How do I fish with soft plastic in salt water reefs ?

Question

I have just bought a soft plastic box full with fancy colors and I never fish with soft plastic before I always fish by casting a bait ( shrimp or piece of squid ) and whait for a fish to strike .And now I want to try new method .( our fish mainly emperor , snaper , sea bream )

Answer 1

I've used soft plastics on many occasions over the reefs around here while on party/head boats. The best method for me was to add a a jig head large enough to go straight down, 2 ounces usually works. Once I hit bottom, I crank it in 2-3 times so that the jig is just above the reef and the aggressive fish will have to come up to get it. I just jig it up and down and when I feel a hit, I'll set the hook and keep pressure on the fish so that it doesn't have a chance to go back into the reef. I stopped using soft plastics over reefs though. It started to cost more than it was worth because after one or 2 fish, the lure is no longer good, it's all torn up.

Here's a tip, add a second hook and a strip of bait to it to add scent and entice more fish.~good luck catchin'.

Answer 2

Depending on the depth of the water, wind, and current, your jig head should be anywhere from a 1/16 oz to 3/4 oz.  The idea is for the artificial to imitate live bait fish.  You will want to vary your retrieve to see what the fish will want.  You can try bouncing it slowly along the bottom, if that doesn't work, speed it up a bit.  If it is a shell reef, you're likely to get hung up on the bottom if you bounce it slowly so you'll want to keep your lure just above the reef.  "Pop, pop, reel"  Pop or twitch your rod tip up then reel in the slack.  The faster you reel, the more shallow your lure will run.  Vary the speed until you find the fish.  You can even try a cast out then steady retrieve at different rates.  Usually the pop, pop, reel thing works and the fish will hit the lure on the downfall.  I wish you luck.  I hope you will try  topwaters, too--that's the most fun kind of fishing, in my book.

Tight Lines

Answer 3

i think you are doing right

but you can try new thing always

Answer 4

don't fish in the reef fish above it or beside it on the sand. fishing in it and you will lose your whole box because the fish and octopus AZ forget to mention that are deep in the holes and crevices of the reef you will not get out of those holes and crevices. I use bait over reefs and plastics next to them fairly effectivly. I can see the bottom when fishing the sand bottoms but here is how I do it when the bite is on the reef and the bait is old and i have to use plastic.

first if you know the depth drop the bait onto and bring up two cranks and raise and lower your rod tip.

second if you can cast out count down on the fall to the depth just above the reef and retrieve the baits parrelel to its top

third don't fish plastics (swim baits) throw giant long plastic worms 12" long or better and use the second technique and be ready cabazon and in reef preditors will come out of their holes and feed and then go back into the hole they occupy so crank down your drag and reel up like a s****.because you have to get on them in a hurry to keep them out of their holes. this would be the time to fish the fastest retrieve reel in your arsenal.

Answer 5

Rig the lure with a leadhead heavy enough to get it down to the reef. Depending on the depth and the size of the lure this can be anything from an ounce on up to 8 ounces or more.

Cast the lure to the reef, let it sink to the bottom, and bump it in along slowly. When a fish grabs it, set the hook immediately and start pulling it in. If the reef is so sharp you hang up on every cast, work the edges of the reef or try to work it along just above the snags.

In deeper water, you can just drop the lure straight down and bounce it up and down along the bottom as the boat drifts.

If the fish are up off the bottom, cast the lure, let it sink to the depth the fish are at, and bring it in with a steady retrieve. When a fish grabs it, just keep winding and the hook will set itself as the fish tries to pull away. (If you stop winding to set the hook, that instant of slack can be enough for the fish to drop the lure.)

With lures, it's the motion and action which entices the strikes, so you want to keep the lure moving. And as soon as a fish grabs the lure, it'll realize it's not food and try to spit it out, so you have to be alert for strikes and react immediately.