Welcome to part 3 of Fishing Groupers On Soft Baits. In part 2 that was in the last issue we discussed about some of the recommended fishing tackle for grouper fishing as well as where to or rather how to search for them. In this article we take a look at some of my favourite soft baits that I use when fishing groupers.
What Do Groupers Eat?
Before we go into what soft baits to use it is good that we take a look at what constitutes a meal to groupers. Groupers are known to eat crabs, prawns, fish, squid, etc. hence makes them a good target fish for anglers. Anglers have been catching them on squid cuts, prawns, fish slices, crabs, etc. for as long as I can remember.
[ They are sexy and they dance “erotically;” a fatal attraction to fish… ]
Prawns are one of the baits that groupers eat.
When it comes to soft baits, my favourite designs are grubs, ribbon tails, and paddle tails. They are sexy and they dance “erotically;” a fatal attraction to fish. My favourites so far are the Berkley Grubs and Berkley Pro Grubs soft baits. What I like about them is that they have scent built in. This means that fishes that come by to investigate has a higher chance of picking up the scent trail and finding the bait.
There are other fish attracting features too. Some soft baits such as the Berkley Powerbait Pro Grub comes with ribs on its body that emits a vibration similar to that of an injured fish. This vibration sends a signal to nearby fishes tempting them towards an easy prey and also and easy meal. Most hungry fish that is out hunting for a meal will hit the sexy, slow swimming, scent emitting, and vibrating soft bait.
Grubs are amongst my favourite softbaits.
Other soft baits that can be used for fishing groupers are prawns, crawfish, and soft baits with moving appendages that dances about when being manipulated by the angler calling out to fishes swimming nearby. Hence it is important to be fishing within or very nearby the hunting grounds of groupers; greatly enhancing your chance of catching one.
Prawns and crabs are also good softbaits to use when fishing groupers. They have to be played differently for best results.
The other thing to think about is colour. Soft baits come in plenty of colours. It has been said that they must first capture the attention of the angler before they even get a chance at catching attention of any fish. It is really true. So what colours should you use? This comes down to the condition of the water or the place that you are fishing at.
Swimshads are another group of softbaits that I love for groupers.
Be it out at sea or at pay to fish ponds the colours choices depends on the condition of the water that you are fishing at. If the water is clear, then natural colours will be a good choice to go with. If the water is murkier, brighter coloured soft baits will be a better choice. What happens if you are fishing in rather deep waters where colours disappear? You may then want to choose a soft bait or jighead that is luminous to attract fish.
Shrimps and pogy(ies) are effective on groupers too.
Well, the above are just a general rule of thumb. Sometimes fishes may take colours that are opposite those mentioned with those general rules. They may favour a certain colour depending on where you are fishing at. This is true with both fishing out at sea and fishing at a pay pond. The colour preferences of fishes also do change depending on the conditions of the sea and of the pond that you are fishing at.
What colours to choose will depend on the water. Natural colours for waters that are clear such as this.
There are a few grouper ponds where we go to to field test fishing tackle. We know the ponds rather well including the colours that the groupers always take. There are times when we cast and cast a soft bait with a well proven colour and yet we do not get any hits. We will then try out different colours until we come to one that registers a hit. That said; always carry a variety of soft baits in a variety of colours when you go on fishing trips.
Darker coloured baits at our favourite test sites.
That’s it for now in part 3 of Fishing Groupers On Soft Baits. In the next issue we come to part 4. We will then go into the methods and ways of how to use soft baits when it comes to fishing groupers. We will look at how to manipulate some of these soft baits in order to attract the attention of groupers and then get them to hit. Meanwhile, stay safe and happy fishing.
