Shallow water Flash Minnows for trout By Neil Grose While the emphasis with fishing soft plastics is to fish primarily deep and slow, once the water temperature climbs above 15 degrees the real action is in the shallow water. In lake margins such as those found in Tasmania, Victoria and the Snowy Mountains of NSW, trout food such as bait fish and tadpoles use the shallow water for two reasons – to hide, and to feed. Trout use it for the same reasons, however they hide from baitfish and tadpoles, not so much from anglers. Baitfish and tadpoles in shallow water will sneak around in water of less than 30cm, especially if there is decent weed growth. Both of these critters have a lot of inbuilt flash in their bodies – tadpoles especially, but also many species of baitfish, particularly the Australian smelt found in Victorian impoundments. Fishing a conventional soft plastic with a jig head can cause real issues in shallow water, especially if the water has a lot of weed, as the head-mounted jig weight will dip straight into the weed, causing a lot of swearing and no trout! The Zerek Flash Minnow is perhaps the best new plastic to come along in ages for trout, and shallow water trout fishing. The key to its success is the ‘keel’ weighted jig and the ability to slightly hide the hook point to minimise weeding up. The flash inside the hollow section shivers out one of the most life-like imitations of a real baitfish or tadpole that has ever fooled a trout. Because the Flash Minnow is best rigged on an offset worm style hook, the amount of weight can be varied with ease without effecting the shimmer of the horizontal drop and lift on the lure. In shallow water and calm winds the Flash Minnow is best rigged without any weight at all – the inherent weight of the plastic combined with the hook will pitch towards any shallow water feeding trout easily. Remember that you will be primarily sight casting to shallow water feeding fish, so long casts are not required. When the wind gets up (and when doesn’t it), the extra weight will help casting and also keeping the line tighter between lure and rod tip, without ruining any action of the lure. Trout in these shallow water ambush situations will lie in wait until some baitfish or tadpoles flitter past and then slam them in a crazy dash designed to stun as many as possible. The fish will then turn back and mop up the stragglers before slotting back into the weed. There are two tactics – the first is to prospect the shallows and hope to pick up a fish by chance. This way you will spook more than you will see feeding. The second way and the one with most fun is to watch, wait and act quickly. When the explosion rips, cast the lure right into the middle of it and give it a few flicks to simulate the wounded baitfish lark. Keep the line tight and then let the lure sink along with the others. As soon as the line moves lift the tip and have a ball trying to land a trout in weedy and shallow water. Now there is no recipe for a totally weedless rig, as any floating weed will always get trapped on the line, but the Zerek Flash Minnow rigged with the offset worm hook is as close as you will get. When trout are on tadpoles use the smaller 70mm Flash Minnows and match the size of the baitfish to the lure – match the hatch in other words. Spring and early summer is the prime time, so check out the range of Zerek Flash Minnows at your local tackle store now.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 08:30:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015