suggest me a plastics starter kit

[bar raider]

hi guys,

(edit: have rods just need plastics.)

when i dont know what to buy i often walk out without buying anything :'( i guess its a combo of not trusting salesmen and an overwhelming variety on the wall, so i am asking you lot to do it for me 8-)

i want to spend about $100 including a basic plastics ziplock bag thingy. and im a middle range guy eg: not the most expensive but not crap either.

species: flathead,small jew and maybe shallow snapper and other things in this size range, i am not interested in bream and the like.

locations: mostly seaway,pin and general broadwater. tweed inshore reefs and southern bay occasionally.

i know nothing about colors, types and weights.

hope someone is interested i giving me a hand, thanks in advance.
cheers.

[tunaticer]

For the money intended to be put forward you had better go to BCF or Tackleworld and buy a $90 combo regardless of the brands or models, just make sure the rod is a light 2-4kg graphite rod about 6'6" to 7' long and feels almost too light. When you hold the rod correctly waggle the tip then stop quickly, the tip should not continue waggling and return to it normal position quickly. above anything this will be your most important feature of your entire setup. Then buy a packet of Gulp Shrimps in natural or mouldy chicken colour and one packet of 1/0 jigheads either in 1/8th or 1/4 ounce weight. That is the most basic setup you will find for 100 bills that you could catch fish on with any sort of reliability.

I suggest you ask for a buddy from the forum to tag along for a local trip to learn how to use them, plenty of guys on here would offer you that assistance. Land based or boat based it doesn't really matter, you have to learn the art yet.

IMHO you should be looking for a combo that will cost you around the 140 mark to get into a realistic quality setup. I recommend a Shimano Symetre 2500 reel on a Pflueger Trion or a Shimano Sahara rod to be a decent starter combo. You need to look at combos to get a setup around that price as the reels are normally 140ish.

[Horse]

No need to buy a special bag to hold your plastics. They just compress them out of shape. Grab a Decor style clip seal container big enough to hold your collection. As a beginner I would suggest starting with Gulps. they are very forgiving of technique. I use a variety of colours. Normally bright colours (eg Nuke Chook) in low light or deep water and more natural in clear well lit conditions (for Lizards stick with the brighter colours). If I could only pick one colour it would be Pumpkinseed.
The Gulp styles I would start with would include 3" & 4" grubs, 7" Jerkshads, Turtleback Worms and 3" & 4" shrimp. A couple of paddle tail styles or jerkshads from either the Z Man or Sqidgy ranges will see you set to get into some plastic fantastic sessions.
Grab a few packs of TT or Nitro jigheads in a variety of weights from 1/8 to about 3/4oz in sizes 3/0 to 5/0. I go up a size in hooks rather than smaller. I always use the heavy wire versions for Snapper etc
Have patience getting started. The first few fish can take some effort until you get the system sorted

[bar raider]

sorry tuna i should have specified i have rods, this is just for the plastics themselves. a Symetre 2500 on a gen 3 dropshot with 10lb braid for the small stuff and a stradic 4000 with 20lb on a bcf sahara graphite rod for the big stuff.

thanks horse/tunaticer that is what im after, and those colors you picked are 2 of the ones i had in mind because they are mentioned all the time.

thanks

[PinHead]

I was like you bar raider..read so many posts regarding this plastic, that jighead, this abc lure..that xyz lure. I don't know how some oft hese guys remember the make and model of lures (let alone the rods and reels they have). I have some plastics and jigheads, I have either bought or been given. I also have some lures. In all honesty, I have given up on that stuff. I have no idea of what to use and where or when.

Hopefully you get it sorted.

[FishHunter]

Plastics are pretty simple really, use a hook size that sticks out enough and is big enough to hook your target species and just enough weight for the rig to hit the bottom. Use a plastic that looks like something your target would eat in a colour it would want to eat and use a action that makes it look like something thats struggling to stay alive and cast it out to where you think a fish would be looking for a easy meal.

[Scalem]

Spend a morning on a charter and you will not look back if you choose the right one. If I said I knew what to look for you will always wonder if I really knew what I was talking about unless I took you out in my boat. And fishing being fishing that is not always a guarantee. Some of the best on af often come home with donuts (as do bait fishos too:P)

If you want a recommendation which charter I know one who always does well, pm me if interested. Once you have spent the time with guys who kJnow their plastics fishing, you will better understand what you need in a combo and what to look for. If you are on the south side give me a yell and I can tell you what I know which isnt everything but should be a good start

Scalem

[Funchy]

Hey bar raider

I have found the action you impart on the plastic is the most important aspect of placcy fishing. The type of placcy seems secondary though obviously has a degree of relativity.

Here is what I have found -

Fish light as possible with regards to both line and jig head weight, ensuring you are in the correct water column for the species you are targetting
Because you are not interested in targetting bream, dont be afraid of bigger hooks (though lighter gauge is best)
ensure your SP is not overly effected by current. Best way to do this is by throwing up current and working the lure back toward you.

If you have a swimming pool or acces to a swimming pool test various actions of retreval to see what happens to your SP when you impart various actions via the rod tip. A nice clear bit of ocean will do also obviously but it is a bit hard to find that right now.

Hope this helps in some way :D

[llourd]

over the weekend i took a guy out who had never fished before handed him a rod and reel with a placcy on it and told him to cast as far as he could ahead of the drift and make sure he let it reach bottom before giving it a good jerk and then let it sink again - repeat process all the way back to boat. 3rd cast he hooked up and eventually landed a 35cm squire.
point is, don't over think it, just get out there and give it a go, its not as complicated as a bunch of experienced fishos discussing it can make it sound.

[bar raider]

thanks fellas, ill go shopping on friday and have a few sessions on the weekend.

[softplasticsdude79]

my first combo was a simple BCF sienna combo,around $79 on special,get some big w 6 lb Braid for $14,rovex 8lb fluro for $10 and your on the way,Google the knots you need to know.I done all the above for years and never had a problem.The only problem is you will get hooked and your budget will no doubt skyrocket.