Following on from Jason Wilhelm’s last instalment, here he details a highly effective technique utilising soft plastics in thick sub-surface weed – a technique known as ‘ripping’.
The water level was dropping at an alarming rate. The big drought that Australia faced back in mid-2005 was affecting a number of freshwater lakes around Australia, and my home dams of Lake Awoonga and Monduran were suffering.
Down to 19 per cent, Awoonga had taken on a look that only seasoned Awoonga anglers had seen. Weed islands had formed in many different areas, generally wherever the depth rose sharply out of deep water and levelled out to around 15 ft, where the sun could penetrate to the bottom and promote the growth of aquatic weed. The lake’s fringe was lush with oxygen weed stretching some 50 m from the bank in places, and the vast majority of anglers were seeking clear water, free of lure fouling weed to be able to cast and retrieve like they had done before.
Through fishing weed edges and isolated weed islands, it became very apparent how many fish were calling this aquatic salad home. I always knew that barramundi loved the weed, but to the extent I was about to discover truly surprised me. Often cruising tightly to the sheer weed walls, barra could be targeted fairly consistently in these areas however this wasn’t anything new. Anglers who tuned in to the lake’s current dynamic quickly found that some days would produce dynamite fishing with this technique, yet other days it wouldn’t raise a strike. I too found that the Barra could be hit and miss, I am no fan of hit and miss and through a lot of time on the water, I stumbled upon an important discovery that changed the way I fished for barramundi in sub-surface weed stands and islands.
Interestingly enough those anglers who trail blaze and forget about what everyone else is doing, while focusing on their own work ethic and hunches tend to discover new and exciting things through time on the water and thinking logically about their prey. A new discovery or learning sticks in the mind like Araldite. We all yearn for days where you learn something new that unlocks another piece to the puzzle.
I was fishing a weed island not far from the main boat ramp, just outside Pelican Bay. The island of weed was about 15 m in diameter and it rose up out of around 25 feet. The weed growth started at the top of the island in around 15 ft of water and rose all the way to the surface; creating a matted solid area, strong enough for the local bird life to walk on. I was working a soft plastic down the wall of the island and every so often I’d get a bump as the plastic fell. Thinking deeper about it, the bumps were only occurring when the lure was within a whisker of the weed edge. Upon closer inspection, the leader didn’t have the tell-tale scuff that a barramundi often leaves on your leader, but I was confident the mystery bump was the work of a barra. It was almost like a swipe, and it only occurred every 10 casts or so, and it had to be a tight cast. Twenty centimetres from the weed edge, nothing, but if I got it close enough I’d receive that same strange bump.
I knew the fish were telling me something yet I hadn’t completely figured out the precise answers to the questions. I knew I was close, but not close enough. Immediately I turned to a weedless Texas rigged Slick Rig, thinking that I may have found the answer, however; deep down I knew answers rarely came as a simple change like that. Half an hour later this proved to be the case because I couldn’t replicate that bump. I quickly lost confidence, cut off the weedless rig and had a think.
What next? I needed to get those bumps again to gain some confidence that the fish were still there so I tied the 110 mm Slick Rig back on, cast it back down that edge and sure enough, within five minutes came that familiar whack.
Another prime ripping location; and the fish tells the story. In heavily pressured waters, this technique will come into its own. This fish was caught during an ABT BARRA tournament, after three boats had already fished the same bay unsuccessfully. Alan McNamara and I landed another four fish in this location after changing up to ripping; the technique is an important string to your bow.
I decided that I was going to cast into the weed island and burn the plastic out, hoping that I wouldn’t foul the upturned, exposed hook that the Squidgy has. I flicked it out and let it sink for a few seconds before starting to burn it back. Nothing, apart from some stringy weed that fouled the hook. I cleared it, cast it back out, and this time I decided to let it go all the way to the bottom. Starting to feel the frustration that anglers so often encounter, I wound up the slack and immediately the rod loaded up with weight. The lure was buried in the weed and I was on a short fuse so I ripped the rod straight up hard and fast twice, cursing a few choice words and all of a sudden the weight came off and the lure cleared. Within a millisecond of that happening a solid strike of a barra caught me off guard but my reflexes were fast enough to strike and I was on!
The Barra wasn’t a big, but at around 70 cm it was all I needed to see, and after landing the fish and releasing it I remember looking up at the sky and taking a big breath. For those of you who have worked something out all on your own, you’ll understand that pure and raw feeling of jubilation and excitement. Everything in nature happens for a reason and I knew immediately that I had found the answer to those bumps and the fish were now going to be in trouble. I have never subscribed to the ‘lucky fish’ theory. I now had a start, and it was time to think deeper about exactly what was happening here … I had to hone the technique.
I continued to cast into that weed island for another four hours, and the fish kept coming. Depending on how fouled the lure was, determined how many rips of the rod I needed to effectively clear the lure enough for a fish to eat it. Sometimes it was 2 or 3 rips, other times it was 5 or six. One thing became very clear that day, the fish would strike either straight after the lure ripped through the weed, or as it was falling back into the weed after ripping it clear.
My thoughts turned to why? What was it that made those fish eat the lure using that technique? A weedless presentation didn’t get any response, so that rules out the fact that just getting a lure in there would do the business. I still can’t say for certain, but a combination of the plastic tearing from the weed and the noise associated with that, as well as inherent traits in barramundi feeding patterns (barramundi are famous for falling victim to reaction style techniques) points to the answer. The sound of the plastic tearing free from weed is incredibly audible, and quite possibly the barramundi are associating that sound and lure style to a common food source for them in weed banks – the red claw crayfish.
This cracking 123 cm barra was caught by Glenn Bellamy on a Barra Madness charter using the ripping technique in the sub-surface weed in the back ground. Interestingly enough, a weedless plastic got zero response, so a change up to ripping produced the goods.
Tackle Required
This style of fishing almost requires a specific outfit for the job. A powerful rod without being a broom stick is paramount, as is a light-weight nature. Baitcasters and threadlines are suitable for this style of fishing will come down to personal choice. Around 6 ft in length for a baitcaster and around 7 ft for a threadline rod is about right. A soft tip will fold under the intense ripping style required; nullifying your physical efforts in removing the weed so a powerful tip is paramount. What you are looking for is exactly enough tip power to match the lure weight for casting whilst supplying enough inherent power for ripping the lure out of the weed. If the rod is too soft in the tip you will not effectively clear the weed from your plastic.
Fishing in this manner is physically demanding, a few hours of it can really knock you up but if you have a good light-weight outfit, you will spend less time recovering and more time fishing.
Lures
The Pro Range Slick Rig in 110 mm is perfect for this technique, and through lots of testing and trying other soft plastics, I find that the Slick Rig is the most efficient lure at ripping through the weed without tearing the plastic. Other brands of plastics that have the body moulded on to the jighead tend to tear the plastic and not clear the weed anywhere near as effective as the humble Slick Rig. I also like the fact that you can change jighead weights with this lure. After utilising this technique for quite some time we found that the addition of a stinger treble to the under body of the plastic increased hook up rates drastically without compromising the ability of clearing the weed from the lure. You can either make your own stinger rig or purchase jigheads specifically made for this application for the 110 mm and 130 mm Slick Rig – they are known as the TT lures Area 51 Slick Jig. These heads fit perfectly inside the plastic and a stinger attachment comes out from underneath the plastic. A treble is supplied and the rig takes less than a minute to make, and importantly the Slick Jig has an ultra-strong Mustad hook and near bullet proof stinger attachment.
I like using the 110 mm Slick Rig in any colour, with the retro fitted Slick Jig in 1/2 oz with a 6/0 hook. I find this weight covers most weed stands and sub-surface islands and patches, but keep in mind that you may need to go lighter or heavier depending on the scenario. It’s ultra-important to look for fresh, green lush weed stands and patches, if you notice that the weed you are fishing is quite ‘dusty’, it’s highly likely the weed has died or is dying off and barramundi are not fond of that, nor are baitfish and redclaw. You will know when you come across a vibrant weed stand.
Technique
Once you have selected an appropriate weed stand, island or submerged weed paddock, either spot lock with your electric or quietly anchor your boat. This selection process can be achieved in a number of ways. If you know your sounder, you will be able to see barra nestled amongst the weed stands, or conversely you can work on a hunch. If you find a good weed stand/edge that you have caught barra near before, you can bet they will be in the weed as well. There wouldn’t be too many lush weed areas in barra lakes that don’t hold fish.
Cast out your plastic and let it drop all the way to the bottom. Once your line settles on the surface (holding the rod at a relatively high rod angle of 9 to 10 o’clock), pick up the slack slowly until the rod starts to load up under the weight of the weed. Wedge your rod on your hip bone and rip hard and fast 3 times to approximately 12 o’clock or rip until you feel the weight come off the lure. This clearing of weed can vary in how many sharp fast rod rips are required, but keep ripping if you still have weed on your lure. As you get better at ripping, you will get it down to mostly 2 to 3 rips each time the rod loads up on weed. Once it rips free, slow roll and shuffle the plastic for a short period and then let it settle on the bottom again and repeat the process. Keep casting in an arc around the boat and ensure you give the plastic plenty of flicks and shuffles in between ripping them out from the weed. You will find most of your bites will come from the base of the weed and just after you rip the plastic free.
Worth the effort
In closing, this technique is not a simple one to learn, but it’s worth the effort to master if you want another critical string to your bow. If you fish for barra long enough, there will be times when this technique will see you catch a lot of fish while anglers who are fishing standard barra methods will not raise a scale. This technique has claimed its fair share of tournament victories for the very few that have taken the time to master it. If you ask me, it’s a must-have technique to have in your arsenal, and it will certainly lessen those sessions where you come home scratching your head wondering where it all went wrong.
Jason has been an avid angler for well over 30 years. His ability to catch trophy barramundi is both highly regarded and respected and Jason is widely considered a leader in his field. He loves and undertakes all forms of fishing, but rates the barramundi as his favourite foe. With a highly distinguished and successful tournament career, Jason is endorsed by some of the biggest names in the fishing industry, including Shimano, Honda Marine, Lowrance, Millerods, Tackle Tactics, Minn Kota and Skeeter boats. He resides in Gladstone, CQ.
