Soft Baiting Basics with Berkley
By Sam Wilkinson – Berkley Pro Team
Since soft baiting has become such a popular option over the last decade, many anglers have completely changed their approach to fishing. What was once just sitting, waiting, and wishing is now actively hunting and searching for fish. This style of fishing is not only fun, but it is extremely effective for a wide range of species and fishing scenarios. In this article we’ll go over a couple of the most common fishing situations you are likely to come across and how you can take advantage of them, as well as go over the best Berkley soft baits and jig heads for the job.
Work-ups:
What to look for:
During winter and spring, the Hauraki Gulf (among other locations) experiences a massive influx of baitfish in the form of pilchards and anchovies. These baitfish provide an abundant food source for a significant number of marine species including gannets, whales, and of course snapper! The famous saying “find the bait, find the fish” couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to ‘work-up’ fishing.
A work-up is where marine mammals and predatory fish have located large bait schools and are actively herding the school in order to feed. The typical result is a frenzy of seabirds and other marine life congregating in the area, all taking advantage of the food on offer. Unfortunately, there are no set markers for where a work-up will start, and they do not require structure. The best way to locate work-ups is to look for gannets plummeting from the sky, diving into the water to reach baitfish below the surface. Once gannets are located, it is useful to be patient and allow the work-up to form. This is because snapper will wait for scraps of fish to fall to the bottom providing an easy meal, so it’s important to let that process happen.
When you match Berkley Gulp! soft baits with the Berkley Nitro Elevator Heads, a slow jerk and retrieve technique is all that is necessary to entice a bite from snapper.
Soft baits that have an active tail are ideal, such as the Berkley Gulp! Grub, Berkley Gulp! Nemesis, and Berkley Gulp! Crazy Legs Jerkshad. An important part of work-up fishing is matching your bait profile and colour to what the fish are feeding on. Natural colours from the Berkley Gulp! range are preferred such as White Glow, Pilchard, Blue Pepper, and Anchovy. The size of your soft plastics will depend on the baitfish size but a good rule of thumb is to use smaller soft baits early, then upgrade to larger baits as the season progresses.
When you see a work-up it’s important that you don’t drive directly into it, and this is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, you would likely disrupt the feeding activity of all animals involved and cause the whole work-up to disperse more quickly. Secondly, it is common courtesy to keep some distance from the feeding frenzy as other boats will likely be present. It’s a good idea to leave plenty of space to ensure everyone gets equal opportunities to make the most of the work-up. It helps to start your drift up-wind from the fish and allow the wind to push your boat into the feeding zone.
Open Ground:
What to look for:
In recent times, one of the more common scenarios for soft bait fishing has been over sand or open areas with scattered, broken foul. This occurs in the majority of fisheries across the North Island as snapper are scavenging feeders and will take advantage of whatever food source is available. Food sources range from worm and shellfish beds to boulders and scattered foul with crustaceans or kina. The depth you’ll be fishing can vary from 10-40 metres however any flat, open areas with reliable food sources will work for the techniques and bait styles mentioned above. With this style of fishing, a good fish finder will be worth the investment as modern technology can give you a pretty good indication of what is beneath you.
Technique:
The key to effectively fishing these open habitats is to cover ground. Snapper and other species feeding in these locations are similar to cows in a paddock. Generally, they will graze across the area, moving with the tide and feeding as they go. Best results can be achieved by casting your Berkley Gulp! soft plastics on a 45 degree angle ahead of your drift before working them back towards the boat. Start by performing longer drifts and marking each bite on your GPS. This is a great way to narrow down the location of the fish and allows you to shorten the drift each time.
Bait selection:
Due to the wide variety of terrain and food sources that may be present in an open ground scenario, bait selection can vary greatly. We usually prefer smaller soft baits such as the Berkley Gulp! Grub and Berkley Gulp! Jerkshad.
When fishing sandy bottom and cleaner water, brighter yellow and orange colours in the Berkley Gulp! range work well, such as Curried Chicken and Fire Tiger. Baitfish in these locations rely on stealth to remain alive, so by using these brighter colours your lure will stand out and offer an easy meal.
When fishing muddy water and places such as harbour channels, it pays to use dark orange and brown colours like Pumpkinseed and New Penny. ‘Matching the hatch’ with the worms and shellfish in these areas is vital.
When fishing deeper water and broken foul, brighter colours which reflect UV (ultraviolet) light come into play. Favourite colours from the Berkley Gulp! range include White Glow, Pink Shine and Nuclear Chicken.
See below – jig head/bait size recommendations:
Shallow Foul:
Areas of shallow foul and weed have been the traditional battleground for soft bait fishing since it became popular in New Zealand. These areas are one of the more likely places to find truly big snapper due to the year-round availability of food sources like kina, crayfish, and inshore baitfish. Using light gear in shallow water makes for some exciting battles and often requires a team effort to land the fish. Communication between boat driver and angler is needed to keep the line angle steep and avoid immediate bust-offs.
What to look for:
Typically, we would consider anything under 15 metres in depth to be shallow. Still, the same technique can apply to depths exceeding 20 metres as well. As always, look for habitat that will hold food sources like crustaceans, shellfish, and baitfish. Boulder bays, sharp reef structure, weed/kelp patches or even whitewash around rocks can all be considered likely haunts for hungry snapper due to the bait sources they hold.
Technique:
Similar to when you’re fishing open ground, drifting is the key to success in shallow foul as you can cover a larger area. It pays for anglers to look for breaks in the foul, kelp, or wash and target their casts in these areas. Allowing a small amount of time for your soft bait to sink is a good idea as fish in this area will often bite ‘on the drop’ as your lure sinks. Berkley Gulp! soft baits are perfect for this style of fishing, as the famous scent formula that they are infused with will attract fish as your lure wafts down. Quick, erratic jerks are also likely to entice a bite, and this ensures the soft bait is moved well away from the surrounding structure to avoid snags.
When you are fishing in shallow areas, it’s unlikely that you’ll get more than two drifts over the same area before the fish become easily spooked and ‘shut down’. This tends to play into the anglers favour though, as you can cover a vast area quickly and actively hunt fish down rather than sitting in the same spot and praying for the fish to come to you.
Bait Selection:
In the shallows we prefer to use soft baits with a larger profile. A couple of favourite soft baits for this style of fishing are the 6” Berkley Gulp! Grub, and the 7” Berkley Gulp! Jerkshad. Another soft plastic that is a more recent addition the arsenal is the 6.5” Berkley Gulp! Nemesis which has been producing some great fish.
When fishing shallow weed lines we like green or brown colours such as Pumpkinseed and Yakka Snak to imitate the small reef fish which live among the kelp.
Around shallow rocky reefs, a contrast of natural and bright colours seem to work well. Nuclear Chicken, Lime Tiger and Satay Chicken are all favourites in these locations.
If casting into wash around rocks, you want to use colours as bright as possible. Due to the turbulent water, we opt for BIG and BRIGHT to attract attention. Our favourite colours from the Berkley Gulp! range include Curried Chicken, Tandoori Chicken, Blue Fuse, and Fire Tiger.
See below – Jig head/Bait size recommendations:
