The soft plastics aisle is enough to freeze any new lure angler — wall after wall of shapes, brands and colours. In a new tutorial, Sydney finesse tournament angler Abs trims the choice down to five bream plastics he reckons belong in every tackle box.
"Soft plastics fishing for bream can be really exciting until you realise there are so many soft plastics on the market and so many factors to make it very overwhelming," he said, describing himself as a finesse angler who has spent recent years specialising in light-tackle fishing.
He opens with a scent bait, the Gulp Krabby. "Sometimes it doesn't matter how realistic a lure looks if the fish aren't even around to see it," he said. "The Gulp Krabby changes that game. It's loaded with scent that pushes through the water, pulling in fish from far away." He rigs it on a 1/16th hidden-weight jig head with a size one or two hook for a slow, vertical sink, favouring the camo colour around rock walls, pontoons and oyster racks. "What I love most — it just works when nothing else does."
Second is the Eco Gear Aqua Bream Prawn, his trick for fish that are present but fussy. The biodegradable bait stays in its juice and rigs weedless on a size 10 worm hook, letting him skip it into tight mangroves and snags. "This lure shines in pressured water," he said. "When the fish have seen absolutely everything else, this is the ace up your sleeve."
Third is the Prolure Clone Prawn, his land-based favourite for tight casting angles. Worked slowly near structure on a hidden-weight, weedless or light-jig rig, it imitates an estuary prawn and is notably durable. "Whether you're fishing from a boat, a kayak, or even land-based, it just catches fish," he said.
Fourth, and a personal pick, is the Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.95 Flick. "Most soft plastics get thrown away after a fish or two. Not this one. The more it's chewed, the better it seems to fish," he said. Its long, thin profile and darting action excel in dirty water, tempting followers to commit; on this session it produced what he called "an absolute horse."
The fifth, he says, suits beginners and pros alike — the risky critter. Its flicking arms and subtle kick make it look like it is escaping even at rest, perfect for slowly working tight structure under boats and along mangrove edges. "It slows your fishing right down and forces you to focus on the precision," he said. Fishing it through shallow mangroves, he landed a bream nudging 45 centimetres. "Rig it light, let it drop, and wait for that tick on the line. That's when the magic happens."
The common thread is finesse — light rigs, natural presentations and the patience to slow right down when bream get tough. A handful of proven plastics, Abs argues, will out-fish an overflowing tackle box every time.