Generally, I find the depth and environment largely dictate which is likely to be more effective. But not always, and as will be revealed, there are definitely exceptions.
One- to eight-metre depths
As the boat’s presence will scare off any bigger fish nearby in shallow water, casting well away from the boat is essential to success, making soft-baiting the obvious technique to use. Mostly.
Some possible scenarios and potential fishing solutions are as follows:
Weedy, reefy shallows in locations more likely to produce bigger fish: Thread 7-inch* (18cm) softies onto ¼-3/8oz (7-10.5g) jig-heads armed with a 3/0-5/0 hook and attached to a 20-30lb (9-13.6kg) fluoro leader. Or, if fishing more heavily fished areas, change down to 4-5-inch (10.2-12.7cm) softbaits and 15-20lb (7-9.1kg) trace. Cast out, keep extra slack out of the descent process, and retrieve with upwards jiggles; have confidence that snapper will swim up two or three metres to eat something tasty.
Small baitfish have been pushed into the shallows by predators, usually in or close to harbours, channels, estuaries and islands: Cast 2.5-5-inch (5.1-6.4cm) soft-baits, ideally in more natural baitfish colours, to feeding activity that’s visible or areas where fish have just passed through. The smaller the soft-bait, the lighter the jig-head and fluoro leader (i.e. 5” tails should be on a 3/8oz jig-head armed with a 2/0-3/0 hook attached to 15-20lb leader, while 3” tails suit ⅛-3/16oz jig-heads, #1-2/0 hooks and 12-15lb leader).
This last setup also suits situations where snapper are grubbing around in the silt, sand or mud for invertebrates, although high-vis colours [i.e. orange or pink] often produce better here, along with browny ‘New Penny’ type colourations.
For anglers who prefer using metal jigs, try casting out lighter, more fluttery 5-10g micro-jigs using 4-6kg soft-bait gear and retrieving them with small, stuttering, jiggling movements, either in mid-water if there’s weed or baitfish activity, or scudding along the silty/muddy sea floor.
Eight- to 20-metre depths
These are great depths for softbaits, as well as smaller and/or lighter jigs and slow-jigs. However, when using the recommended ⅜-1/2oz jig-heads – such relatively lightly weighted baits often attract bites on the way down) – you may need to experiment with casting angles to maintain good contact with the softbait and ensure it gets down to the bottom. Wind-against-tide situations can result in lightly weighted jig-heads getting held up, especially in deeper water and where currents are stronger.
In this depth range, look for the following situations:
Patchy weed and reef, interspersed with sandy areas, ideally with deeper water and some current nearby: Work these areas with the lightly weighted softbaits outlined above. The deeper the water though, the more anglers must concentrate on their casting angles for good contact during the lure’s descent, as well as winding out any excess slack line. Once touchdown is achieved, retrieve the softbait with upward jiggling movements interspersed with pauses of varying length.
Muddy or silty channels with some current present: These areas offer tasty treats for snapper (i.e. crabs, sea worms, shellfish, baby flounder etc.) and their murkier, deeper waters can mask the boat’s presence, allowing anglers to drag/jig softbaits and slow-jigs along the seafloor. We’re trying to imitate prey such as small flounder and crabs scuttling along the bottom, so the lures used can be a bit heavier to stay down and kick up silt. Slow-jigs of 60-80g usually do the job nicely.
And if there are youngsters or learners on board, consider adding a squid tentacle to the slow-jig’s lead hook so that it trails past the rear hook (only a tentacle or sliver of bait though; bigger baits tend to result in deep-hooked fish). This method catches fish, but they do tend to be smaller.
The above scenario also suits 14-28g micro-jigs, with tungsten jigs performing better in strong currents, although fluttery jigs in 20-60g will have their moments, too. Micro-jigs are best worked in small, stuttering movements, but can also be dragged along the bottom, while flutter/slow-pitch type lures suit repeated lifts and drops (yo-yoing) or by making three or four slow-motion mechanical-jigging movements up off the bottom.
30m to 70m depths
Most anglers abandon soft-baiting at around 30m, opting instead for heavier, faster sinking jigs and slow-jigs, but don’t be too quick to dismiss softies, especially when work-ups are in full swing or baitfish are well up off the bottom.
Work-ups attended by gannets/dolphins/whales over a reasonably clean seafloor: Jigs and slow-jigs do offer an excellent way to get down super quick and take advantage of whatever carnage is going on, particularly over reasonably snag-free sea floors. Choose lures that are weightier and more streamlined as the water gets deeper and the current stronger (i.e. 80-150g), especially if wind and tide are working against each other. Go heavier if in doubt about which lure weight to use, because for best results lures should be worked as near to vertically as possible. A variety of lure movements can be effective, but slow-motion mechanical jigging tends to be the most consistent (slow-pitch tactics are great too, but are a bit too specialised to cover here). The activity on the sounder will suggest just how high up in the water column the lure should be worked to before being dropped again.
Sometimes, though, for whatever reason, snapper simply want to eat soft plastics (it can be the other way round too, with jigs/slow jigs flavour of the day), especially lightly weighted 3/4-1oz models, which hungry snapper like to intercept as they descend. Yes, softbaits can take a while to get down to where the fish are holding, especially in over 40m of water, but the speed and enthusiasm with which they are eaten can more than make up for this. Interestingly, although it’s possible to simply drop heavily weighted softbaits straight down to get bites (overhead/baitcaster type outfits a good option here, affording very direct contact with the descending lure), I find using an 8’-8’6” spinning outfit to make long casts up ahead of the boat in the direction of the drift tends to be more effective. Next, I whip off several rod lengths of line onto the water’s surface in front of me, keeping a close eye in case it suddenly dives away into the depths. If it does, a fast wind of the reel’s handle and a hard strike frequently result in a buckled rod and line smoking off the reel. Snapper find a complete freefall action very enticing. Should the softbait remain unmolested all the way down, begin a slow to moderate speed mechanical jigging retrieve for anything from a metre or two through to 10-15m off the bottom – the fishfinder’s display should give you an indication where in the water column fish are lying.
A reasonably clear bottom with snapper sign showing: Adopt the same as above, but restrict any jigging movements off the bottom to just a handful or so turns, or try dragging the softbait.
Whatever the depth you’re fishing, though, use the lightest braid possible – thinner braid cuts through the water and current more efficiently – keep the hooks as small as practical for better hookups, and use scented softbaits or scent additives to trick fish into biting harder and hanging on for longer, especially in deeper water!
