I HATE SOFT PLASTICS!!!!!!

[lanks]

long tail caught behind peel

[lanks]

76 cm flathead

[lanks]

37cm bream

[shayned]

Nice fish, must have pushed the adrenalin button on 6 lb line. Its photos and reports like that which got me heading down this frustrating side road to begin with, so I dont know whether to thank you or curse you for driving another nail in the coffin. Sorry, don't mean to be negative, I'm just sitting here wondering why in the hell I bought a dropshot rod when I picked up the fireline??????????????????

[Roo]

the small dropshots are a great rod for the light placcy's. stick with it... if you get out there and use them, the results will come.
I still haven't caught my first bream with plastics.... the one time i really tried i got a 45cm jack instead. on a 1-3kg dropshot......poor thing nearly folded in half
have used them for years and caught loads of flatties, trevally, bass, estuary cod and mangrove jack.

stick(bait) with it
roo

[finding_time]

Shayne

Nothing wrong with the dropshots very good value for money

Once you hook your first you will want more, once you get slamed by a monster you will never go back.

Ian

[jim_farrell]

Shayned, M & G at jacobs well this weekend. I don't know if any sp guys are going. Maybe post on the thread in 'going fishing'. Could be worth sticking your head in at some stage.
Jim

[BenDover]

My soft plastics look pretty good swimming through my pool... Other than that... see no action. Im thinking about putting some fish in there so i can see what they do just till i get it right.

[lanks]

shayned ,
all the above fish (except the long tail) were caught on a 6ft 6, 2 - 4 kg berkley drop shot rod. good value for money i recon.

[hardb8]

Hi shayned,
The gear you mentioned will do the job but there is more effective stuff available.My first thought is maybe you are fishin where the fish aren't.

My mate uses them all the time with great results,And they are very effective.But personally I hate em too.Dunno if it's the name (Soft Plastics) sounds a bit poofy to me.Or the fact I've been so successful with hardbodies and don't see a need to use em.

There's nothin like gettin smashed on a hardb8.The fish see em as a fast and elusive target,Most usually resemble a minnow of some sort,So when attacking them fish know they have to hit hard and fast in order to kill it to get a result,And this is proven in about 90% of the strikes.I think this percentage would be lower with SP's due to the often slower retreive and subtle action.There are hard lures available that will get you in the same strike zones as a plastic,And can be just as efficient.

I was usin Mr Twisters back in the early 80's to great effect and feel I've been there done that.So when the fad came back around I seen no need to jump aboard.For some reason I'm a hardb8 addict.The closest I come these days to a plastic is a Prawnstar.But make no mistake plastics are an effective tool in the right hands.

Welcome to the darkside.LOL. #Regards hardb8 #

[shayned]

At the risk of having this thread drag on too long here's another reply. My honest thanks to everyone who has tried to assist when I started the thread I really was just blowing off some steam after another failure on Sunday.
harb8 - I understand what you mean about throwing them where the fish aren't, that thought keeps crossing my mind except I rate myself as not bad on bream when drowning bait. If I can pick my tide/time/moonphase and prefered bait and actually get away to fish when its right I can hold my head up around most fishos. Now I admit the same attention to detail doesn't always come into it for soft plastics with me but here's two examples that spring to mind. On sunday I fished a spot that has produced in the past in the same conditions on a variety of baits even bread. On occasion I could even see flashes as fish turned in the water but only felt one bump but the plastic came back un marked.

Fishing with friends for wild bass and chucking sp's in the same areas that were producing 40+cm fish on bait without getting a touch. After an hour and a half of missing out on the action, changed to bait and had my best ever catch and release session on bass.

Is it equipment? Thats been now sorted thanks to some good advice here and an absolute weakness that decends on me as I enter a tackle store hence the drop shot rod which I swore I wouldn't buy until I could show some results on existing gear.

Lure Selection? Maybe, I also added some more choices to the arsenal yesterday again following advice at Sundown. (Note to self: Intercept next credit card statement before wife can see it)

Unco-ordinated? Hell, I barely drool when I walk and I can breathe and chew at the same time so hopefully thats not it. Although after being at the pub I have been known to fall over occasionally for no apparent reason.

Technique? Definetly and the suggestion to watch people who know what they're doing is a good one. Thinking about it all through life thats how almost all of my good fishing habits have been picked up. Funnily enough most of my other bad habits in life have come about the same way.

So all it leaves now is for me to pull my finger out and put some work in with whats been shared here and try to get a result. As I said if anyones interested I'll put up a progress report if things get better, if it comes good I should then be able to identify the problem/s which might help someone else who is struggling.

Thanks All
Shayne

[sid_fishes]

never give up, mate . i,m still trying,. its all good, at the end of the day

[Archer]

Technique? Definetly and the suggestion to watch people who know what they're doing is a good one. Thinking about it all through life thats how almost all of my good fishing habits have been picked up. Funnily enough most of my other bad habits in life have come about the same way.

Thanks All
Shayne

Shayne that there is probally the most important part. Realisticlly you can catch any fish on any gear sure having a nice rod like a dropshot will make it easier but its not going to suddenly make you start catching fish lol.(be good if it was that easier mind you)

Karl (canodle on ausfish) a mate of mine was in excactly the same postion your in now. Had SP's and hated them couldnt catch a cold with them. He had read info looked at videos talked to me over the phone etc and all to no avail. He came for a trip with me saw what i was doing and all the info he had gained just clicked he hasnt looked back. Truth be told he would outfish me with SP's these days....Should never have shown that bastard anything..
Anyways the point of my post is dont give up once you get the "knack" of it you will never go back to bait. They catch more fish more often and you dont get stinky dirty bait all over the boat or yourself! Whats not to like about them?

[Fishin_Dan]

You know what they say about rubbers.....

"If it's not on, it's not on"

[Sean]

Use gulps...from berkley.