By Tim Jeffs

In my second article for McArthy Baits, we hope deal with the other common story about targeting Demersal Species - people just being unsure how to work them. Hopefully this information will give you the confidence to reach for the McArthy Soft Baits on a regular basis and enjoy the successes that may of us are enjoying on this product.

I have had success using McArthy Soft Baits in water up to 50 metres deep; however I would say that water ranging from 5 to 30 metres is the easiest to fish. If you have a spot where you have been successful on demersal fish using bait, then this is the ideal spot to perfect your soft baiting technique. Drifting in a boat is the easiest way to fish with soft baits for one reason; you cover more ground, allowing you to pinpoint the fish faster.

The first part to successful soft baiting is selecting a balanced outfit that you are comfortable with. Rods and reels today are very light and strong for their size, and braided lines rule when it comes to strength and bite detection. Your local tackle store will be able to help you select a suitable outfit, but as a guide for fishing in Southern regions of Australia, I use a 20lb combo, increasing this to 30lb or even 50lb for Northern areas. Obviously leader strength will also need to increase with your mainline and always connect your jig head to your leader with a loop knot.

For the majority of our demersal fishing, jig heads between 1/4oz (7.5gm) and 2oz (60gm) on 5/0 or 7/0 hooks are ideal. The key here is to use a sensibly weighted jig head that allows you fish the lower part of the water column easily but without the soft bait sinking like a brick. With McArthy Jerk Baits in 5 or 7 inch, I tend to use 1/2oz or lighter in water to around 20 metres, 1oz in 20-30 metres and 1.5oz to 2oz any deeper than that. This is just a guide and there are obviously exceptions to this rule so you will need to determine what weight is best for you. Some key points to consider are drift and current speed with the ideal conditions being a light breeze or current that allows you to maintain a drift speed of around 0.5 to 2kts. McArthy Soft Baits can still be effective on a faster drift but you will need to fish a little smarter. Upon arriving in my chosen area, I first sound around as the fish are not always holding on the same section of the structure. Once I have located soundings that I think are worth fishing, I always do a “dummy drift”, with sea anchor deployed if necessary, to determine drift direction and speed. This allows you to position the boat so you cross over your intended piece of structure. Remember that you do not always drift with the wind, particularly in areas of strong current.

Once the drift has been determined, I position the boat up-drift of my chosen spot. This distance will be determined by the speed of the drift and the depth of the water being fished but is usually around 50 metres. Once the drift has commenced, cast up-drift towards your spot and give slack line, allowing the soft bait time to sink. Sometimes you can feel the lure hit the bottom but usually you need to take an educated guess, in 30 metres of water allow around 30 seconds as a guide. Once you think the lure is in the “zone”, give one sharp lift of the rod tip and retrieve some of the slack line (approximately half to one full turn of the handle). Repeat this 3 times with a second or 2 between lifts and then free spool the soft bait back to the bottom again. This will give you a lift, lift, lift, drop retrieve where the soft bait has time to jerk, pause and fall, creating a enticing action that demersal fish find irresistible. Continue this retrieve until one of 3 things happens- you either hook up, the line angle becomes too great to fish effectively or you drift over and past your spot. Over my years of soft baiting, I have found a slower retrieve to be the most consistent producer, with most strikes coming on the fall of the lure. It is not uncommon to, after allowing the lure to drop, lift the rod tip only to load up straight into a good fish. Demersal fish will come a long way up off the bottom to hit soft baits so be prepared at all times.

McArthy’s Soft Baiting Rules for Demersal Fish

• Don’t go too fast on the retrieve, small and slow movements seem best.
• Allow slack line on the drop so the lure can fall enticingly.
• Be prepared for a strike on the drop, particularly on the cast.
• Make sure your McArthy Soft Bait is rigged straight and true on your jig head.
• You would be surprised what size soft baits even small fish will hit, don’t be afraid to rig up with a big McArthy!
• Be prepared to mix it up if the fish are not biting; try a faster retrieve, longer lifts or even let your lure hang for a while. While slow and steady often works, there will always be days when rules will be broken.