Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Bait-Fishing » Enhancing Baits and Lures
Enhancing Baits and Lures
By Sean Bekkers
I'm sure you've heard it over and over that the presentation of your bait or soft plastic is often the key to a successful fishing trip and adding some scent will make the presentation really stand out from the crowd. When it comes to soft plastics fishing and artificial fishing in general, adding a scent like Pro-Cure definitely improves your chances of getting the fish's attention. Once they strike it will often also keep them hanging on long enough for you to set the hook. I can appreciate that when reading a lot of articles related to adding scent to enhance your presentation, it may all seem relatively new or even a fad, however in reality anglers have been doing this sort of thing for years and years. Have you ever heard of anglers soaking baits like pilchards in tuna oil or aniseed just to make them stand out from everything else?
Like all things fishing techniques wise over the years, scents and bait enhancements have been improved and are now often regarded as a staple in the tackle box. Pro-Cure is well known worldwide for its variety of scented gels and sauces for soft plastics, however when Tackle Tactics added a range of dyes and bait enhancing products to their Australian range, I couldn't help but get a little excited and was keen to give them a go.
Enhancing Baits
With the warmer weather on the way and the mackerel not too far behind, I'm pretty keen to not only chase them on lures but some dead baits as well, rigged on TT Lures Bait Trolling Rigs. Over winter I've been collecting and freezing my by-catch, with the intent of using it for mackerel bait. Now, trolling around fresh baits is always a good way to get the bite, however I've been dying some of my bait with Pro-Cure BAD AZZ Powder Bait Dye and to be honest, I've been blown away with the results. Just how vibrant the bait becomes, so much so that I was keen to dye some other baits as well. I particularly wanted to dye some prawns that I had cast netted as I intend to target some big summer whiting later in the year.
On my first attempt dying prawns I just soaked them whole, however the exterior shell prevented the flesh from soaking up the dye. Being determined, I decided to peel the prawns and expose the flesh so that the dye could really penetrate the flesh and take on the colouring. Once soaked, I froze the prawns down in the deep freezer. When I went to use them later, I just broke a few away and thawed them out like any other bag of prawns. The results were just as cool as the mackerel baits, with the prawn flesh becoming a vibrant green, as I was using the Chartreuse / Lime coloured powder.
When prepping you bait for the dying, pick an area that can get a little dirty. I wouldn't suggest using inside the kitchen as a very, very, small amount of this dye powder goes a long way... and you could turn your whole kitchen green. With that being said, the dye will wash of off most surfaces. Also pick a container or bag that is large enough to hold the bait, be submerged entirely and still fit into the freezer. This will ensure the best the results. Rather than soaking the bait in fresh water, I decided to get a half bucket of sea water and add a half teaspoon of dye to about three litres of water. When adding the powder, it's almost mesmerizing how the dye transformers the rather clear bucket of water into a fluoro haze.
Overall my first impression of the Pro-Cure BAD AZZ Powder Bait Dye is nothing short of impressed and the few opportunities that I've had to use the bait has seen a variety of fish jumping at the chance to eat the nuclear fallout looking prawns. The Chartreuse / Lime colour has been awesome in the dirty water, with the bait really standing out. Also, the dye doesn't appear to wash out either, so a massive thumbs up from me. Over Summer I'll definitely be dying up some more prawns.
Enhancing Soft Plastics & Hard Bodies
The main aim of all artificial presentations is to convince a fish that it's real and eat it. If the prawns are around and you're going to try and convince a fish to eat a prawn presentation, then I would choose a plastic and jighead that will represent a prawn. Something like a ZMan 3.5" EZ ShrimpZ is effective or even a Slim SwimZ that I can twitch to represent a prawn.
Often to pull the presentation off though, I'll be looking for a colour that matches the hatch (Greasy Prawn or a Blue Glimmer), with the size of the plastics being another key factor. Scents, in my case Pro-Cure, plays just as important a part in finishing off the presentation. With such a huge range in the Pro-Cure stable you can really complete a presentation and Pro-Cure Shrimp Super Gel or Saltwater Yabby / Nipper would be my go-to options when imitating a prawn.
As I said earlier, I don't need much convincing that Pro-Cure works, however on a recent family trip I was again convinced of its effectiveness. On the way out of our yard the boat passed under our over-achieving mulberry tree and a few ripe berries dropped into the boat. Once out on the water and fishing, my wife Kiri decided to put a mulberry on the hook and see if she could convince a fish to eat it. I mentioned we should smear some Pro-Cure on it, so our daughter Kaitlin rushed over to her mum's mulberry bait and added some.
A few minutes went by, with some sledging comments flying back and forth between sisters Charlotte and Kaitlin, when I heard Kiri say she was on. I think all of us could hardly believe it. Kiri had actually hooked a fish, on a mulberry. After a good little fight Kiri had landed herself a small grunter (javelin fish) and this catch will be chalked up into the family fishing trip history books. To complete the experiment Kiri sent out another mulberry, without the Pro-Cure and although very persistent, unfortunately no other fish took an interest... so completing the little experiment for me.
I'll be honest, on the day I'll take all the help that I can get and especially when fishing an area that gets targeted a lot by other anglers. I am a firm believer that Pro-Cure works, so scent up your plastics, dye your bait and give it a go... you might be surprised with the results.
I hope the fishing been good.
Screaming Dragz, Sean