Thread: Beach fishing and Softbaits

When using soft baits do you still use a sinker? Following with interest as Im trying to get into beach fishing I started off with using lures mainly for the casting practice

Very first time I tried softbaits was on a trip to Doubtless bay for a family reunion. Was staying at a 'book a bach' at Cable bay. Got up at dawn and wandered down to beach with my trout spinning rod.

3rd cast at a couple of lonely looking rocks saw me doing battle with a nice 7lb snapper. Wandered back with me snapper and a big smile.

I've often thought about all the tourists fast asleep in the Golden Sands units and weather they would have believed me if I'd told I just caught it 20 yards from their balcony.

FWIW you are much better off with a dedicated soft bait rod. Reels are reels but smaller reels balance better with Sb rods.

Casting into white wash is well worth it. Next to weed line etc. You can get away with very light jigheads so long as you can cast them far enough. That said you don't often need to cast very far.

Worm hooks and using a weedless rig (google it) is also very usefull if there is plenty of seaweed around.

My preference is to go for the lightest terminal tackle that you can get away with, you tend to hook bigger fish. The trade off is obviously you run a higher risk of being busted off.

Seeing as you are in the Firth, I would also be tempted to get a handful of mussels and crack the pointy end enough to slid a jig head into one and toss that into the white wash. (cheaper than softbaits)

Originally Posted by blip

When using soft baits do you still use a sinker? Following with interest as Im trying to get into beach fishing I started off with using lures mainly for the casting practice

Not usually. Most people use a jig head, but some prefer a worm/EWG hook and a small ball sinker.

Originally Posted by 7mm tragic

Very first time I tried softbaits was on a trip to Doubtless bay for a family reunion. Was staying at a 'book a bach' at Cable bay. Got up at dawn and wandered down to beach with my trout spinning rod.

3rd cast at a couple of lonely looking rocks saw me doing battle with a nice 7lb snapper. Wandered back with me snapper and a big smile.

I've often thought about all the tourists fast asleep in the Golden Sands units and weather they would have believed me if I'd told I just caught it 20 yards from their balcony.

FWIW you are much better off with a dedicated soft bait rod. Reels are reels but smaller reels balance better with Sb rods.

Casting into white wash is well worth it. Next to weed line etc. You can get away with very light jigheads so long as you can cast them far enough. That said you don't often need to cast very far.

Worm hooks and using a weedless rig (google it) is also very usefull if there is plenty of seaweed around.

My preference is to go for the lightest terminal tackle that you can get away with, you tend to hook bigger fish. The trade off is obviously you run a higher risk of being busted off.

Seeing as you are in the Firth, I would also be tempted to get a handful of mussels and crack the pointy end enough to slid a jig head into one and toss that into the white wash. (cheaper than softbaits)

I know Doubtless Bay and Cable Bay quite well

Always wondered about soft bait with surfcasting . Have the lure masters comp coming up October. Said to a mate we should just put the Long line down with 25 soft baits on it. Wonder how well it would work.or Even change some of the hooks to micro jigs etc.

Originally Posted by Quackers

Always wondered about soft bait with surfcasting . Have the lure masters comp coming up October. Said to a mate we should just put the Long line down with 25 soft baits on it. Wonder how well it would work.or Even change some of the hooks to micro jigs etc.

I've spent too much time thinking about this stuff...

I don't think soft plastics would be very successful. If you could get them to float and bob around in the current, then maybe, but if you watch videos of people softbaiting, they're using light gear and usually ready to strike at the first twitch. Generally, fish will bite soft plastics, but won't swallow them.

Berkley Gulp is different, it's effectively synthetic bait formed in to the shape of a lure. It would work, but expensive and fragile. Fishbites are a new alternative. I can say first hand that they catch fish and are tough, but again, expensive.

I could imagine kabura-type lures catching fish from a longline if the lures were suspended just off the bottom. Achieving that would be tricky.

Continuing with the softbait vibe, I smashed the parore yesterday on tiny, crayfish softbaits. Landed ten good size fish and left them biting. I don't like eating them, so catch and release.

Originally Posted by MB

Continuing with the softbait vibe, I smashed the parore yesterday on tiny, crayfish softbaits. Landed ten good size fish and left them biting. I don't like eating them, so catch and release.

I'd have eaten them, if they come from clean water (i.e. not a sewerage outlet) they are great eating. Also known as Black Snapper.

Aussies call 'em Luderick and value them.

And thanks for the tiny crayfish softbait tip.

Originally Posted by MarkN

I'd have eaten them, if they come from clean water (i.e. not a sewerage outlet) they are great eating. Also known as Black Snapper.

Aussies call 'em Luderick and value them.

And thanks for the tiny crayfish softbait tip.

I shot one in open water once. Gutted, but not filleted straight away which was the mistake I think. Had an iodine-taste. Wife and son didn't notice, but I did. Aussies just love them as you say. If I'm starving, might give it another go.

Also called shit fish..the sewerage outlet tells you why lol

Originally Posted by MarkN

I'd have eaten them, if they come from clean water (i.e. not a sewerage outlet) they are great eating. Also known as Black Snapper.

Aussies call 'em Luderick and value them.

And thanks for the tiny crayfish softbait tip.

There are a few other names for them back home in Aus, not very politically correct though!

You will get fish on softbaits fished on a normal surfcaster just like bait, provided there is enough surge to keep them moving

Luderick or Blackfish over here. We use floats with cabbage weed for bait on a small hook underneath it. Fishing in the washes around the rocks.


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Propper little scrappers on line, put up a good fight.
I use mussel and sea lettuce stitched to small hook... only when snapper fishing is hard though.

Parore are my trout substitute. Use similar gear, but different lures and techniques. A lot of fun.

Green weed flies also used over here a lot now.
So even more trouty!

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