# Prawn Style Plastics



## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

theres been a lot of hype about prawn style plastics, specifically the gulp prawns in the 2 inch size. I think they were the go-to lure in last years Bream comps with the 'Banana Prawn' (dirty green/yellow) colour being the choice. However I've heard that this year "Peppered Prawn' is the new black :lol:

As I've never had much luck with them I'd like to know from those who do use them, what's the best technique etc? I find that most of the ones I buy are slightly bent so even when taking muchos care to rig them straight, they still spin on retrieve. I'm guessing that the technique is a subtle one (cast, drop and ever so slight twitches) , but interested to hear how you use them, how you rig them and what locations you have most success with them?

they certainly 'look' like they should catch fish but I've never had much success and usually go to my fallback of a 3" powerminnow or 1/2 gulp sandworm in camo.

Interested to her whether they work for you, which colours you like and how/where you fish them.


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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

I have some 3in and 2in gulp in nuclear chicken and neon pepper (?) work well with flathead on the flats and bream in the snags.

Not really fussed if it doesnt swim perfectly straight, just try to rig it so it swims straight to some degree without any twist.

The rios prawn things (the smallest one) is also good for bream around the boat ramps and rocks.


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Yeah, those Gulp prawns really nail fish - it just sucks that you only usually get 3 or 4 'perfect' moulded prawns in a pack - the rest always seem to be twisted or a bit deformed. :? :? 
With the twisted ones, what I do is simply mount them on the hook at whatever angle is necessary to have the flat section of the tail horizontal on the retrieve - thus reducing the twisting on the retrieve.
With bream these days happy to chew on multicoloured baits in all colours of the rainbow, I don't stress too much about having the lure actually 'looking' like a prawn.
Having the lure 'act' like a prawn is more the key. I prefer to fish prawns with short flicks, and using jig heads that will keep the lure in the target zone of where the fish are holding. The best thing to do to guarantee fish is to xxxxx xxx xxxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxx x xxxx xxxxx!
Thats all you's are gettin' out of me.... :twisted: :twisted: :lol: 
Smeg


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

So do you normally use them 'everywhere' (ie deep water/shallow water/pontoons/boat hulls/ reefs/structure) or do you prefer to use them only in selected locations? I can see the merit of drifting them around structure but not sure if they're as effective in shallow/featureless water.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

They're just glorified dead bait as far as I'm concerned. Look like a piece of chewed up chewing gum and have an action to suit. Yes they work, seem to prefer a very slow retrieve with very little action or nothing similar to using a piece of stinky frozen prawn and would work just the same.


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## GregL (Jul 27, 2008)

Davey G said:


> I can see the merit of drifting them around structure but not sure if they're as effective in shallow/featureless water.


If there are fish around in such water, and you work a plastic prawn around them slowly and carefully (so as not to spook them), you'll probably get their interest, as hopefully they will see it as an easy meal.


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## Buff (Dec 31, 2005)

Davey G said:


> However I've heard that this year "Peppered Prawn' is the new black :lol:


You still living in the past man Punk Prawn is the new Bling :twisted: :lol: 









Last summer I was playing with the Midnight Tiger as a deep water SP and using a slow twitch had some good results before things shut down here in Adelaide.









As long as I have straight ones I will use them like any stick bait but ones with even the slightest bend are consigned to very slowly bouncing along on the bottom


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## breamski (May 3, 2009)

Most of my curved ones are now straight because i put them in a gulp alive tub.


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## scater (Nov 24, 2007)

Are prawnstars counted? I'd class them as somewhere between a soft plastic and a hard body. They're certainly a go-to lure for me


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## craig51063 (May 30, 2008)

i use them in structure and boat hulls . mostly get fish on the drop if nothing within say 15 ish seconds i give a small twitch . if nothing ill do it again .

the lightest jig heads i can get away with .i also rig them like xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and its fantastic .

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

craig


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## Ranger (May 31, 2008)

Davey G said:


> As I've never had much luck with them I'd like to know from those who do use them, what's the best technique etc? I find that most of the ones I buy are slightly bent so even when taking muchos care to rig them straight, they still spin on retrieve. I'm guessing that the technique is a subtle one (cast, drop and ever so slight twitches) , but interested to hear how you use them, how you rig them and what locations you have most success with them?


Use just enough weight to get them down, and I like to use the Gamakatsu Lead Belly jigheads, where the weight is hidden in the centre of the lure. This way it floats down evenly and naturally, instead of diving nose first.









I just use short lifts and then take up the slack or even just lightly tap the butt of my rod with one hand to slowly bounce the lure over the bottom.


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

For me Davey, if i want a prawn like lure to be worked i'll use a squidgy lobby if i want it to float down an bounce slowy on the bottom i'll go the gulp.
The squidgy's swin a lot better thanks to the tails, just remember to hook them up backwards, ie tails away from the hook and only enough weight to just reach the bottom after say a 10 count.

Cheers Dave


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## Evoids (Jan 10, 2009)

I dont mind the berkley shrimp but I've had way more hits and in time I'm sure I'll have more fish on the berkley craws. They have a better action than the shrimp and just look better too


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## BIGKEV (Aug 18, 2007)

Buy the gulps in the tubs if you can as they are pretty much all straight in the tubs, seems to be the vacuum sealing of the packets that deforms the soft gulps and leaves them out of shape.

Prawns move very slowly to conserve energy and just occasionaly give those big flicks to escape predators but even these are limited in real prawns as they runout of energy quickly and after a couple of quick flicks will sink slowly back to the botom trying not to be noticed. This is what you need to replicate when fishing this style of plastic as a prawn that is constantly jumping and flicking around is not going to look 'natural', as a natural prawn just does not have that much energy.

Prawnstars are another good prawn imitation lure and there have been a few very informative youtube clips posted lately on fishing these lures by the Prawnstar manufacturers. They are well worth watching and some of the information and techniques on these clips can be applied to any prawn imitation lure.

Kev


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## gareth (Dec 27, 2009)

I've been using the bannana prawns for a couple of years now and have found that if your after a good alround lure you wont go to wrong.Have been using the hidden weight style jig heads as i dont see too many prawns with something hanging off there heads but this is only my opinion.A good idea to get your retrieve right is to throw it out in shallow water so you can see it and try different things and watch how it reacts find this best if there are some little fish arround, you'll soon know by the reaction of the fish.I dont get to concerned about the curl in some of them because it will swim a bit more erradic wich only helps it look like its injured and easy prey.Have caught loads of fish on them two inch/ flathead, whiting, bream, moses perch, Three inch version /trevally, queenfish, coral trout, and once a slatey bream. The three inch would also bee good for thins like jew and mangrove jack.Another tip that might be usefull to get your weights and retrieve right is to go somwhere where you can watch the prawns and then try to immitate the way they move. Any way thats my 2 bits worth and good luck.


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## varp (Sep 12, 2005)

˙ʎlqɐʇıɔxǝ ooʇ pɐʇ ɐ ƃuıɥɔʇıʍʇ uǝǝq ǝʌɐɥ ʇɥƃıɯ ˙ɥɔɐoɹddɐ ʎlʇɟos `ʎlʇɟos s,ʌǝʞ ƃıq ʎɹʇ llıʍ

¡¡¡ssǝɔɔns ou pɐɥ

˙ʎllǝqʍollǝʎ ɹǝʇsuoɯ ɐ puɐ sǝıppǝɹ `ɥɔɹǝd ɹǝʌlıs ƃıq pooƃ ʇoƃ s,ʇɐɥʇ ǝloɥ ɹǝʇɐʍɥsǝɹɟ lɐɔol ɐ uo suoıʇɐʇıɯı ǝıqqɐʎ/uʍɐɹd ʇno ƃuıʎɹʇ uǝǝq ǝʌ,ı

(!)


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## dishley (Jan 20, 2009)

A 3 inch prawn just caught a metre Jew. :shock: :shock:
I caught my first plastics fish on them, best to work them real slow, with more pause than movement. That's why i prefer them for landbased fishing, but after seeing Daves catch i may give them another go from the yak


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## Revo (Aug 3, 2008)

Davey, Banana Prawn has been a more successful colour for me. I'm usually fishing in reasonably clear water.



BIGKEV said:


> Prawnstars are another good prawn imitation lure and there have been a few very informative youtube clips posted lately on fishing these lures by the Prawnstar manufacturers. They are well worth watching and some of the information and techniques on these clips can be applied to any prawn imitation lure.


Prawnstars look worth a try and I found the clips about technique helpful. Thanks for mentioning this BigKev.


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## Biffo (Nov 30, 2009)

Up here in central Queensland i have had a fair bit of success with the 4 inch berkley powerbait shrimp in white/pearl and i think newpenny. Catching trout, cod, stripeys, trevally and chinaman fish. On a side note, on sunday i used 7inch gulp jerk shads in banana prawn colour (which i had not seen before) and they out fished the nuclear chooks. I landed several cod which one was about 6 kilos, multiple stripeys and a few unstoppables which 30 pound braid could not pull up. The three inch banana prawn go pretty good around here on flathead aswell. When i was down the baffle a few weeks ago most people flicking lures for jack were using pink and red coloured prawnstars.


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