FISH & BOAT, February 2019- P49 Big Baits =Big Fish By Dan Kaggelis lures. Therefore, a lure which has a With the closed season com-large presentation in the water will The Live Mullet, the smaller brother of the swim bait, ing to an end, there is no be more easily seen which automati- has been a standout lure on the barra all year and the better time for anglers to cally increases your chances of fish Swim Bait should be bigger and better. get out on the water and chase that interaction and success. Coupled trophy barramundi. with this, you want a lure which can Particularly after an excellent start be worked at super slow speeds. to the monsoon season thanks to Barramundi, even when they are Cyclone Owen and the continuedat their hungriest, love a slow rolled protection of breeding stocks thanks lure which can be worked at super to the Net Free Zones, barramundi slow speeds with maximum action, numbers along the east coast are especially large paddle tail or fish looking super healthy which is great presentations. Being able to fish news for all fishermen. Personally, I your lure slowly also adds to added am very much looking forward to visibility under the water. throwing a few soft plastics at the When it comes to fishing for barra barra again as I am well and truly using large soft plastic baits, its hard sick of them teasing me on theto go past the latest innovation from Humminbird side imager the lastZerek and Wilson – the Live Swim- three months! Barramundi, even when they bait.The Zerek Whenit comes Live Swim Bait is to chasing big are at their hungriest, love a essentially mod- barramundi, it’s slow rolled lure which can beelled on the Live hard to go past worked at super slow speedsMullet which was using big lures.with maximum action released last year. Ifyou have ever There are a few caught a big barra, you will know differences between the two with the just how big that bucket mouth is most noticeable being size. The Live and why they have an appetite to Swim Bait is a massive soft plastic suit. For this reason, larger barra will swim bait coming in at a whopping prefer to feed on larger sized baitfish 8 inches long and weighs around often over the 20cm mark, especially 70 grams making it one very large during the warmer months whenpresentation. Don’t go throwing thisIt also has a very slow sink rate,fect depth is crucial especially whenthere is little doubt they will have their appetite driven by warmer wa- softy around on your ten-pound gear especially in salt water which allows you are targeting barra which will the same effect in the salt as well. ters is ferocious. as it is far too long and heavy and the angler to pause the big plastic on often sit on a snag or piece of struc- The Zerek Live Swim Bait comes Whilst size of lure is important be- will require a strong rod and line retrieve for a short time and it won’t ture mid water. in 12 different colours and my per- cause it matches the hatch, it is also class to be able to cast and retrieve. sink like a stone. Using this weight system, you don’t sonal favourite include the Bronzed important because of the clarity of The Live Swimbait has been mod- This is very useful when barra roll have to compromise your speed orCherry and the Min Min colour. water found in creeks and rivers this elled on your typical jointed body or shadow your lure. Having thestyle of retrieve to achieve this de-I prefer to use brighter colours es- time of year. Many rivers and creeks fish profile swim bait which utilises ability to start and stop the retrieve sired depth. You can even troll the pecially when the water is dirty. are heavily affected by rainfall thanks the same segmented thermoplastic can be what brings on the strike. Live Swim Bait and set trolling I have found that utilising a to the monsoon making them veryKevlar webbing technology used onNot only has the Live Swim Baitdepths using the weight system asstraight slow retrieve is super effec- dirty with limited visibility thanks to the ever popular Zerek Live Shrimp got the size and action to fool a big well. tive with slow pauses. If you are a run off sediment. plastic. This jointed body allows the barra it also has the build. There are also other hang points, southern angler, the Swim Bait has This immediately makes it dif-soft plastic to move with amazingThe main body of the plastic hasand even tow points above the lurealso been proven to be very effective ficult for lure fishermen who are snake-like movement through thea one-piece wire frame which con-which allows you to fish it like a vibeon fish such as Mulloway and Mur- relying on visual presentation and water at an incredibly slow speed nects the tow point to the hook and which everyone knows are super ef- ray Cod. barramundi physically seeing their and retrieve. optional hangers which means it can fective on barramundi. If you are after a big plastic to hold up to the demands of the big- Talking to many impoundmentthrow at big barra, then look no fur- gest barra you can hook. anglers fishing these lures from ther than the Zerek Live Swim Bait. Big swim bait for a bit bucket mouth! This is the downfall of many soft Faust to Tinaroo the slow roll and It’s a big visible lure which has the plastics when it comes to big barra size of the lure has been smashing action and build to bring your big fishing as jig heads can bend and the barra left right and centre and barra dreams to reality. break under the strain of trophy me- tre plus fish. What’s on offer when throwing big baits- big trophy fish. The Kevlar webbing and overall plastic is also super tough and won’t fall apart or melt like many soft plas- tics. What I also love about the Live Swim bait is the options it provides to anglers. Straight out of the packet you will find it swims high in the water column which is perfect for working over weed beds or snags or if you are chasing that early morning or late surface bite. However, under the chin of the soft plastic you will find a small hanger point where you can add Mustad Fastach Football Weights also sold by Wilson to make the Live Swim Bait swim deeper. Being able to get your soft plastic to swim to the per- It’s back that’s right, it’s back and better than ever The Laser Pro 120MT Available in Halco’s new clear polymer & traditional finishes. The Laser Pro 120MT features forged chemically sharpened Mustad trebles for easy hook sets on all those hard mouthed river monsters. With two bib depths (1m & 2.5m) and plenty of colour options, HALCO IS TAKING YOU BACK TO THE FUTURE! www.halcotackle.com Over 50 years of Australian Innovation