Thread: Beach fishing and Softbaits

Hi all. Does anyone use softbaits while fishing off the beach whether it be calm water on the east coast or surfcasting off the west coast? If so whats your technique, what rigs do you use? Cheers.

Mainly fish in sandy estuaries in Northland with light gear (15lb braid/leader). Started off with ultralight gear (6lb braid/leader), but kept getting busted off by trevally and kingfish. I've been catching trevally and kahawai on 3 inch Zman paddletails with a straight retrieve. Snapper with 4 inch Gulp jerkshads or microjigs bounced off the bottom. I also target parore with tiny softbaits worked really slowly. Other fish that put in an appearance are spotties and a stargazer.

Same as MB

Beaut Trav MB I had my first go on micro jigs a week ago, Awesome.

Should of mentioned I've been mainly fishing at kaiaua with 10, 12 ,13.6 and sometimes 6ft rods and was wonder if softbaits could be an alternative to traditional baits

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Should of mentioned I've been mainly fishing at kaiaua with 10, 12 ,13.6 and sometimes 6ft rods and was wonder if softbaits could be an alternative to traditional baits

They don't sound like softbaiting rods. It's not just a question of sticking a softbait on surfcasting gear, it needs to be a dedicated outfit. That doesn't mean you have to spend heaps of money, but you do have to spend some. If you're just looking for a convenient alternative to bait, then checkout Fishbites. Expensive, but they seem to work.

Originally Posted by MB

Mainly fish in sandy estuaries in Northland with light gear (15lb braid/leader). Started off with ultralight gear (6lb braid/leader), but kept getting busted off by trevally and kingfish. I've been catching trevally and kahawai on 3 inch Zman paddletails with a straight retrieve. Snapper with 4 inch Gulp jerkshads or microjigs bounced off the bottom. I also target parore with tiny softbaits worked really slowly. Other fish that put in an appearance are spotties and a stargazer.

Hi MB

What weight jig heads are u using casting off the beach?


Cheers AMac

Is there a best time of the year to soft bait off the beach or are fish around all seasons

Originally Posted by AMac

Hi MB

What weight jig heads are u using casting off the beach?

Cheers AMac

3/8 or 1/2 oz for the bigger softbaits that I mentioned. Heavier than most people would choose, but I like the extra casting distance. 5 and 6g for the smaller softbaits. Sorry to mix imperial and metric!

Originally Posted by AMac

Is there a best time of the year to soft bait off the beach or are fish around all seasons

Snapper seem to be easier to find in the warmer months. That possibly applies to trevally as well. Doesn't seem to matter for kahawai.

Cheers MB - sold my kayak it was bit hard on my back but I still have my soft bait gear so might give it a go off the beach when the weather warms up!

Originally Posted by AMac

Cheers MB - sold my kayak it was bit hard on my back but I still have my soft bait gear so might give it a go off the beach when the weather warms up!

No worries. I'm also an ex-kayaker. Moved to jetski, then boat. Love going out on the boat, but it's just too much hassle for a short session, so got in to this style of fishing. As with most types of fishing, first light is most productive.

My boat is in Marlborough sounds so a bit of a logistical exercise to go for a quick fish��

Soft baiting down there has been outstanding i don’t use stinky bait anymore- snap limit only3 a day but they typically quite big fish so thats heaps plus we have cod and the carrots in really good numbers.

Watching a few YouTube on soft bait beach fishing and i am certainly going to give it a crack.

Cheers

Been getting on to any squid @MB?

Originally Posted by Shearer

Been getting on to any squid @MB?

No. Squid is something I've struggled with. Had a little success in deep water offshore, but haven't caught any off the rocks. I can't imagine there are many where I fish as the tidal flows are very strong, but I might be wrong on that. Squid are on the hit list!