Modifying Slick Rigs

[moggy1]

Keep playing with the slick rigs boys, a bit more thought and you can actually make one suspend. Les i think the soft plastics see you comming. All that blastfimy over the years. I will have you converted shortly, maybe another scratchie on first blood again.
Cheers Moggy

[killitfillit]

if you have to modify a lure to that extent you are using the wrong lure.imagine a rattling suspending treble equiped soft plastic,storm has had one for quite a while but because they arent in the barra magazines they musn't work.try telling guys from tinaroo and darwin that they don't work

[the_matrix]

Keep playing with the slick rigs boys, a bit more thought and you can actually make one suspend. Cheers Moggy

I have made a suspending slick rig, but it was unstable and I did not like it.

Theres a heap of great suspending hbs on the market.
Slick rigs/swim baits were designed to be reaction lures.
Plastics cannot do everything, and are not meant to.
You are only limiting yourself if you believe so imo.

Yes I have used the Curly tail storm suspending shads, problem is by the time you remove the crap treble and replace with a decent treble, they become sinking shads.
They do work though and definantly have a place.
Cheers
Jas

[Barraboy7]

Ah, reading this thread is why I love Ausfish! Great Info here boys! Thanks Jas for your input! We seriously upped our catches by taking note of these "little issues" and not just settling back into old methods.

I'm thinking here of times using slick rigs, getting those little hits and going DOH! why didnt I change to a HB and suspend and twitch mmmm... Like Jas, Retrieve variation is something Johny Mitchell talks all the time, as well as the constant variation of Barra behavior.
Great article in Freshwater Mag on the One Percenters Jas, all Barra fishos need to read it, very informative. Thanks for getting guys to think and solve their own problems, as well as challenging some thinking.
I wonder how many people end up at Awoonga or wherever without any research or taking some serious note of such advice. Maybe a survey of glum faces at the ramp might give an indicator....
Cheers
Barraboy

[McCod]

Keep playing with the slick rigs boys, a bit more thought and you can actually make one suspend. Les i think the soft plastics see you comming. All that blastfimy over the years. I will have you converted shortly, maybe another scratchie on first blood again.
Cheers Moggy

Yeah mate i still owe you one'
And yes there could be a few boxes of H B's for sale soon as I'm running out of room fast!
Dam rubbers take up so much room

Cheers Les

[the_matrix]

I wonder how many people end up at Awoonga or wherever without any research or taking some serious note of such advice. Maybe a survey of glum faces at the ramp might give an indicator....
Cheers
Barraboy

I reckon your right BB7.............some do expect to just turn up and catch fish.
There was a day that did happen................but they are gone now.

ALL impoundments that see extended periods of fishing pressure will develop inhabitants that are always "on edge". (and a little stressed!)
This means that if you want to be successful, you too need to be on edge. Continually modifying your approach, tactics and style is the name of the game, which you have applied and seen the results first hand.

A word that I have always hated using, "finesse" becomes a potent factor.
Finesse in every thing you do on the water.

Glad you liked the FWF piece.
Cheers
Jas

[Bad_Bazza]

Firstly to Aaron, thanks for starting this thread. There has been some great incites revealed in the thread.
I know my next question has probably been discussed elsewhere (I have not been able to find a specific one) but I would like to raise the issue of line colour.
Whilst at Awoonga on my last trip I used two rods & reels, one for plastics and one for my hard bodies, the plastic line has Stren (I think) yellow line on it and the hard body has a Tuff X green line on it.
All of my fishing was from dawn to dusk and usually I only fished until the latest at 7 pm at night.
My question is this how important is line colour especially during daytime hours?

I know that I am about to answer my own question, but it appeared to me that when the sun got on the water (around 9 ish and onwards) that the yellow Stren became very conspicuous to me so would it be that visible to the barra also?
What are others thoughts on this?

Bad_Bazza

[Steve B]

Bad Bazza.

I dont beleive line colour has any effect on hookups. I might be wrong. A ledgendary angler to me once " get a ball of string and tie a fluffy toy to the end then dangle it in front of a cat!!......what does the cat see and attack......the toy not the string."

I reckon that sound a feasable reason!!

cheers steve.


PS. Enjoying the slick rigs info. Very interesting.

[the_matrix]

My question is this how important is line colour especially during daytime hours?
Bad_Bazza

BB, certainly an interesting topic and not one that can be answered in a short sentence.

Barramundi have a highly evolved arsenal of sensors which they utilize to survive, including (but not limited to) hearing, lateral motion detection and eyes with a reflective layer behind the retina of the eye. (Tapetum Lucidum)
This reflective layer serves to reflect light back to the retina which basically increases the quantity of light caught by the retina which in turn improves vision in low light. Many nocturnal species have a TL
Studies point to the tapetum lucidum being able to see light reflection, illuminated objects and light angles in daylight hours and a "greyscale" vision in low light periods.
In other words they have bloody good eyes.
How this translates to fishing lines is certainly subjective, and Steve makes a good point about that.

Me personally?
I have had instances in the past where I have had barra investigate my braid and leader to the point of feeling it.
A strange "bite" has made me go hmmmmmmmmm, closer inspection reveals nothing suspicious on or near the lure, yet 10 metres down the braid a very noticable scuff mark has been discovered.
I shook my head at first, but after talking to Johnny Mitchell he too had similar experiences, and awoke me to what was happening. It all made sense!
A Barra has investigated a suspect intruder and had a bite.
It has since happened more times, and also on my leader more than a metre away from the lure.
In pressured impoundments like Awoonga, I believe bright braid can be an issue, and I either dye my braid or use dark greens.
Its possible that it is through lateral line detection, but more likely light angles have been picked up through reflection of your braid and/or leader.

It probably does not answer your question but may give you an insight into the complexity of the question.
Cheers
Jas

[McCod]

Yeah the line colour choice is not an issue on most occasions....... but a lot depends on the mood the fish are in ........ On 1 end of the scale I've had Barra bash the leader knot on several occasions on the surface after following the lure in. And on the other end of the scale had great success using bright yellow 130 lb Fire line as leader 0.70mm diameter so its quiet thick and on several sessions used double 130 lb yellow Fire line as leader with good results. Barra can be the dumbest fish around or the most finicky at times....... very moody fish!

Cheers Les

[moggy1]

if you have to modify a lure to that extent you are using the wrong lure.imagine a rattling suspending treble equiped soft plastic,storm has had one for quite a while but because they arent in the barra magazines they musn't work.try telling guys from tinaroo and darwin that they don't work

You have missed the point about modifying. Yes it is done to temp the fish to some thing a bit different or different action. It is also done as enjoyment. I get as much a kick out of trying something different that you have conjured up yourself as actually catching the fish.