Light Tackle Artificial Angling - Part 1

[neilg]

Light Tackle Fishing – Artificial Baits

By Neil Gouws - September 2008
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Since the introduction of “dropshot” South African fisherman has gone light tackle crazy …. AGAIN.

Setting yourself up with an artificial light tackle fishing kit these days can cost a pretty penny, which most have done.

now comes the big problem … where do I use it AND how do I use it.

Throwing your expensive soft baits in the wrong place will just mean the following … no success or all your baits will get their tails bitten off.

In this “article” I will explain artificial fishing from selecting equipment to using it in the right place, choosing your equipment can get VERY complicated and is dependant on many factors, with what you want to do and budget being major factors.

Let’s break a light tackle kit down before we start :

• Rod [/*]
• Reel [/*]
• Main Line (braid) [/*]
• Leader Line [/*]
• Terminal Tackle [/*]
• Accessories [/*]
• Artificial Lures [/*]
• Storage[/*]

 

[neilg]

The Rod


You don’t need the most expensive rod on the market, you just need a good quality rod, look for the following:

·         Graphite Rod,

·         Guides made for braid

·         1pc or 2pc ( I prefer 2pc rods, easier when traveling)

·         Casting weights the rod can handle / Action of Rod

·         The length of the rod

·         Butt length

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            Graphite Rod
[/b]
It’s very important that you stay away from Fibreglass / Composite rods, Graphite is a much stiffer and more sensitive material (that can also break easier if damaged), but this is needed,  it gives you better control over your lure in the water, making everything more direct. You get different “grades” of graphite, so what does it mean, well in SHORT, (from http://www.addictivefishing.com/forum/Topic4589-10-1.aspx#bm4633)

Modulus is a term that describes the stiffness to weight ratio of the graphite that’s used to create the rod blank. Here’s how it works….when you cast a lure, the rod flexes with the weight of the lure, storing energy as it flexes. When the motion of the rod stops, the rod flexes and releases all of its stored energy to propel the lure. When you increase the modulus of the graphite, you increase the ability of that graphite to store and release energy. You also increase the speed that the rod releases the stored energy. That in turn, increases the lure speed that is generated in the cast. Increase the modulus and you increase the reaction speed and power of the rod blank.

Some examples : GLX - 65 million modulus , IMX - 55 million modulus, IM8 - 47 million modulus, IM7 - 42 million modulus, IM6 - 38 million modulus, Standard Graphite - 33 million modulus

For more info I suggest you search google and read up on it.
 

[suP]Guides[/suP][/b]
[suP]

[/suP]
[/b]If you are seriously going into artificial angling chances are 100% that you will be using braid, and braid is VERY HARD on rod guides. It is EXTREMELY important that your rod has QUALITY guides made to handle braided lines. Cheap guides will very quickly get cuts when under pressure (from braid running over them), which can cause the guide to develop cuts and nicks or worse – damage your expensive braid.

It’s also important to note that you get casting and spinning rods, casting rods are made for multiplier reels and baitcasters and have small guides, spinning rods are made for coffee grinders and have bigger guides. For light tackle artificial angling I only use spinning rods.

1pc or 2pc (or even 3pc)
[/b]
A 1pc rod gives a smoother casting “action” than a 2pc rod, this is due to the fact that the graphite (blank) runs as 1 unit without any “breaks” in it, this is much more important in longer and heavier rods than in short light action rods. What it basically means is that a 1pc loads (bends) smoother and better under pressure when casting and can assist you in casting a little further. With a 2pc rod the butt section (back section) is much stiffer and the front piece is normally the piece with the “action”, what this means is that when you load your rod the front piece is the piece that bends.

Go into a fishing shop, take a 1pc rod and a 2pc rod, hold the rod and let the salesman pull the rod tip down while you are trying to hold it up, you will see how the 1pc bends much nicer than the 2piece.

All my light and medium tackle rods are 2piece rods, they are just so much easier to transport.
[/b]
Casting weights / Rod Action[/b]

This is fairly important, as it determines how heavy your lures can be. Using a rod rated between ¼ ounce and 1 ounce should be a happy medium for most, it can cast a little lighter aswell and a little heaver, but is not suitable for casting for example a 2ounce spoon.

Since we are talking light tackle I would say look for a rod that can handle up to 1 ounce, you can ofcourse go lighter, but this will then limit you on casting spoons. This info is normally printed on the rod, so please check.

It is important that your lures are bought based on what your rod can cast.

Length of the Rod[/b]

A good length for light tackle fishing ranges from 6.6 to 7foot.

You also get longer rods like 8,9 and even 10ft, but you really don’t need such a long rod.

If I had to have 2 setups one would be 7ft and the other 9ft.

The idea with light tackle fishing is not to try and cast 300m, but to target fish fairly close to shore, very long casts are not needed.

With dropshot you don’t cast far, but with spoons you want some distance.  When using a 7ft rod with the right spoon you can cast FAIRLY FAR.

Butt length[/b]

[/b]The butt section is the distance from the reel seat (where your reel is connected to your rod) to the back end of your rod.

You don’t want a rod that has a very long butt section, I would suggest 30cm as more than long enough. The reason for this is simple, longer butts are there to assist the freshwater fisherman to cast long distances, but then it’s also uncomfortable when fighting a fish or reeling in, which is what you will be doing over and over again.

A short butt section is comfortable, and assists you in giving your soft plastic or lure action in the water.

 

Okay, so I’ve told you about rods, you should now know what to look for.

Good examples are available from most of the rod manufacturers including Daiwa, Shimano, Fennwick, Berkley, Elbe and Sensation, there are ofcourse many other good makes available, I cannot mention all of them.

I have the following rods : 1x 7ft Elbe 1pc, 1x 6.6ft Elbe 2pc, 1x 7ft Elbe 2pc and 1x 8ft Sensation Passion Stick 2pc     I know I’m an Addict.[/b]

 

[neilg]

The Reel[/b]
[/b]

[/b]When it comes to reels I’m one of those tried and tested people, I don’t like the cheaper brands, I rather pay a little more and know I got good quality that will last …

That DOESN’T mean that a cheaper reel/make cannot handle it, there have been major improvement in some of the “cheaper” makes, in fact some of them aren’t that cheap anymore.

YOU DON’T NEED THE MOST EXPENSIVE REEL either.

 

For the purpose of this article I will only discuss Coffee Grinders, I don’t use baitcaster, although they can be used for light tackle spinning (I just don’t use them)

What is there in a reel that you need to look for, well here we go :

First of all, it must be a SALTWATER reel !

Then :

·         Drag

·         Bearings

·         Gear Ratio

·         Bail Roller (a bearing)

·         Line Capacity / Size
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Drag
[/b]
First off, your reel MUST HAVE a front drag adjusting knob, I really don’t care what people say, rear drag reels are for freshwater, and that knob in the back is just a place for sand and water to stay.

Some will ask why I mention drag, or even talk about it, well in short, BECAUSE IT’S IMPORTANT. Know how much drag your reel can handle, cause that also goes with what your rod can handle, having 20kg of drag, a reel filled with 7kg braid on a rod that can handle 10kg braid, and locking that drag with a bigger fish on, well it’s a recipe for disaster, they should be matched. The higher the amount of drag pressure the more expensive the reel, the higher YOU SET your drag the bigger the chances of lines or rods breaking.

Most of the smaller reels give you drag pressure in the range of 7kg, that is MORE THAN ENOUGH for what you intend doing.

So what is drag, basically, it’s the amount of pressure that the reel can put on the spool, making it difficult for a fish to pull line from the reel. If the drag is set at 2kg, the spool will not “give” and let line of the spool if until more than 2kg of pressure is put on it.

Not the greatest explanation but you should get the idea.

Bearings[/b]

They affect the smoothes of the reel, not going into a detail.

The more the better (for smoothness). Most reels have them in anyway.

Gear Ratio[/b]

If a reel has a gear ratio of 5to1 it means that for every 1 turn the handle makes the bail assembly will make 5 turns. A good all round ratio is between 4.5to1 and 6to1. Faster is not always better, you need to exercise control to prevent yourself from bringing your lure back to you too fast.

The bail assembly is the part that turns when you turn the handle, it also includes the bail arm that you clip up to cast.

Bail Roller (Line Roller)[/b]

[/b]Maybe not the correct wording, but what it means is that on your bail assembly there is a guide that your line runs in, this MUST be able to turn (take your finger or line and test it), this GREATLY reduces line twist, but more important turns when line is stripped from the spool under pressure (like when fighting a fish). This is probably the most important thing to look at when buying a new reel. Lots of new reels have this feature, but you will also be surprised how many don’t.

Why is it so important, well you want to MINIMIZE line friction whenever you can, and when line is pulled from the reel spool against drag pressure heat quickly builds up (EVERYWHERE), the bearing makes sure that the bail roller turns, thus preventing additional friction.

Line Capacity[/b]

Not very important, as most spools take more than enough line. Check on the spool, it gives you AN IDEA of how much of a specific thickness of line can be fitted on that spool.

If you can fit 150m of your chosen line on it, you have enough.

For artificial lure angling reels in the 2000 to 4000 size are good.

People tend to buy bigger reels so that they can fit much more line on, and never see the inside of the spool again, even when fighting a fish.

Remember that the bigger the reel the heavier it is (in most cases) and it could also affect the balance between rod and reel.

For rods in the 7ft range a 3000 size reel is big enough

For rods of 8ft up to 4000 size

And so the list goes on.

Taking into consideration that you will be fishing from the beach/rocks : Remember you should not be targeting 20kg yellowtail on a 3000 size reel with 5kg braid, even if you have 300m of braid on, you will get spooled (meaning all your line will be taken off the reel) and there will be nothing you can do about it

There are a few makes of reels that I use and recommend, good examples are from Daiwa, Shimano, Penn and also Abu.

For a quality reel expect to pay in the range of R 300 to R 1500.

For the top of the range expect R 4000 plus.

A special mention must be made for the Daiwa Exceller (Plus), they really are GREAT reels that can take punishment, and at about R 800 they are worth it.

I personally have the Abu 4050, a Daiwa Exceller Plus, A Daiwa Regal, a Shimano Sedona, a Shimano Speros and a Penn Captiva, to mention a few. My favourite … Exceller Plus 3000[/b]

I have caught more fish on this 1 reel than ALL my other reels put together (and I have LOTS of reels)

I hope I went into enough detail to help you choose the right reel for the job

To see the inner workings of a reel please go to : http://www.sealine.co.za/view_forum.php?id=62

Reefman has been kind enough to show you …

 

[neilg]

Main Line[/b][/b]

Now this is VERY IMPORTANT.

You really need to bite the bullet and fill your reel with QUALITY line.

Since we are talking about light tackle ARTIFICIAL angling I will ONLY DISCUSS BRAIDED lines.

So what is braid, well there are many different types available, but for what we are talking about you are looking for a CASTING BRAID. If you want all the info on braided lines check http://www.google.co.za and search “braided fishing lines”.

A casting braid is not as soft as other braids and generally thicker than the others, most of them have a coating on them that make the line “stiffer”. So why stiffer, well because you’ll be casting with it the whole time, and because some braids are very soft and flexible they can develop “wind knots”, what that basically means is while you’re casting the line suddenly bunches together, and most of the time it means that you have to cut it off and throw that part away, and with that your lure will also be gone …

Okay again, why braid …

Braid puts you in DIRECT contact with your lure at all times because there is basically no stretch in it, if you move your rod 1cm so does your lure, if you strike, so does your hook.

With normal line (monofilament) there is stretch in the line, so when striking the line actually stretches, with braid you don’t have that “problem”.

Put it this way, having braid on your reel is like riding a car without shocks, YOU FEEL EVERY BUMP.

You will never understand the difference between braid and monofilament until you’ve experienced it.

With the casting braids you also get different colours, as to what colour, it really is your choice, it doesn’t make much of a difference, except that the colour will fade with time.

There are a few good ones available but I will always recommend BERKLEY FIRELINE.

It really is a good quality casting braid, and have never ever let me down. I still have the same line on my reels, and have fished it long and hard, it’s not so stiff anymore and has lost most of it’s colour but it’s still going strong.

That’s why it’s more expensive than most other braids.

I also have reels filled with the following braids (that I haven’t used all that much)

Kingfisher Casting Braid – Red (Abu 4050)

Double X Viper Braid – Grey (Spheros 12000)

Berkley Whiplash – Green (Lever Drag Boat Reel)

Mustad Braid – Yellow (Penn Captiva 5000)

Because there is almost no stretch in braid it’s very important that you ARE IN CONTROL of the drag of your reel, remember there is no stretch in your braid (like you have with mono), so if you’re drag is too tight somethings gonna break !

I recommend rather setting your drag a little lighter and setting it as the fight with the fish goes on.

More about setting the drag later.

 

[neilg]

Leader Line[/b]

[/b]You need a leader line for a few reasons.

1.       Braid can and will cut your fingers when you cast

2.       Braid is HIGHLY visible in the water, FISH CAN SEE IT

3.       It doesn’t have ANY stretch

4.       It’s not very abrasion resistant

Let’s say for example you have 5kg braid, buy yourself some 7kg CLEAR high abrasion line (not fluorocarbon), there are many ones available, while you there also get some 10kg clear high abrasion line aswell. You will understand why I say so at a later stage.

You get them in 100m and 600m spools. It’s important that it’s a little “stronger” than your braid.

Now you also have to buy yourself some FLUOROCARBON line. Prepare to be shocked, it’s just as damn expensive as your braided line.

Note that there are different types of Fluorocarbon lines, some are normal clear line COATED with fluorocarbon and others are the real thing, full on fluorocarbon lines. You will quickly notice the difference by just looking at the price. Get the real one.

Here is where I buy a few different breaking strains, if I have 5kg braid I buy myself some 4.5kg, some 7kg and some 10kg fluorocarbon leader line.

Some advice, you get them in 200m spools, it works out cheaper in the long run.

Don’t worry, those 3 spools will probably last you a lifetime.

So why Fluorocarbon line, well that is what you will use to connect your leader line to your hook/lure, and the magic of it is that it throws a disappearing act in the water, when fluorocarbon is in water fish can’t see it. When they come swimming past all they see is your soft plastic or your lure happily swimming along, then they go into hunting mode and all hell breaks loose.

There are many different makes available, just check what I told you.

I use Maxima.

 

[neilg]

Terminal Tackle[/b]

Believe it or not, you haven’t finished spending that salary you get paid while reading about fishing on http://www.sealine.co.za

You of course also need some hooks and swivels, even maybe a little piano wire or carbon coated steel, that’s for when the elf (shad) make an appearance.

Don’t go and buy lots of stuff, you don’t need it !

Here is what you need (damn, it’s a lot anyway) :

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DECENT swivels[/b],

They normally come in packs of 10. Don’t buy the big ones, you want fairly small ones, buy 3 different sizes, the power swivels are good. If you really have a lot of money, you can even go ballbearing swivels. (ballbearing swivel = ballbearing Turbo)

Normal hooks[/b],

Quality stuff is what you need like Mustad, 2/0 and smaller, even those ones that you think are just too damn small to catch any fish. A good selection would be 2/0, 1/0, 12 and 10, maybe even 8 size aswell. Oh and 1 pack 3/0 and 1 pack 4/0.

Quick change clip on swivels[/b]

Not Silver as the one pictured. Dark colours

You can also buy the other 2 pictured, and just make your own Quick Change Swivels.

Small ball sinkers & teardrop sinkers[/b]

You get them in a little container, with different weights.

Quality Split Rings – Stainless Steel
[/b]
Most of the lures have crappy split rings on them, you will need to replace them with a better quality one.
Check the size and pressure/weight rating.

Piano wire or carbon coated steel[/b] (the dark colour one pls, not the silver one).

You also get “bleeding wire”, which is wire coated in red, that will also do.

Dropshot hooks[/b]

[/b]You know the one with the little sinker at the back.

Get yourself a good selection (keeping the casting weight of your rod in mind).

You want different sinker weights and different hooks sizes, and a good selection of it.

MAKE SURE that there are some STRONG hooks on them. Not the cheap ones that bend open with finger pressure. Unfortunately the strongest ones are the ones with the Stainless Steel hooks.

Those stainless “dropshot” hooks are strong, just ask the doctor that had to cut one from my hand, he’ll tell you.

In my box I have from the very smallest up to ½ ounce.

I think that’s about it for Terminal Tackle

 

[neilg]

Accessories[/b]

Jip, still spending.

You need a few more things.

·         Container to store your hooks, swivels and the rest, as compact as possible

·         Another container for your lures and spoons and jigs, this one is double sided and works.

·         Split Ring Pliers – very important

·         A file to sharpen hooks

·         Scissors to cut braid (the one with the serrated edge)

·         Long nose pliers so the fish don’t bite your fingers when you take your hooks out

·         A SMALL bag or backpack to carry everything in

·         Shoes so you don’t slip on the rocks

 
The idea is that you must be able to carry all your stuff in a bag (on your back), this gives you the ability move around while you have all your stuff with you.

The best advice I can give you is to think before you buy, be practical. All your stuff doesn’t have to come from a fishing shop.

 

[neilg]

Artificial lures[/b]

Okay then, now that we have the easy part settled, let’s buy some artificial lures !

If you’re not careful, this can QUICKLY make all your other equipment purchased look CHEAP.

Buy carefully ! What you looking for is a variety…

When I buy lures I choose based on feeling but also I want them to at least resemble a fish, be it in shape, swimming action or colour. Keep that in mind.

And please remember, a lure that works today, giving you hit after hit might give you NOTHING tomorrow, that’s why you need a “fair” selection.

Do you know why there are so many shapes and colours of lures ? Not because fish buy them, because we buy them …

Another Something to remember when using lures :

Sunny days / clean and clear water … bright and shiny colours

Overcast days / dirty water … darker coloured lures

How do you use all this “stuff”, well we’ll get to that later … let’s first get some …

 

[neilg]

Spoons[/b]

You get different types, my advice, get one silver, one bronze, and then one that’s a combination of the two.

There are lots of different shapes around, to try and go into them will be another short story on it’s own, just get some, if they have some type of bend in them, that’s good.

Keep the casting weight of your rod in mind.

Some other “SPOONS”[/b]

These are basically the same as the spoons, but some “nicer” colours.

Gives the same type of action as the spoons, but they are a little lighter.

Swimming Lures[/b]

Here you are looking at SWIMMING lures, like the Onda Onda, they are EXCELLENT, and worth it.

Pictured are also some lures from SPRO, haven’t used them but they look good (and I think they are cheaper aswell).

I have a very big liking in lures with the colour purple in them, like the bottom Onda and the “green” SPRO. I have had 90% of my success on the purple Onde, SHAD CANNOT swim past them.

You can also get other swimming lures like rapala and all the other makes that are available, but I don’t think they are needed. If you have to get a few you must remember to get triangle hooks with lead weights on them, you need to add weight to these lures to be able to cast them.

With all the above mentioned lures, keep the casting weight of your rod in mind.

Bucktail Jigs[/b]

EVERY fisherman should have a few of them in their tackle box ! These “things” work ! Get a few, greens, yellows and purples are good, not all the same weight pls.

Best used on the bottom, just like dropshot, you bump them on the bottom for bottom feeders.

Surface Plugs / Poppers[/b]

To the lucky few that get to target Kingies close to home you need them, and then we that get to fight the gentleman of the sea (The Leerie), well we also need some.

I have to confess that I have not used them a lot, I’m just too attached to my Ondas, but I have a few (or should I say a lot).

You get wooden ones and plastic ones, you NEED both. Then you get more plastic ones and some other ones, you need some of them too.

As for colours, good luck, they come in every imaginable colour, a good starting point … red/white, maybe something with purple in it, some pink, some green or blue … and 1 white one can’ do any damage either.


This section should be broken down further as they all work different.

Plastic Surface Plugs[/b]

[/b]These plugs cast a mile (if not further). Ever heard of GT ice-cream ? This is it.

They work great for all surface feeding fish and should be retrieved at a medium to fast speed so that they can jump and skip around on the surface.

Wooden Surface Plugs[/b]

[/b]Now these plugs I like more than the plastic ones, they also cast a mile, but because they are made of wood they also FLOAT. You are not limited to a medium or fast retrieve, you can vary the retrieve in any way you like from extremely slow to very fast. As to function, they do the same as the Plastic ones, they work the top water, jumping and skipping.

Surface Poppers[/b]

Again, another one of the mile casting “plugs”, but they are actually Surface Poppers.

Poppers have a “dent” in the front that displaces water, creating a type of spray in front of it as it displaces water. They are normally retrieved in a “jerky” action so that the indent can do it’s job, creating water sprays and noise in the water, should be retrieved by pulling and then retrieving the line. A very effective lure for Top Water Feeding fish.

 

[neilg]

Soft Lures
[/b]
Here we go again, if you think there was variety with the previous lures, that was A DROP IN THE BUCKET, and these babies are BLOODY expensive aswell.

The short of it, it DOESN’T have to be Berkley to catch fish ! There are other makes aswell, and they are much cheaper.

I’m not saying that the Berkleys don’t work, they do, but they aren’t the only ones available.

Unrigged baits[/b]

Some colours to consider

Chartreuse Pepper Neon, Pearl White, Nuclear Chicken (they work, don’t know why) and maybe New Penny. These are not the only ones, but start with them …

Rigged Swimbaits[/b]
[/b]

Get yourself some of the paddle tail babies aswell, they have their own weights inside and also their own swimming action, much easier to use when conditions don’t allow you go play with the unrigged units. Their paddle actions cause vibrations in the water, this excites the fish.

Worms and the others[/b][/b]

You get lots of different ones in this category aswell, and I don’t use most of them.

I have had very good success with the CAMO worm. You also get Shrimp, sandcrab, lice and the list goes on, I have bought some of them, but really haven’t used them.

I do believe that the shrimp, crab and lice should work if used in the right place.


Good advice, buy the TUB of CAMO WORM, they work VERY WELL.

Okay, I think I’ve covered this aswell, now just a few more things and you’re done spending your money.

 

[neilg]

Storage[/b]

Get yourself something to store all your soft plastics in, IT MUST SEAL AIRTIGHT.

You can also buy some of the Berkley Juice to throw in there with them, that gives them the time to suck in all that juice, making them smell and taste nice and juicy.

NOTE – don’t store the paddle tails with the built in hooks in juice, the hooks can corrode in the juice.

When you go fishing you simply take out a few of each, put them in your Berkley tub (the one you bought full of camo worm), and off you go fishing.

When you get back home, and hopefully have some of your expensive soft baits left you can simply put them back in your MASTER CONTAINER.

Okay, that’s about it about WHAT YOU NEED

In a day or two or three, I’ll tell you HOW, WHERE and WHEN to use it

 

[neilg]

That's about it for part 1

I'm still sitting with all the pics and don't know how to post them, once I find out I'll post them
The problem isn't posting 1 pic per "reply", I have multiple pics to post in the same "reply"

 

Okay, after checking a Dummies guide from Miles I saw where he stores the pics, so I followed suit

Pics (as you can see) is up and running

 

[HEIHACHI]

b e a utiful!!!!!
awesome posting neil its threads like these that take sealin from a good site to a graet one!!

well done!

 

[neilg]

Pleasure

give me a day or two, and I'll have the 2nd part done.

Reading it takes 10 minutes, getting everything together takes 2 days. (I didn't think it would take so long)

 

[old_AD97]

Gees Neil, so much detail- wonderful. 3 cheers for Neil!!!!!!!!:woohoo

AD97

 

[Shimaiwa]

Very Very Good. Those containers are definately the way to go. They have some form of rubber/silicone on the seams which gives a brilliant seal. Hopefully Berkley will catch on

 

[Tuna fish]

Awsome post NeilG. Manna for you. Going to give Breede ago over December on dropshot.

 

[bassman]

thanks a ton! great piece and nice lures selection too!

 

[camstaude]

Awseome stuf Neilg. Greatly appreciated. You need good recognition for this...this stuff must be published!!!

Have some MANA

 

[Homie]

NeilG,

 



Thank you very much for that Informative and well written post !!! I will be sure to send this link to anyone that has a question about this facet.

 

Excellent work !!!