Q&A LURE FISHING

Q I want to try shore fishing for bass with some much larger soft plastics. What do you think? Any tips and tricks?

MICHAEL RUDDLE, WEST SUSSEX

HG says: This is something I think about a lot when the mackerel are around and common sense leads us to believe that bass might want larger lures. I had a very interesting conversation a while back with a very good USA striped bass angler. I was asking him why he didn’t try and present really big soft plastics over boulder fields when their larger striped bass were focused in on larger bait fish. His answer was really interesting, and it got me thinking.

I love bass fishing with soft plastics but rare are those that cast really well, and when you get really big and bulky with the lures then your distance is cut right down. This might not matter depending on where you are fishing, but this US angler was saying that once he goes over about 15cm long with large paddletails, he can’t cover nearly as much shallower water when distance can be key. What he does then is turn to bucktail jigs with a trailer which gives him that longer and larger profile lure but with a lot of casting ability if need be.

By no means am I saying don’t try some much larger soft plastics for bass, but if you do then you need to accept the physics of the setup. A bigger, more flexible lure requires a much bigger hook and this combination will cut your distance down. When we were developing the Savage Gear Gravity Stick range of soft plastics we played around with different sizes of the paddletail. It was noticeable how the 140mm size was a definite sweet spot between casting distance, lure profile and lure action.

Using heavier jigheads either for deeper water, faster currents or from the boat of course now changes things. This method might not work for really shallow ground of course, but if you want to try punching bigger soft plastics into rougher conditions out on a headland then it’s worth thinking about. You will need a more powerful rod though.

KEVIN MANSFIELD, SOMERSET

HG says: Probably not as often as I should is the honest answer. I think back to my bait fishing days and I would discard any hook which looked like it had any signs of wear and tear. We buy some expensive hard lures though, and it’s only natural to want to try and extend the life of their fixtures and fittings. Some hard lures definitely come with better quality split rings and treble or single hooks on them. Whatever the case, I keep a very close eye on those components.

I always wash my lures in freshwater when I get back from fishing, but even then you are going to find signs of rust on various components over time. I fish a lot with soft plastics and when I used to pre-rig my lures it didn’t matter how often I washed the gear down; the eyes of the hooks would always rust up eventually. I think this is down to the high salt content in some soft plastics. Now I don’t bother prerigging; I take a few hooks and all the soft plastics I want and chop and change when required.

I do often see some very dodgy looking hooks and split rings when I sneak a peak in other anglers’ lure boxes, and, to be honest, I simply don’t understand it. Why risk losing the fish of a lifetime because you couldn’t be bothered to change a hook or split ring? Why take the risk? I would also urge you to take the time to wash your gear in freshwater. Saltwater kills everything!