Thread: a splash how too: Catch Snapper with soft bait

A lot of the time I find it hard to contribute any content to our wonderful hunting forum as I am fairly new to hunting and only manage 4 or 5 trips in to the bush a year due to my young family and due to the fact I live a million miles away from any deer.
But I do get out fishing more than most, so thought I would show you all how I catch my fish!.

I fish from a 3.4m southern pacific RIB with a 15hp mercury outboard, all up it weights around 110kg and makes for the best single handed launching and landing in any swell.


Once I find a good looking spot on the sounder I head up wind a bit and through the drogue overboard and start to drift.


With softbait fishing you need to have light gear I fish with a shimanno stradic real with 4.5kg braid on a 5-10kg rod.


I use a 20lb fluorocarbon trace that I attach to the braid using a Albright Knot | How to tie the Albright Knot | Fishing Knots


to the end of the trace I tie one of these long line clip things it saves having to retie knots if you want to change hook sizes using a Improved Clinch Knot | How to tie the Improved Clinch Knot | Fishing Knots


And my jig head of choice is a Nitro 1/2oz 5/0


The soft bait I have had the most luck with is a 7inch gulp nuclear chicken (but most will catch fish),
the best way to put the bait onto your hook is push the nose of the bait on to the hook then thread it so the hook comes out the gut flap of the bait


Then push it up so the bait goes up the ribs on the jig head


Spin the bait 180deg so you can then push the hook out the baits back


you are now ready to fish, the best method is to cast in the direction of your drift, let the jig sink to the bottom then give it 3 or 4 flicks with the rod and wind in the slack, then repeat until your boat drifts over your bait then wind in and start over.
Soon your average fish will start to look like this