Lures Or Bait?

[Huntnfish]

I almost always use lures or plastics :thumbsup:

[mazman]

I prefer to use lures but I do use bait when I am targeting some species or if the conditions aren't right for lures.

[barra mick]

Imo...you need to have both options available to you.

For example some days snapper wont touch bait such as fresh sand whiting or pilchads but will smash a pink sp bounced of the bottom.....options are the differance btw coming home with half a dozen small flaties and one pinky or catching nice fish all session.

Cheers bm

[nhillboy]

Hi all,
Mainly fish with bait but using lures more and more lately (squid,SP's and metal). Keeping my options open, as Barra mick said depends on what you are targeting and where you are fishing. I must say lure fishing does become addictive once you start to catch fish. Whether i am bait fishing at Brighton or Martha rocks waiting for a bite, i will have 1 rod loaded with a lure casting it around with some success at times... :cheers:

[JoshW]

I pretty much 100% use lures these days. I started off using bait, but as soon as I saw an ecogear sx40 a few years ago I was pretty well hooked haha. I enjoy it more as its gets me moving around and exploring different areas which is a lot about what fishing is for me.

You can't beat the feeling of a fish smacking your slow rolled hardbody either!

[George7]

Speaking of lures, does anybody use a splitshot sinker on their line to get abit of extra weight for casting distance or purely the weight of the jighead?

I sometimes put one on squid jigs to get them to the bottom and further out on a windy day, still havent done it enough to decide whether its worth it or to my detriment.

[Rod Bender]

Speaking of lures, does anybody use a splitshot sinker on their line to get abit of extra weight for casting distance or purely the weight of the jighead?
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I only fish fresh but I never use a splitshot. I choose a suitable size/weight lure for the job with the minimum breaking strain line possible to get maximum casting.
Fishing for redfin and trout I use lures the most. Natives it is bait but intend on luring more for them.
cheers
Jim

[Snapper Snatcher]

Mostly lures but still do a fair bit of bait fishing for certain species/situations.

[sloth]

Speaking of lures, does anybody use a splitshot sinker on their line to get abit of extra weight for casting distance or purely the weight of the jighead?.

I use split shot now and again but not with a jighead. Use it to pull an unweighted plastic a little deeper into the water column if necessary.

Ideally the jighead should suit the SP, water depth and current you're fishing rather than how far you want to cast. I've gone heavier when trying to punch into wind but I know it's somewhat detrimental to the end presentation.

If I'm really struggling for distance I usually switch to blades.

Obviously assuming your rod is weighted to cast the lure weights you generally use. Trying to cast a light lure on a medium action stick is an exercise in futility.

Also I've never squid jigged - but if the fall rate of the lure is an important factor in squid fishing then adding extra lead probably isn't a great idea.

Saying all that - it's fishing .... You'll still probably get a hit and you'll never know for sure if you're missing some due to the shot

[CarlG]

Depends. Salmon, squid, flatties, lures. Whiting, snaps and gummies, bait. Gonna give the snaps a big go on plastics this year though, looking forward to it.