The Angler's Angle: The allure of soft plastic lures

With the weather well into the summer pattern with hot days and sea breezes, most keen anglers are turning their attention to the creeks and rivers surrounding Hedland.

Most will target barramundi as the water temperature rises, with the by-catch of mangrove jacks, javelin fish and threadfin salmon welcomed by most anglers.

Without doubt the use of small live baits of mullet is an incredibly effective and popular technique, but more anglers are starting to see the value of lures and in particular the wide range of soft plastics available nowadays.

Without going into specific brands and models, here are some pointers to get you started if you haven’t discovered these lures just yet.

Popular northern targets in the rivers, creeks and estuaries such as barramundi, mangrove jacks, finger mark and even northern mulloway will all take plastics.

In fact, one of the great advantages of soft plastics if that they can be worked in some of the roughest and snaggy water that would be difficult not to snag up in with a treble adorned minnow.

When faced with murky water in these systems, it is vital to use plastics which have a strong action.

This is why I favour shad and paddle tail styles in the 8cm to 12cm range on relatively light 7g heads.

The big tail of these plastics sends out a superior fish attracting vibration compared with stick baits.

The murky water also calls for colours which make the plastic stand out.

White, chartreuse and pink all work – so don’t be afraid to get loud when selecting a pack.

Once again, I tend to err on the smaller side when choosing plastics in the creeks — as they will tempt smaller fish much more readily.

A nice slow, bouncy retrieve will work best, as most of the creek dwellers will be sitting deep in snags or in holes and channels.

Holding the rod tip high will plane the lure towards the surface if fishing in the shallows or for fish actively hitting schools of bait such as mullet.

Check these lures for yourself, and give them a go.

Mark Davis is the North West Telegraph’s bi-weekly fishing columnist.