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Plan B - JP Adventure
By Vinnie Versfeld
Quite often, when heading out for a fish, things don’t always go quite to plan. No matter how well prepared you are, sometimes things just go wrong. This could really be a wide variety of things when heading out on a trip, such as car issues, boat issues, weather issues and so forth. Planned trips may either get cancelled or cut short and that’s why it’s a good idea to have a Plan B as a backup option, just in case things don’t go quite as originally planned.
Jeff and I have been fishing together for many years and over time the importance of a Plan B, C, D… okay, honestly insert the whole alphabet, has become more and more apparent. Quite often having a backup plan or ten has saved a free fishing pass day, either one from the better half or work commitments, ensuring we get some fishing done rather than missing out completely.
A prime example occurred a few weeks ago. The weather looked promising for us to point the Hooker (Jeff’s boat) east and head looking for some tasty Christmas trout. The plan was an adventure and a gathering exercise to keep the freezer stocked with some festive fillets. We were all packed and ready to go, with alarms set and enthusiasm high. A Plan B was mentioned… but not really considered.
Over the course of the night and with the approximate two hours of sleep we managed, the weather deteriorated and a 2am Facebook Messenger conversation saw the call made to cancel the gathering session. A few hours of sleep and a couple messages later, the plan was made to go and chase some jungle perch locally instead. The cool thing about jungle perch is that the weather can be as rubbish as it wants to be, yet you can still go and get your fishing fix.
A quick phone call about where to meet and I grabbed a handful of Trick SwimZ, a couple of TT ChinlockZ SWS jigheads, the Okuma ITX-1000 spin reel and LRF rod combo, backpack and snacks. I then pointed the Mahindra north, to meet up with Jeff at the chosen creek.
A few hours later we were wading a pristine jungle creek lined with rainforest. The creek itself was super skinny and it took us an hour or so of walking and casting before we started getting into the fish. With the creek we were fishing being so skinny and shallow, stealth was an absolute necessity and we fished using the one for one principle. If I caught one, then Jeff would go in front and fish until he caught one and so on. We ended up leap frogging each other like this for a good, few hours, landing some great fish.
We also had a laugh a minute, with kamikaze mangoes falling out of trees, branches blown down, torrential rain that saw you struggling to hear yourself think and the inevitable branches that would reach out and grab any wayward cast soft plastic at the most inappropriate time. This is all just part and parcel of the adventure.
The gear that we carry on this rainforest backup plan is kept light and simple. I had the little 1000 ITX spooled with 6lb Platypus Pulse X8 braid and 10lb Platypus Stealth FC Flurocarbon Leader. Lure choice, for me, is also nice and easy. A ZMan 3” MinnowZ or a 3.5” Trick SwimZ, riding on a 2/0 TT ChinlockZ SWS jighead is a great presentation for them.
There are a few reasons why this presentation is so effective. For starters, you can fish the whole water column, from buzzing them on the surface, right through to sinking them into deeper holes and especially around root balls and lay down timber snags. The other advantage of this presentation is that you can cast it a really, long way on the lighter gear and the weedless hook prevents a lot of snagging, should you accidently overshoot a cast or spray one off into the woods. A gentle rod tip shake and a slow steady wind will most often get them out of the scariest snags without too much hassle.
I often use the weedless characteristics to my advantage and purposely overshoot casts so as not to spook the fish in the hole with a loud presentation. If you overshoot the cast and gently sneak it into the water, it makes for a much more natural and subtle presentation, especially if the fish are being flighty. So, all in all, a super fun day was had, with a few fish caught and the day wasn’t a complete write off.
We got to sleep in, go for a fish and still be at home at a reasonable time, allowing us to spend some quality time with the girls at home. So, all in all, a win for everyone. Next time you are planning a trip, definitely include a plan B or C, as it has saved our fishing days on a few occasions and may do the same for you.
Cheers, Vinnie
Gearing Up:
Okuma LRF GEN2 Spin Rods - LRF2-S-662L 6'6" 1-3kg
Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels - ITX-1000
Platypus Pulse X8 Braid - 6lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader - 10lb
TT Lures ChinlockZ SWS Jigheads - 1/12oz 2/0 and 1/8oz 2/0
ZMan 3" MinnowZ
ZMan 3.5" Trick SwimZ