Soft Plastic Lures

In Australia, when you mention Soft Plastic Lures, most people picture targeting flathead. It is because these are so effective on these species, but in truth you can catch most fish with these lures.  Most fishing tournaments only allow the use of artificial bait, or lures, and soft plastics are probably the most common lures used in these tournaments. Zman Grubs for Bream are very popular, as are Gulp Craws. The reason that they are so effective is because they are soft which gives them a natural movement that looks very similar to a wounded bait fish, prawn, crab, worm or whatever else you may find in the water column. 

There are some brands that provide these soft plastic lures soaked in a scent, so that they even smell realistic and then there are others which provide you with scent that you can spread on to these lures. Different fishos have differing opinions on the effectiveness of these scents, but we find it is always worth putting a bit on just to give you that extra chance just in case!

Soft plastics are generally rigged in different ways to normal bait fishing. Most of the time people use a jig head which is a hook with a weight incorporated into it to help you get the lure to sink. This is often called a Texas rig. Hooks can be rigged Weedless, so that the hook doesn't get caught on snags or in a more traditional fashion.

You can also use a Carolina Rig which is more similar to baitfishing with a ball sinker. You just run a sinker on the mainline to  a swivel and then have about 60cm of leader with a hook on the end. You rig this hook through the soft plastic and then it will keep the lure closer to the bottom.

Another option is Drop Shotting. This is similar to a paternoster where the sinker hits the bottom and the lure is suspended above the sinker, but is left to float naturally.