rod. Wind in the slack and repeat a couple of times before free spooling back to the bottom again. If you get a hit but fail to hook up, immediately free spool the lure back. You will be surprised how many times you will be absolutely clobbered at this point. Once hooked, keeping the curve in the rod is paramount. Unlike bait fishing where you can sometimes get away with a little slack in the line, if you let the weight of the jig head or octo hang loose it is very easy for the fish to shake free. If you normally use a rod bucket while bait fishing, I suggest you dispense with it for a while as you start using the new rigs. One of the most frustrating things I witness while working a deck out wide is the number of fish lost by well-meaning punters when they stop fighting a fish as they muddle around trying to get the rod butt into a little leather pouch. Honestly, sometimes I want to take them and throw them overboard (the rod bucket, not the punter). Don’t they know that butt bruises make for happy memories after the trip?
In your own boat, do you know and trust what your sounder is telling you? If, like me, when you see a certain return on the screen, you will know it is fish and they are active. This is the perfect time to tie on a jig and see what is biting. By using these two techniques of either waiting until a bite is happening or until you know there are fish below before using your plastics and jigs, you will soon gain confidence in their fish catching ability and you will be surprised how quickly the time spent bait fishing starts to diminish.
One last tip: the next big red caught while the rod was in the holder and the jig was just fluttering as the boat rose and fell in the swell won’t be the last.
