# Soft Plastics - tails getting bitten off



## TheSchlong (Mar 8, 2010)

Guys,

Am fishing soft plastics, but the tails seem to be getting bitten off - is this normal?


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## sunshiner (Feb 22, 2006)

Hi The schlong

You don't tell us where you're fishing, but yep, in southern waters, leather jackets or tailor. Up here it can be tailor, large toadies, trigger fish or various mackerel (these latter will take your jig head as well). To tell us where you are, I suggest you update your profile (go to User Control Panel).


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2010)

A local from my area has been desinging these expically for taylor, jacks and the flathead.
he is allso working on a heavier saltwater range,they are quiet good dose not affect the action of the plastic 
at all and i have not noticed a drop in hits

i have nothing to do with them just wouldnt use normal jigheads any more as loosing 
tails make me extremely upset, for the price we pay they should have corrision resistant 
soft plastic metal technology or something space age NASA style.

http://www.mantislures.com[//url]


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## mangajack (Jul 23, 2007)

Could also be a technique problem as well especially if it is happening in rivers and creeks away from tailor and jackets. The most effective way to fish with plastics is to see the bite not feel it. This means that you fish with a controlled droop in the line from rod tip to the water. You watch the last two feet of this line before it enters the water, if you get the tiniest pic it will show there. The reason why the droop is required is because of how fish feed, watch them in an aquarium sometime when they are being fed. Fish, by and large, do not rush forward and close their mouth around a bit of food, they approach it then suck it into their mouths by flaring their gills quickly. This amount of draw varied depending on the fish, its size and its agressiveness. If you fish to feel the bite there is insufficient droop in the line and the tail of the bait enters the fish's mouth, not the head where the hook is. So fish with some slack so when they go for the big drawback you have plenty of line to feed them. Avoid trying to feel the bite, concentrate on seeing that belly of line flicker a tad just before it enters the water. I guarantee you will catch lots more fish and lose very few tails in bite offs.


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## onemorecast (Apr 17, 2006)

(If you're in southern waters) My guess would be tailor, jackets won't stop at the tail, they'll take chucks out of all parts of the plastic. I have no idea how to avoid LJs, other than fishing someplace else.


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## actionsurf (Jul 8, 2010)

mangajack said:


> So fish with some slack so when they go for the big drawback you have plenty of line to feed them. Avoid trying to feel the bite, concentrate on seeing that belly of line flicker a tad just before it enters the water. I guarantee you will catch lots more fish and lose very few tails in bite offs.


Manga's on the money. Yep. That's what works. When I first started fishing with plastics all I got were tail bites. Now it's very rare and I'm catching multiple fish on the one plasto.

Coloured braid, so you can see it, with about an 8 foot fluro leader. The lighter the better. Leave a little slack from where the braid enters the water, when the line moves, let it for a bit, then whammo...hello piscatorial beasty  .


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

mangajack said:


> Could also be a technique problem as well especially if it is happening in rivers and creeks away from tailor and jackets. The most effective way to fish with plastics is to see the bite not feel it. This means that you fish with a controlled droop in the line from rod tip to the water. You watch the last two feet of this line before it enters the water, if you get the tiniest pic it will show there.


That is super excellent golden advice right there mangajack, when I finally started fishing plastics this way (it took a few years) I felt like I'd made a real leap forward in my fishing. Especially with fish that can bite very timidly like bream, quite often by the time you feel the bite it's way too late to strike.

I'd also be a bit careful about using stinger hooks, or hooks that sit further back in the plastic, you don't want to sandbag the action of the tail.


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