Power Fishing With Plastics

By Dale Baxter 

So, I was recently able to secure a 5th place finish at a Hobie Kayak fishing tournament using a technique that was shared with me a few years ago, I found it was the only way I could get a bite over the course of the weekend and put plenty of fish in my tournament bag. 

The term we have phased it as is, ‘power fishing with plastics’. What I mean by this is that it is a super-fast technique that is quite aggressive. I believe it creates a reaction bite from the fish when subtle presentations or other techniques are not getting the bites. 

The set up I prefer to use is as follows.  

* 7’ to 7’4” rod in a either 1-4kg or 2-5kg - This is important to handle the weight of the jig

* 2000 - 2500 size reel

* 6-10lb braid

 * 4-8lb leader

* 1/8th or 1/6th jig head in size #1

* Bait Junkie Wave Minnow, 2.5" Minnow or larger curl tail grub. 

Once you have this rig set up it is quite an easy technique from there. I am generally sounding fish up first to make sure I am casting in the right direction, then put a long cast and wait for the plastic to hit the bottom, once it has touched down, I then give a sharp flick or aggressive rod raise and let it drop again. I repeat this all the way back to you. 

It’s very straight forward technique, which is easy to do, you will find that as soon as the bait hits the bottom again it will get engulfed, and you’ll be hooked up. they don't tend to tap at it and generally commit whole heartedly the bite. 

There are areas that I find where this technique does work best is where it is a muddy or sandy bottom, the hard hit the bottom creates a puff of dust and then with the tail up wiggling in the current they will suck that plastic in which give the very defined tick on the line. Places in east Gippsland in Victoria such as Bemm River, Marlo and Mallacoota are perfect locations for this type of fishing.  

I’m sure you can replicate this throughout many other estuaries around the country though, it’s worthwhile trying this technique for searching for groups of fish as well. Having the slightly heavier jig head allows you to cast further and cover ground more quickly. 

So next time to you find your struggling with a light presentation give this a try it make just change your luck. 

Happy fishing, DB