Mark,
For starters here is a copy of a post I made some time ago in another place, just to get things going.
"....about vertical soft plastic fishing, mostly aimed at reefs. It's my way so its not gospel, but it works:-
"MrFish and I were having a conversation on that subject today, after the lesson that Horatio apparently gave him yesterday.
First of all, there's no "right way". Here's my way for boat fishing SPs, it is copied from French anglers and it works. It can be adapted for shore fishing by using lighter lures/lead heads. Most of the time I drop the lure to the bottom vertically, although the following can apply to casting the lure away from the boat or shore, usually over shallower ground.
Drop the lure to the bottom, feathering the line slightly to maintain some contact, stopping the lure sometimes 3-6ft at a time as it approaches the bottom. A fishfinder or just a simple depth sounder is very helpful, if not essential.
Over rough ground if you fish hard on the bottom not only will you (a) lose more lures but (b) you'll also have your lure out of site of fish that are further away (think about it) - and remember SPs aren't normally as noisy as plugs, although rattles seem to be popular I don't think they make much difference in clear water when fish are 20ft away.
On cleaner ground bumping the bottom (and probably sending up puffs of sand) seems to work well. But I'm still waiting for that turbot....
Once the lure is on the bottom, retrieve line to take the lure off bottom, say 3ft plus, up to where you think the fish are at, again maybe referring to a fishfinder or just the shape of the bottom on the sounder.
The more vertical your line the better so anything from 5g to 80g or 100g may be necessary in a decent current. I would suggest learning the amount of line that your reel will retrieve on one turn of the handle and use that measurement to work out the height of your lure above the bottom. Maybe write it in permanent marker on your rod butt if you are unsure.
Then comes the more difficult bit, imparting life into the lure. I wouldn't suggest you try to imagine what your lure is doing on the bottom. Test it next to the boat in clearer water and try different twitches, pulls etc. Don't worry about imitating the mating dance of the greater launce - there's a place for science in all of this but for me plain erratic works well.
Watch the lure as it falls as this is the time when the lure is most often taken nearer the bottom. The real key to vertical SP fishing is to keep the line taut(ish) on the descent of the lure and keep in contact with the lure, and to strike firmly but not wildly if the lure "stops" unexpectedly. Otherwise fish will hook themselves as the lure climbs through the water. I generally try to get the lure to move within a 3-6ft range (I use a 2m rod so that's about the limit of what I can manage).
Some days the fish will seem to react better to small twitches, other times to long slow vertical pulls and drops. Other days the will take a static lure without warning as the angler rests or looks up from the fishing (often for inspiration in my case). If there are two or more of you on the boat then vary lures and depths (just like plugs) until you find fish.
If you are retrieving you lure from the bottom then keep working it up to at least 20ft off the bottom/top of any structure if not right up to the boat. You will get follows from bass, wrasse and pollack and they will sometimes take near the boat.
A specialist vertical lure rod helps but a short lure rod (under 9ft) will do the job and get you started. I'd suggest 30lb braid and a short (say 3ft) FC leader. Set your drag to about as heavy as your rod can safely manage and hang on.
Hope this helps. When you get the hang of it (it doesn't take long) take a die hard plug fisherman with you and show him what he's missing."
Is that any help?
