# Soft Plastics Hitting Bottom



## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey guys, i usually fish Rivers or areas with tidal flow, this makes it a real pain in the backside to "feel" soft plastics hitting the bottom for flatties... I use a range of SP's from 2inch Squidgy grubs to 5inch nukechook Jerk Shad with 1/8 and 1/16 jig heads... but can never feel them hitting the bottom. Meaning that i usually just wait for ages and guess when its hit bottom, then just work it back... This "usually" results in fish such as Brim, Trevally, Squire, Pike etc... But NEVER Flathead...

Could this "bad sensitivity" be because i use 4lb Mono and NOT braid??

Any help would be appreciated to solve this problem!

Dan.


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

haha, very subtle DaftWullie 

Although if its gonna hook me up to massive flathead, im gonna give it a shot 

Thanks.

Dan.

(any more help is also greatly appreciated!)


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## MikeG (Jun 16, 2009)

Hi Danw
I use similar jig head sizes but with braid, I normally watch for the line to go slack, which means the SP's on the bottom and then twitch back from there, with a little bit of practice, you'll get the hang of it, it shouldn't make a differance with mono, but for flathead you want a decent leader.

Mike


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey MikeG, I usually use the exact same tactic when im at still water (the bay or boat mariners etc) and i can watch for the slack line... but when the water has a flow, the line just keeps peeling off the spool making its way further down the river, making it insanely hard, if not IMPOSSIBLE to notice it hitting bottom..

Any other of you pro's out there have an idea  ?

Dan.


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## MikeG (Jun 16, 2009)

If line is just peeling of, it means that the jig head isn't touchnig the bottom but staying mid stream, with this happening you'll need to up the jig head weight, try a bit of experimenting and you'll soon find the right weight.

Mike


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

mate a couple of points.

i think a 2 inch plastic is a bit small for a flattie.
if your anchored up cast up current and it will fall as it comes back.
if your drifting you can get away with a lighter jig head.
to be honest i nearly always fish for flatties on a run out in shallow water especially casting up onto a bank that is starting to dry and just working it back in maybe a foot or a foot and a half of water.
work em slowly for flatties, no hurry to get the plastic out of the zone.

cheers pete


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## si75 (Feb 26, 2008)

Kind of echoing the answers before me but in deeper water you shouldnt worry about your jighead being too heavy. You really want that puff of sand to come up when it hits the bottom. Equally, even a small flattie will inhale a big sp, so think about upping that as well.

If you are in really shallow, skinny water this doesnt really apply though, and thats where you need the stealth factor a bit.


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## onemorecast (Apr 17, 2006)

If you are using the tidal flow to aid your SP action and are specifically targeting flatties I will sometimes use an unweighted worm hook or similar on the SP. Then 50-100cm to a swivel and a ball or egg sinker in front of that. The tidal flow or drift will cause the SP to move around a lot giving it a good amount of action. This way you can go pretty heavy on the sinker without really effecting the SP action.

I often do this and leave this rod in a holder and cast with other as my experience is that flatties are pretty indiscriminate predators; you just need to get the lure near them.


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## Levi (Nov 24, 2008)

I fish for Breambos, EP, Flattie and whiting (last 2 when i want a feed) mostly around the Sydney area on my short trips- rivers like the cooks, Cowan creek, Berrowra ck etc. Tidal flow is present.... personally, for flatties i prefer to fish the run out tide in gullies near the flats, they sit in waiting to ambush the bait fish going off the flats.

Plenty of success to date, if they are around, flathead are the easiets of the above to catch- tips- get to the bottom, (normally) larger SP's. A couple of tips- in clear water i use 4-6lb fluro as my all rounder, though flatties WILL go through that, so go to a 8 or 10lb high quality fluro when they are about or i am targetting them.

i use 1/24-1/32 jig head mostly and fish 1-12foot of water (most good flatties i get in the gullies and drop offs just off the main flats), i watch the braid which sits on the top and you can clearly see the SP hit the bottom as the line stops going out. in fast current this is harder, and may not be possible in a deep hole and fast water, so up size the head if fishing for flatties. For the girl friend i will whack on a 1/16-1/12 head, straigh to the bottom and she gets heaps of flatties without having to worry too much.

If you just want flathead, nothing else- heavier jig heads, and bigger SP's, say 3' plus. A great combo is 4-6lb braid, 8-10lb fluro leader 1/16 -1/12 head with a 3' pumkin seed gulp, or pink SP's. You can use mono no probs ( i alwasy used to), and if you are having trouble getting the bottom, the heavier jig hed will sort that and flatties dont mind at all. Flathead are really aggressive so dont be affriad to go up to a bigger SP, often 4-5' is perfect, even on medium size fish. and remember you wil catch them in very shallow water, just longer casts so you dont spook them on approach (all you will see is a puff of silt on the bottom).

lastly, here is a few we kept from the weekend, the hole was about 9 foot deep, just off some flats, run out tide. Started on light line (6lb fluro), though quickly put on the 10lb leader after one succes and one lost. i was using 1/24 jig heads, 3' minnow in peppered prawn (matching the local bait fish ball).
The girly was on the same set up. fish were 46-56cm.


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey Levi, thanks for the in-depth guide  Im sure thats gonna help me out!

Thanks for all the contributions.

Dan.


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## spongy (Nov 13, 2008)

Another tip for flatties, that someone told me.
Retrieve your lure in the same direction as the current, so cast upstream and retrieve downstream. This way the flatties can see the lure come towards them, as they normal face into the current.


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## mangajack (Jul 23, 2007)

Sounds to me like you need a lesson in how to fish plastics effectively. 
Two main points.......stop trying to feel your soft plastic hitting the bottom. This is a debilitating carryover from bait fishing and best discarded for plastic fishing. The whole concept of plastics is fishing the drop when you should not be feeling the bait. You need to learn to control your slack line but not fish with a tight line. There needs to be a reasonable belly in the line from the rod tip to the water. When your lure hits the bottom the tension of the belly will instantly drop away notifying you of touchdown. i find most rivers with average flows I can fish 1/8th to 1/4 ounce heads with 4" jerkbaits and easily reach the bottom in say 6m of water.

Watch your line......not your rod tip. The line will have some form of changed activity upon every bite or taste the fish make on your presentation. Strike all suspect changes.

I find if i am missing strikes or coming up with tails bitten off I have been fishing too much tension on the line.......give more slack.....usually remedies the problem.

3 to 5" paddletails are the go for flathead bit the often bonus jew on the attack in the same locations as well.

Jack.


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## bilby (Sep 2, 2008)

Yeah mate i echo Jacks reply. You will get a feel for when the plastic is near the bottom, some jig head packs (Nitro) have a sink rate on the back, might be something like .5mtr per sec, so if your in the yak in 4mtrs of water and there is minimal wind and the current is slack you could confidently say in 8 seconds my lure will be on the bottom. I find most flathead i've caught on plastics come from a slow retrieve with a few flicks and pauses, paddle tails are a great way to start as they have there own action, you just lift slowly and retrieve the slack line and repeat. Always be alert as some days you get more on the drop, so as always it pays to experiment.
Cheers mate and happy fishing
Bilby.


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## fishsmith (Mar 19, 2008)

As others have stated:

*Cast upstream against the tidal flow/current as it will get your soft plastic down deeper..

Flatties are ambush predators and face upstream into the current to pick up any food being swept down.

Watch that line (braid preferably) for key indercators of fish hitting the plastics. eg unusual stop starts of the line,anything out of the norm really...

Once the paccy has finished drifting along the bottom wind up and cast back up against the current again.

Runout (ebbtide) is better to fish for Flatties as they like to ambush the baitfish/prawns etc as they move off the flats with the tide.

Think like a fish (Flathead) and ask yourself where you'd set up your ambush location for a feed.*

Scott..


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Try dropshotting your SPs
You'll be able to use a heavier weight to get down quick but still get the effective weightless SP effect

Nick


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

yeah dropshot or carolina rig i think its called , like a running rig set up for bait with a heavier weight works for me.


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Drop shotting and Carolina are not the same
Drop shot is like a paternoster
Carolina is a running sinker behind a swivel attached to a trace to the lure
Nick


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## kritter67 (May 17, 2009)

anselmo said:


> Drop shotting and Carolina are not the same
> Drop shot is like a paternoster
> Carolina is a running sinker behind a swivel attached to a trace to the lure
> Nick


Yeah my post was confusing i just didnt know if the carolina was the name of what i was thinkin of.[carolina like a running rig? i dont know i just use them  Now i do thanks Nick . 
Nick maybe you could help me with the dropshot knot ? I used to know it but have forgotten :?


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## Buff (Dec 31, 2005)

A couple of ways to rig, Wacky, Texas, Californian, Drop-shoting and some variations on a theme


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

buff said:


> A couple of ways to rig, Wacky, Texas, Californian, Drop-shoting and some variations on a theme


and don't forget you can wacky rig a drop shot as well (oops giving away my secrets!)

In fact any SP - worm, squidgy, gulp etc - can be wacky rigged
Wacky rig should actually be called wacky hooking because any rig - texas, carolina, dropshot, split, jig and unweighted can be wacky hooked

wacky refers to hooking in the middle of the body
as opposed to nose hooking - most used in drop shot or in body hooking - jig, worm hook etc

then of course we get into the exposure of hook points argh! 

http://www.bassdozer.com/articles.shtml

Nick


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

kritter67 said:


> Nick maybe you could help me with the dropshot knot ? I used to know it but have forgotten :?


Palomar knot for the hook
http://www.fish4fun.com/palomarknot.htm

I tie a loop at the end (overhand or figure 8 ) so I can change the sinker easily
(get those little sinkers with the embedded swivel)
An alternative is to tie a mustad fly clip on at the end and also where you want the hook
then you can change you sinker AND your lure/hook super easy

Dammit another of my secrets given away ;-)

OK final secret

you can dead stick a drop shot rig
just let out enough line to bounce on the bottom and drift with the rod in a holder
in Oz I used to get flathead, whiting and bream
here I've caught perch trout and flounder
ok yes its cheating but I DO spin with the other rod at the same time!

Nick


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