[greg powell]

I'm still very new to this game and read all I can on here about different methods that people are using. Different types of hard plastic for different times of year, different depths etc and most of what I read makes perfect sense. The same sort of discussions ref SP's - again pretty logical.

It seems to me that each method has its place.

But, what I can't seem to get my head round is what drives the decision making between using hard and soft lures?

What criteria do people use if they are fishing: 1- a new mark 2: an old mark to decide which method is likely to be most effective? (Or is it all down to trial and error??)

From a duffers point of view what makes a good 'HP' mark and what makes a good 'SP' mark?

p.s. - there may already be threads on this so any links or pointers would be great - cheers.

 

[Ben Field]

Really good question I reckon Greg! Requires a bit of a long answer though I reckon so may drop something on later when I'm not supposed to be working ;-)

 

[Tim Griffin]

It is a good question Greg. One mark I fished regularly last year responded well to hard and soft lures but I used hard lures much more. This is I think down to my lack of experience with SPs and reduced success compared to hard lures. Also, when it was breezy or rough I always felt I could cover more ground with a hard lure. Many times my lad George used SPs and caught just as much as me, which goes to show it isn't always the conditions, more confidence. I'm keen to hear from those who use SPs much more than me so I can have a wider range of options.

 

[Gary A]

I know very little about SP fishing so far (nor hard lure fishing if the truth be told) but I'm sure over the coming year I'll be trying SP's at all the same marks I would use HP's. I think it's just a confidence thing with softs and I imagine as time goes by, more and more fish will probably come to sp's as everyone starts recognising the tiniest bites.

Hope this helps

 

[Keith White]

Both have desirable attributes.

colder, clearer water, certain species etc...soft baits or suspending plastics and fast reaction baits.

hard plugs... remembering all sizes are appropriate, i'd choose them for more for bumping/rising techniques or jerkbait styles.
They can suspend (with trimming) great for long periods, you can alter more, the angles of deflection from structure etc..

Its a huge open ended question to which there are probably no right or wrong answers, only preferences.

 

[kevin white]

as keith as mentioned, you can't put a defined answer to it.

if you need to cover a lot of ground, hard baits all the way when looking for a reation bite, soft baits are more deliberate and time comsuming, thus not a good choice to finding fishquickly in an area you may not know, once fish are found soft baits could hammer out fish in comparison to using hard baits.

only you and the fish can make that decision.

kev