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Soft Baiting In the Canals  - 2019 UPDATED

Soft Baiting In the Canals - 2019 UPDATED

Soft Baiting Canals 101:


Soft Baiting In the Canals
By Malcolm Bell


Background

 

The emergence of a world class fishery for salmon, brown and rainbow trout in the Central South Island of New Zealand has been a magnet for anglers from all over the world as they try to catch extraordinary fish in a fantastic environment. The Hydro Canal system running from Lake Tekapo to Lake Pukaki and from both Lakes Pukaki and Ohau to Lake Benmore give over 150 kilometres of pristine water for trout and salmon to flourish in and can be fished over almost the entire length all year. Add to the mix several extensive salmon farms into the already rich environment and out of this come spectacular fish with high numbers over 10lb and significant numbers of fish 20lb plus. For more on the quality of the fishery see this insightful report from the Cawthron Institute
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/fish-game/69443394/new-secrets-of-the-tekapo-canal-fishery

 

In order to catch these fish there are several effective methods and in this article we will be looking at a Soft Bait techniques for use in freshwater. The wonderful thing about this method is that once mastered, it can be used in all sorts of locations – rivers and lakes, to give extraordinary results and to add to an angler’s arsenal of fun ways to catch fish.

 

Softbaiting

 

The basics of soft baiting are simple, it requires a highly active lure, usually in the shape of a fish or grub, being drifted as naturally as possible down current to be eaten by a fish. Soft baits tend to be very limp and “floppy” so that when attached to a hook or jig head they have natural movement giving the illusion that they are alive. Even in slow or still water, the soft bait looks tempting and lifelike to catch the fish’s attention.

 

In order to detect fish biting a soft bait, the angler must be “in touch” with the lure. This means that the line should be taut to the soft bait with a minimum of curve in the line on and in the water. In order to make this happen line must be “mended” like a fly angler would do, to take out the bow that develops when fishing in a current with one end of the line anchored at the angler and the other end free swinging in the current.

 

The fun part of soft bait fishing is working out the variables of speed of current, depth, wind, light direction, obstacle location etc. and matching that to type and colour of soft bait, jig head weight, leader strength and a host of other things to outsmart the fish. It is a strategic thinking game a lot like fly fishing but easier to master the casting. One huge tip I would suggest is to be quick to change baits, weights and location often until you get a response.

 

A More Detailed Look at Softbaiting

 

Soft Baits

 

A selection of appropriate soft baits is a great place to start when trying this method. There are two major types of these, one is made of starch – like Berkley Gulp and the other is made of some sort of silicon rubber.

 

Starch based soft baits are generally scented and must be kept in fluid in order to remain supple and function effectively. They are more likely to be considered food by the fish as they have a nutritional value. Because of this they are more likely to be held onto when taken into the mouth giving a better chance of hook up.

 

Silicon rubbery baits can have different properties depending on the mix they are made from and require no special care other than a box to put them in. These typically have a great variety of suppleness, colours and shapes giving a huge choice to the angler when trying to get a response from the fish. Silicon baits often have a more attractive action leading to a committed bite or strike.

 

I like to use both sorts of soft baits depending on water speed, time of day, time of year and what is working.

 

What to look for in a soft bait

-       Size. Most soft bait for freshwater use are around 3 inches but vary generally from 2 to 5 inches in length.

-       Colour. There is an enormous variety of colour variation with often unnatural or unusual colour proving very effective. I often fish with white, pink, translucent, chartreuse, lime green, as well as the more natural colours. Be prepared to change colours when nothing is happening and you will catch more fish.

-       Shape. There are all sorts of shapes for our soft baits – short and fat, long and thin, segmented etc. But the most important thing about soft bait shape is the tail design. Paddle tails give a heap of movement to the bait, even in slow or still water. A very slow retrieve is ideal when using a paddle tail for good results. V tails, drop tails and grub tails all give a different action and can be really effective in different situations. My advice is to be armed with a variety of shapes, tail types and sizes.

FOR SOFT BAIT OPTIONS CLICK HERE


 

Selecting a jig head

 

The most common way of fishing a soft bait is with a jig head. These come in a variety of weights, shapes, lengths and sizes. Their purpose is to sink the soft bait to the appropriate depth so that the bait is in the zone of the fish. Jig head length varies with the length of the soft bait. The shorter the bait, the shorter the hook.

 

Weight selection

 

Jig head weight is one of the most critical choices when fishing at the best depth to catch fish. A rule of thumb is to use the lightest jig head to get the right depth. Where possible do as little winding as possible to let the soft bait drift past the fish in a natural manner. A common mistake is to use a heavy head and to resort to spinning as it has to be quickly wound in to avoid the catching the bottom.

 

I carry jig heads in a variety of weights from 1/50th of an ounce to 3/8th of an ounce and select my choice depending on water flow. Most typically I use 1/16th, 1/12th, 1/8th, and 1/6th most often. If the water is moving very fast, then I will use the 1/6th and ¼ as it is important to be where the fish are. Be prepared to change if nothing is happening as experience is very much built on trial and error.

FOR JIG HEAD OPTIONS CLICK HERE


 

Line

 

Braid is the number one choice when soft baiting as feel becomes the most critical connection when detecting a strike. Remember bites are often very subtle so bite detection is a critical skill. It is our advice to get a good quality braid that is in a visible colour as tangle free accurate casting, followed by careful line control greatly increases your chances of catching fish.

 

The connection between the braid and the jig head is best with fluorocarbon line. This material is very translucent in water and super tough with good abrasion resistance. It is a good idea to have a variety of line weights at your disposal depending on the size of fish you are after and the location you are fishing from. Typically I use 8lb when the area is pretty clear of obstacles and move up to 11, 13, or even 17lb in tough situations.

 

When attaching your line to a jig head, I find you are best to have a small clip like a snap lock or a small split ring onto the jig head or you can tie a perfection loop to have the bait move more naturally in the current.
FOR BRAIDED LINE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

 

Rod:

Selecting an appropriate rod for soft baiting is one of the most important decision you will make. We have developed in conjunction with Lox and Crucis specialist rods that can handle a wide range of casting weights from 1 gram to 20gm. These rods use the latest nano technology in rod manufacture and are in length 7’6” to 8’10”. They are a huge advantage when it comes to casting distance, accuracy and line control and can’t be underestimated in a top quality kit. These rods draw from the latest fly rod technology and despite their softer tips can easily handle 20lb+ fish.

FOR ROD OPTIONS CLICK HERE


Reel:

 You will need a reel that is designed for braid with an excellent drag as it amazing how often large fish are hooked. Landing them is very much a mixture of skill and luck if fishing around the various salmon farms. Reel size is generally 2000-4000, but must be really smooth to give the best bite detection. 

FOR REEL OPTIONS CLICK HERE


Net

An often overlooked item is a decent sized net to land your fish. The canal fishery is such that hooking a very large fish is only a matter of time and once hooked it brings on the new challenge of landing it. Having landed plenty of fish over 20lb, I recommend a large mouth net that you can easily get a monster into. My favourite net is the McLean XXL or XL with a weigh scale to 50lb in the handle. If you wish to let the fish go again as I normally do, handling it quickly and easily is critical to have it swim away with as little stress as possible.

FOR NET OPTIONS CLICK HERE


Rigging:

Starting with the Reel. If it is a braid specific spool you can put braid straight on.  We typically will put on mono backing to insure that the spool is completely full for longer casts and faster retrieve.  From the mono backing attach braid to mono with an approved braid to mono knot. I would recommend 1.5-2m of leader as the long leader does make a difference in clear water. 

Another option is to tie in a dropper using a surgeons knot onto the main line some 30 – 40cm from the end of the line where the jig head is connected. This acts as an attachment point to put on another bait. I will run a softbait on the bottom and with a 20 – 30cm length dropper of the same leader as the main line, to which I can put on an egg or fly artificial that offers a different meal for the fish. At night we may use a lumo fly in this position which is highly effective.


Basics of Mastering the Drift

The key to getting more takes more often is having your gear come down stream as naturally as possible right where they are naturally sitting. That means the softbait is traveling at the same speed and direction of the flow of the current. Where this becomes difficult is you also need to be in contact with your gear to detect the takes, which can be very subtle. 

Good line control is important as fishing in moving water has a few tricks to make things easier. Essentially when we stand on a bank we anchor one end while the other moves with the current. This leads to a bow forming in the line that makes bite detection hard. We overcome this bow by lifting the line off the water, straightening it a little and moving the centre of that line in the opposite direction to the original bow. This may sound complicated but once mastered really improves the movement of the soft bait and gives you more fish.

The key thing is to do just enough movement to keep in touch with the softbait with as little big movement as possible for the soft bait. Typically I would advise keeping the rod tip close to the water and following the line downstream with the current. If you are fishing around obstacles like between the salmon cages, the changing current speed means that keeping your rod really high to miss the fast moving water closer to the bank, is a must do. Do as little winding as possible to let the soft baits get down, and keep the line off the water as much as possible.

Often fish will nibble at the bait and where possible allow them to get a good grip on the bait before striking. Giving a bit of action if fish are interested, with small movements or letting the bait drift back may entice a more committed strike.

 

Night Fishing

Fish at the canals can be tricky in the daytime particularly when it is hot and still, or when there has been a lot of fishing pressure. I have found that the fishing in general is better on change of light in the morning or evening and at night where they seem to feed and bite better.

If you are prepared to fish after dark, there can be some real rewards as the fishing can become very good. My experience is that fishing is best when there is little or no moon around or if there is cloud covering the moon. I often fish with luminous beads on my soft baits as a point of light attracts predators to the bait. I usually put these onto the head of the softbait around the knot. Brighten these up regularly with a UV torch for best results. Salmon and rainbow trout are most likely to grab a glowing bait.

Night fishing can also be done without luminous lures. Bigger black softbaits on a bright night can do well especially with the big browns, and conventional softbaits in white and chartreuse can be effective.

Conclusions

Soft bait fishing is an exciting way to catch fish with many baits and techniques yet to be tried and perfected. We do have a series of Videos on the subject and are more than happy to discuss options and techniques over the phone or in person in store. Our aim is to get you to catch more fish and to have fun doing it.

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