Soft plastics for big trout

The techniques explained

Jack Gillespie

Targeting trout using soft plastics is a favourite technique of mine due to the versatility in the way the bait can be presented. They can be slow rolled, jerked, and bounced off the bottom depending on the situation you’re in, or the environment and habitat that you’re fishing. They can be fished in almost every situation due to the ability to be able to change patterns, jighead weights and hook style in a matter of moments.

Where To Start

Since their introduction into Tasmania in the 1860s, trout species can be found in almost all freshwater systems across the state. If you’re looking at freshwater, chances are trout aren’t too far away. Brown and Rainbow trout have self-sustaining wild populations in these systems, but stocking programs support other water bodies where trout are unable to spawn.

Rivers –

Early in the season, when the water levels are typically at their highest is when I like to fish rivers. Fast flowing water and flooded margins where fish can get into the mashes to feed makes for a lot of fun. Sections of the river I will target is anywhere I can identify where the water flow either speeds up or slows down. The reason for the change in flow could be caused by all manner of things, including submerged structure, a bend in the river, changing water depth or a fork in the river. Trout will sit in these spots facing into the direction of water flow to hold their position waiting to pluck off whatever comes their way.

Lakes, lagoons and dams –

There is an endless amount of these landlocked bodies of water spread right across Tasmania, and most are well suited for fishing soft plastics. While fishing these larger waterways it can be a daunting task to find the fish. I concentrate most of my effort on targeting points and weedbeds. Trout will hold around both to ambush prey and a well-weighted soft plastic is a prime lure for these areas.

Which plastics for trout

A wide range of soft plastic designs can be used to fish for trout. Jerk shads and, my personal favourite, the minnow, but there are also grub, worm and even crustacean imitations. I’m a big believer in “matching the hatch”, so I will always stick to the most natural colours like black and gold, brown, and dark greens. A whitebait colour can also be powerful when fished in rivers when they begin to start their annual run. Brands such the Daiwa BaitJunkie, Berkley Powerbait and Tasmania’s own Strike Tiger all have a fantastic selection of plastics in their range for targeting fussy trout.

Best retrieves for getting the bite

Slow rolling involves retrieving the plastic in a slow and steady motion and allowing the design and shape of the soft plastic to do all the work for you. Popular styles of soft plastic for this method include minnow (also called paddle tail or t-tail) designs that make the tail of the plastic wobble from side to side as it passes through the water. Jerkbait style soft plastics generally require a slightly faster action, with swift, short jerks of your rod tip, making the plastic dart through the water, imitating injured baitfish. In lakes, slow-flowing rivers, or when the water temperature is cooler, the soft plastic can also be bounced off the bottom. By allowing it to sink to the bottom and lifting your rod tip slightly, the jighead will slowly rise off the bottom and land again, an action that is successful when the fish are sulking down deep in the water column.

Rigging

Rigging soft plastics can be tricky and done in a manner of different ways, but taking the time to get the plastic perfectly straight is one of the most important points. A straight rigged soft plastic will improve catch rates dramatically as it looks and behaves a lot more naturally to the fish you are targeting.

In most scenarios, I use a standard style ball head jighead. This style of jighead gives you the ability to fish a range of techniques, and it is my opinion that it’s the easiest to use when learning the art of fishing soft plastics. Hidden weight, or HWS, is a style of jighead I’ve also grown fond of in recent years. This style of hook hides the weight inside the body of the soft plastics and makes for the most natural-looking bait. I will usually reach for this style of hook when fishing streams and rivers with flowing water where I will be using a slow roll retrieve, as the hook point will stay upright resulting in fewer snags and less lost tackle. Another option that is perfect when fishing around tight structures and a lot of trees is the weedless style jighead. I haven’t found the hookup rate to be as successful as other styles of jighead, however, in extreme circumstances I do still use them to avoid losing too much gear.

Favourite Catches

There are a few fish that are most memorable to me, and I will hold them close in my heart. These may not always be the biggest or heaviest fish I’ve caught, but these catches I will share are special to me due to a range of different circumstances.

Skinny water giant –

Fishing with my good mate Jason Sherriff in my local river in the northeast of Tasmania, the morning was extremely quiet. We both missed opportunities on smaller fish earlier in the day but just before calling it quits we hit one last spot in hope of finding a bite before calling it a day. We headed to a small weir that is roughly 5km upstream from the river mouth. This spot had always provided some good fish, especially on dusk. As anyone that fishes weirs, power stations or fast-flowing water will know, it often means you can have 50 casts in very close proximity before the lure finally goes past a fishes nose to trigger a bite, and this was exactly the case on this day.

After a few casts and several lure changes, I hooked up to what I first thought was a snag. To me, it just felt like dead weight on the end of my line. All of a sudden, my line started screaming downstream and then I was certain it was not a rock I was hooked up to! After slowly battling the big male trout against the water flow, and a few average attempts on the net from Jason, we were both over the moon to have the 8lb Brown trout out of the water. After a quick photo, he was released back into the fast-flowing water to continue gorging himself on the countless whitebait.

Tournament trout –

With the sun high in the sky and not a breath of wind, the conditions were certainly tough on our first trout fishing tournament at Great Lake. With a target of ten fish, none yet landed, and only a couple of follows from small fish, it was looking like we wouldn’t have anything to show for our efforts. With only a couple of hours left until we had to be back at the ramp, and an empty scoresheet, we made a change and headed for a nearby island where there was a steep drop off around the rocky edge. After fishing for only a couple of minutes my teammate, Jen Westwood, let out a loud “YEP!” as she hooked into a beautiful brown trout that measured 60cm. This was the start of a red-hot session, where I soon followed suit, catching myself a similar model within a matter of minutes. Soon our sad-looking scoresheet was stacking up, and we had both caught multiple fish of similar size within the final hour of competition. It certainly goes to show that one more cast can make all the difference.

Yak Hunters –

Last, but certainly not least, was during a two-day Yak Hunters event at Lake Leake. The first day was very long and uneventful, where I was harassed by countless Redfin Perch, and cast and pedalled the Hobie until I felt like my arms and legs were going to fall off at the end of the first day.

On the second day, we were met with cold, windy and wet conditions. It was also at this time that I realised I had left my wet weather gear at home. It made for a rather unpleasant day of fishing, and I have never worked so hard to catch a fish. Seeing the updates from people through the mobile app spurred me on, and I stayed determined not to give up until the allocated fishing time had completely run out. I pedalled back to a small point that I had already fished on the first day, and again that same morning. The wind was howling around the corner, and at times blowing my

Hobie and me directly onto the shore. However, it was one of those spots that you just had a feeling would produce a fish. Luckily for me, the third time I hit this point was the time I would tangle with the biggest fish to be measured in the comp. The big brown inhaled a Baitjunkie 2.5 inch minnow and put up a terrific fight, and multiple times I thought I was going he was going to have the best of me. This trout was all about fighting dirty. He swam towards me at full speed leaving me with slackline, then did multiple laps around the Hobie, wriggled his way out of my small landing net and fell back into the water but finally I had him safely in the bottom of the kayak. Persistence paid off big time and I pedalled back to shore freezing cold, with numb hands but a big smile on my face.

There is no doubt that soft plastic lures are an effective tool when chasing trout in Tasmanian waters and I hope after reading this you will give them a go. Feel free to contact me via any of the social media platforms if you have more questions related to targeting trout on soft plastics, and don’t forget - rig ‘em straight and start fishing!

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