Oatley Report – 6/5/07

I’ve had a few mates ask me how I think Soft Plastics (SP’s) compare to bait. That’s a tricky question with lots of answers but I’ll give a few of my thoughts here. SP’s are extremely convenient: they can sit in your tackle box for months and are ready to go in an instant. The Gulp range of lures need a little extra care, because if they are left out of their packets they’ll shrivel up and dry out and become un-usable. However, they can be brought back to life with a soaking in water but I think they lose some of their effectiveness as their scent is diluted.

SP’s are very versatile and with a few assorted styles, you can target a good range of fish on any given session. The usual suspects like grubs, minnows, shads and worms will cover plenty of bases that will see bream, flathead, whiting, tailor, jewfish and kingfish be taken under the right circumstances.

I decided to test how efficient SP’s are and only took a packet of Gulp 6” sandworms in camo with me when I fished the Georges River and Oatley yesterday. The tide wasn’t great and I only had 3 hours but I still felt confident in getting a few different species. I stuck to areas where I knew there’d be a good chance of a mix of fish – jetties and drop-offs and the sandy patches at the sides of weedbeds.

The first hour was slow but as the tide gained some movement the fish came on the chew. Three bream came over the side quickly, followed by a few whiting from a channel next to the weeds. At one jetty I flicked the worm into the shadows and felt the slightest tap on the line as the SP sunk. I struck and came up solid against something with a bit of weight. The fight wasn’t overly aggressive which had me wondering what it may be and I was very surprised when a nice plump luderick surfaced next to me. These things normally go like the clappers and I felt lucky to have gotten him out of the pylons unscathed.

I only managed two flathead and both were just undersize so I couldn’t add them to my keepers list. I landed a few more bream but my best came off the last pontoon I fished. At 35cm’s total length he wasn’t a beast but was still an excellent fish in prime condition. My totals for the day were 6 bream, 3 whiting (the best 29cm’s) and 1 luderick (36cm’s) plus the 2 undersize flatties.

Of course, you don’t have to use SP’s. Try rigging bait on a jighead and fishing it as you would a SP. A nipper or prawn flicked under a jetty or on the edge of a sand-flat works just as well although you’ll be pestered a little more by the pickers. Mix it up when you’re out fishing and don’t be scared to try something that may be a bit out of the norm. Happy yakkin’ everyone.

Cheers,
Cid