Soft plastics for pollock- lead head or weighted leader?

[shortcircuit]

Hi all novice lure angler here. tried targeting pollock last year on soft plastics with no success mainly due to the fact that I kept getting snagged. my rig was the "standard" soft plastics spinning rig (drilled bullet lead, couple of foot of hooklength to a weedless rigged hook).

f I used a leadhead would I be less prone to getting snagged as theoretically the hook would be facing up?
would a leadhead have a lot less natural looking motion than a trace moving"freely"?

[connordoc]

i would say leadhead would out fish but it come down to choice

[ecleary]

If you are using the weedless rigged SPs correctly then it's probably the drilled bullet that's snagging in rocks. Maybe try using smaller cone weights which won't get snagged as easy, and keep the weight moving so it doesn't settle into crevices in the rocks.


Using a jig head like the decoy violence should reduce the amount of times you get snagged too.

[gd]

Keep it simple regardless of the method used,

Weedless will be a great help but most important thing is not to use too much weight as you want to fish above the kelp not in it, This will result in a lot less tackle losses/swearing and hopefully more fish.

Tight Lines.

[pete]

Shortcircuit,
Have found that leadheads snag just as effectively as bullet/jelly if not more so and if the pollock are not feeding properly you'll get less takes too. Have you tried speeding up the retrieve a little, can work to keep yourself above snags? I'll normally up the braid and 'snood' strength of the bullet/jelly rig to bull out of snags first. Failing that go weedless with a cone-head, you will be able to work it right in the middle of the dung and snags.

Pete

[Steve]

Try using weighted hooks.

Most of the plastics I use these days weigh around 10g. Add a 7g weighted hook and you have a bait that can be cast a reasonable distance. The mustad weighted wide gape hooks on the AGM website are decent and allow you to fish weedless.

[shortcircuit]

thanks everyone very helpful

[agardiner22]

rig hook texas style, worked perfect for me with lead at the hook with bead in between. check it out on youtube

[chuckaroo]

agree with above, keep it simple. im not keen on these bullet leads positioned up the leader as not only do they make the trace swing in the air in the cast but i can imagine that they will also hamper the fight of the fish, the lead will also pose an issue of getting snagged. using a lead up the line is moreso for when you wish to be able to cast a light-weight SP but i dont see them necessary, if you wish to cast a lighter SP then downsize your rod and line.
I just prefer using weighted SPs or leadheads and am a big fan of Sidewinder lures (the bigger they are then you effectively eliminate catching the smaller fellas, whichever you prefer). Sidewinders move brilliantly in the water and have caught me a lot of fish, but i am sure that there is a lot of weighted SPs out there that will compare just as well - beware of all the bling!

also agree with above, if you are snagging a lot and loosing stuff then up the strength of your line. i reckon that weighted SPs do actually snag less with the hook facing up, but only to a certain extent. if you keep snagging then practice judging your depths better i.e. keep the lure close to the weed but out of the weed at all times, try different weights of lure if need be, or a faster or slower retrieve. if you keep snagging then move along a little. if you arent getting pollack then try somewhere else.

big pollack like a very slow retrieve and dawn and dusk are always best. these fish can make some initial dives for the kelp as soon as they know that they are hooked! so watch this. if you get a big one then be prepared to hold on! have the drag set. if they do get into the kelp and get stuck then it sometimes works to completely loosen your line for a minute or so, they can actually work themselves free if you are lucky.

good luck. hope to see some pics..

[redzerologhlen]

rig hook texas style, worked perfect for me with lead at the hook with bead in between. check it out on youtube

Im with you on this. I buy 25 gram barrel leads and cut them in half. I just thread them onto the line and put a bead between the lead and the hook and let it slide away up and down the line. Has worked brilliant fishing in close for pollock and wrasse and its ver simple to do.

[baitdigger]

a glass bead would be good if you could find some as the noise of the lead slamming against the bead seems to attract fish

[Paul Harris]

Depth is a major factor as to method of fishing in my opinion. Most of our pollack fishing is done in depths of 30 feet or more and with less that a 50grm or so bullet you will be waiting half the day for it to sink. Match the weight to the depth and this will help you to stop snagging. If you are not snagging up occasionally then you are not fishing in the right place and in my experience lead heads and weighted plastics are not as good in deep water. Drop shotting is also something worth looking at and has proved to be very effective. We had a lot of big pollack from the shore last year with fish to 14lbs so we must be doing something right! Good luck in your fishing.

[shortcircuit]

As always great information lads. Hopefully I can get out soon to give it a go!