Do you ever use soft shads when jigging?

[blueskip]

A popular method of catching bass over here is jigging with soft bodied "shads" of different colours & sizes, they are extremely realistic looking, & given the clarity of the water in Malta I would have thought they would be even more effective over there than here.
They can be bought in various sizes & weights, & I am thinking of bringing some with me just in case I get a boat trip afloat, so has anybody used them? & do you think they would work on alongi & suchlike that attack jigs?

[clutch_kick]

They are effective on mediterranean fish.  If you're going to jig them off a boat, vertically I suggest 6 inch shads or bigger.

[MartinB]

Yep! ive never used them for alonghi but they are KILLER for lampuki and jack's As clutch said the 6" are good but also get a few smaller sized ones with you as they can come in handy...if you have a shy fish which is following up and not biting just whack a smaller sized one on and more often and not they'll go for it

[blueskip]

Thanks lads I know of a local tackle shop who is selling the 6" ones off dead cheap because nobody over here is buying them (too big for UK fish) so I will nip up there today & pick up a few packets!

[shanook]

I will buy some off u blueskip as I need to stock up again especially for lampuki (dorado) will be in Uk form the 21st July till 15 August so will be back for lampuki.

[blueskip]

I just bought some 6" at half price from my local tackle shop as they are too big for the UK, but I think others are up to the same trick, there wasn't the selection that there was a few months ago, people are doing the same as me when they go on holiday.
Tell you what Shanook if I have any left at the end of my holiday (that's if I even get out) you are welcome to them, or if Placebo wants some, you can share

[shanook]

thanks mate, cant say I will take u out as most of this year I will be in UK...if placebo wants to share some with me good, if not no hard feelings as I am his friend and he deserves them for taking u out.......(mind u know Nelson he will give them all away thats his nature)

[clutch_kick]

Thanks lads I know of a local tackle shop who is selling the 6" ones off dead cheap because nobody over here is buying them (too big for UK fish) so I will nip up there today & pick up a few packets!

Blueskip ... use the 6" shads if you are jigging them from a boat, instead of the normal vertical jigs.  You will obviously need heavy jig heads to go along too.

For shore fishing, use smaller ones, as MartinB said.

[blueskip]

Thanks Clutch Kick I will bring some heavy jig heads, I usually use oval drilled bullets over here because we dont jig very deep, but I will pick up some big jig heads tomorrow "just in case"
Just had a "heads up" from Redbus9 about next Thursday if the weather is good, Yeaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

[MartinB]

Thanks lads I know of a local tackle shop who is selling the 6" ones off dead cheap because nobody over here is buying them (too big for UK fish) so I will nip up there today & pick up a few packets!

Blueskip ... use the 6" shads if you are jigging them from a boat, instead of the normal vertical jigs.  You will obviously need heavy jig heads to go along too.

For shore fishing, use smaller ones, as MartinB said.

Well actually the small ones work on the boat too which is why i mentioned it.When we troll the f.a.d.s on my cousins boat we always pull them up to see if there are any big fish underneath or fanfri/pilot fish (which my cousin loves to fish for,me not so much) and we found a f.a.d/cima with alot of fanfri so while my cousin's fished for them i got my rod out and the few shads and curly tails and jig heads i brought with me & tried my luck jigging.i had a tunnag following nearly to the surface each cast on a 6" shad but not striking,so i thought id try the trick i use on shore and i put a smaller (9cm or 4"approx) one on and then caught 4 tunnag one after the other..although obviously i was releasing them each time as they were/are illegal to keep so it might have been the same one as they were similar in size around 3-4kg mark 
Anyway all i know is it works! no idea why,im not a fish Maybe its cos the tails of the smaller sizes oscillate more ? or maybe just the fish are smart and like the easier meal!!
Tight Lines

[blueskip]

It sounds to me that you have to be versatile when you are boat fishing in Malta, unconventional methods seem to bring results when conventional methods fail, I suppose that's why we love it, "Who Dares Wins"

[MartinB]

Well rather of case "if all else fails.." than "who dares wins"   Basically there's nothing more frustrating than a fish following all the time and not hitting the lure.as im sure many will agree! But tbh a few of the biggest fish ive caught have been on my smallest sized lure's/plugs/poppers etc and on some occasion's ive had barracuda's the size of pencils hit a fat 15cm long plug..go figure!

[clutch_kick]

"Who Dares Wins"

You don't need to be one of the boys from Hereford, but it helps if you're a sneaky git.

[MartinB]

"Who Dares Wins"

You don't need to be one of the boys from Hereford, but it helps if you're a sneaky git.

Of course if you were one of the boys from hereford,especially the S.B.S. you'd be an expert in underwater demolition and you wouldn't need lures and shads LOL

[clutch_kick]

we have enough of those Underwater-demo-dickheads on the island Martin.  They are decimating the maltese fish population indiscriminately.