Jighead selection depends on a couple of different factors. Firstly, you need to match the jighead to the size of soft plastic lure that you are using. Secondly, you need to match the weight of jighead to the area/conditions where you are fishing as well as the species you are targeting.

The first of these points is pretty straightforward. You want your jighead to look in proportion to the soft plastic you are using. A jighead that is too big will not only look unnatural, it will also not swim correctly through the water when retrieved. But equally as important as the weight of the jighead is the size of the hook. Typically you do not want a hook that is wildly out of proportion to the rest of the lure, however you do want the hook to have enough clearance to easily penetrate the mouth of the fish when it strikes. A hook that sits flush with the back of the soft plastics will frustratingly result in a lot of missed strikes.

The second point is to match the weight of the jighead to the prevailing conditions and the species that you are targeting. These are both important points so we will look at each of them individually.

By prevailing conditions we mean the depth of water you are fishing in, the strength of any currents that you are casting into, and to a lesser extent the wind conditions. A golden rule for most forms of soft plastics fishing (which applies equally when using sinkers when bait fishing) is to use the lightest possible weight to get your lure to the bottom.

The reason that this is important is because soft plastics will often get hit ‘on the drop’. In other words, as they descend through the water after they are first cast, or after they have been jigging up off the bottom. A well presented soft plastic will flutter through the water as it sinks in the same way that a wounded bait fish would. Because it resembles a wounded bait fish, predatory species will often find it irresistable and be forced to strike. A jighead that is too heavy, will sink through the water too quickly, thus losing this fluttering, wounded action.

A jighead that is too light will also be ineffective as it will not reach the bottom at all. Instead it will wash around near the surface in a very unnatural way. So making sure that you select a jighead that is just heavy enough to reach the bottom, and no heavier, is vital to your chances of success.

Understanding this, you can now see how depth and current strength affect your jighead selection. Deeper water will require a heavier jighead than shallow water, fast running currents may also require more weight to get your jighead to the bottom.

Wind on the other hand affects your jighead in different ways, as it is predominently only affecting your soft plastic during casting. The tendancy is to go for heavier jigheads when casting into a stiff breeze, and lighter if the wind is coming from behind you. However, your lure still needs to act naturally as it sinks through the water so you are still better to go lighter in weight and simply put up with less distance in your casts, or better still, move to an area where you do not have to cast directly into the wind.

Finally, the type of species that you target can have a bearing as well. For example, when estuary fishing for bread and butter species such as flathead and bream, the weight of your jighead will either assist you or work against you depending on which of the 2 species you are targeting. Bream tend to be more finicky and therefore tend to be put off by heavy jigheads that sink quickly, or act unnaturally. Flathead however tend to respond well to heavier jigheads as they disturb the sand and mud on the bottom as they skip along. This disturbance and the vibrations they transmit alert the flathead to the presence of the lure causing them to strike.

Of course as with anything in fishing no rule is correct 100% of the time. Bream can be caught on heavier jigheads and plenty of good sized flatheads have fallen to light jigheads. But over time you will notice that on average bream respond better to light weights, flathead respond better to slightly heavier weights. To prove this for yourself, grab a selection of Softies jigheads and soft plastics and try it out for yourself, I am sure you will be delighted with the results.

It was not that long ago that fishing was seen by the masses as a healthy outdoor pursuit. A way for fathers to bond with sons and occassionally daughters. Angling was considered then to be a family based past time that gave greater appreciation of the environment and family values. But today that opinion is becoming more divided.

Do fish feel pain? Is catch and release simply humans being cruel to a lower species? Well clearly we do not believe so, we would not be manufacturing fishing tackle if we did. But some people do, and whilst they are in the majority they are having ever greater levels of influence, and their message is starting to turn the tide of thinking.

Global warming and sustainable fish stocks are other topics which have been receiving more attention in recent years. The impact of both commercial and recreational fishing alike has lead to greater awareness among anglers that fish stocks are a finite resource that needs to be well managed. But certainly not to the extent that some government agencies would have us believe.

Finding and catching fish is easier today that it was in the past from a technology point of view. Sonar and GPS make it easier to find the best spots and return to them easily. But offsetting this is the fact that more people know the best spots now and therefore the fish in those areas are exposed to fishing lures, hooks and baits more often. This exposure it could be argued make some species more challenging to catch.

For this reason, it is important to ensure that you are using quality fishing tackle, and the latest techniques if you want to improve you catch rates. Quality spinning reels with high grade graphite rods such as the Maple Tibron Pro range certainly make the art of hooking quality fish an easier one to master.

But perhaps the biggest change in the way we now fish is the fact that more and more people are fishing for sport, rather than for a feed. The simple fact is that with the rising cost of fuel, it is cheaper to buy fish from the local market than it is to go out and catch your own.

As a result of fishing being more sports focused, today’s angler does not simply want to spend time on the water trying to catch dinner. They want to target specific species, using specific techniques and to do this they require specialised equipment.

As you look through the wide range of Maple products throughout this website you will find specialised rods, reels, lures and accessories that are each designed to enhance your angling experience. From the legendary Softies soft plastics, to the extensive range of Maple rods and reels, you will find products that truly are at the cutting edge of modern day angling. So if catching fish is your focus, you can’t go past Maple fishing tackle.

Given the rise of soft plastic fishing and more recently jigging, it’s understandable that some people would think that nylon fishing lines have had their day. But in reality, there are still times where nylon beats braid hands dwn.

In order to understand which applications suit nylon over braid, you must first understand the characteristics of both types of lines.

Without getting too technical, braided lines differ from nylon lines in 2 key ways. Firstly, braided lines have virtually no stretch, meaning that when a fish is hooked and pulling away, the line itself is not stretching and the fish is feeling the full effect of the reels drag almost instantly. Nylon line however does stretch, and depending on how much line you have out, it can stretch a considerable amount.

The second key area of difference is in abrasion resistance. Braided lines are thinner, with very little abrasion resistance, whereas nylon line tends to be thicker and less prone to breakage as a result of being dragged over rough surfaces such as gill plates, rocks or reefy outcrops.

Whilst the shortcomings of a lack of abrasion resistance in braided lines can be overcome to an extend by the use of a heavier, tougher leader material (often nylon line, but more commonly flurocarbon), there are applications where the toughness and extra stretch of nylon is invaluable.

One such example is game fishing, particularly when using lighter lines. Here the amount of stretch offered by nylon gives the advantage of acting as a shock absorber, allowing the line to stretch without breaking, or pulling the hooks from the fishes mouth. The increased diameter of nylon line is also adventageous in these circumstances as it creates more drag as the fish pulls it through the water, causing the fish to tire more quickly.

Another situation where nylon is considered superior to braid is in live bait fishing, or bottom bashing for large reef species such as Red Emperor. These heavy weight, hard hitting fish do not require finesse to get them to hook up, so the extra sensitivity offered by low stretch braid is of no real advantage. They do however run hard back towards structure when hooked, structure such as rocks or reefy outcrops which would quickly spell disaster for braid. The extra stretch of nylon also makes it harder for fish to throw the hooks because the line will tend to ‘give’ a little rather than pulling the hooks out of the fishes mouth.

Of course these are just some of the many advantages of nylon fishing lines. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that braids are the best type of lines for all occasions. Keep in mind the advantages of nylon lines for reef, bait and game fishing and you’re sure to land more fish than you lose.

But the first thing that you notice upon walking in the door is the seemingly endless options. A huge assortment of different sizes, shapes and colours lay before you, making the task of simply buying a few softies much harder than it first appeared. So where do you start? Well obviously size and shape will be dictated somewhat by the species you wish to target, but beyond that you need to understand the basics of colour selection.

When selecting colours you need to keep in mind the old adage of ‘match the hatch’, which simply means trying to select a soft plastic that most closely matches the bait that the fish in the area are feeding on. Of course it’s hard to know exactly what the fish will be feeding on the next time you will be out fishing as you stand in the tackle store. So here are a few pointers to get you heading in the right direction.

Firstly, it is debatable as to which species of fish can actually see ‘colour’ and which can’t. And even for those that can, which colours they can and can’t see. The depth and clarity of the water will also have a bearing on colour visibility. Anyone who has ever been diving may have noticed that the colour red begins to look grey at around 10 feet, orange starts to look neutral at around 25 feet etc. However none of this should be taken to mean that colours are not important.

Even species that cannot see colours will still tend to target a certain colour of soft plastic on a given day over other colours. This is most likely due to contrast. Because whilst many species of fish may not see green as green or blue as blue, their sensitivity to contrast means that one colour may contrast more naturally with their surroundings than another. Therefore, matching the colours of bait species found in the area you are fishing is a good starting point.

But the key point to remember is a ‘natural’ looking contrast. Whilst a bright lime green soft plastic may stand out like a beacon in the water on a bright sunny day, if it looks too unnatural, many fish will give it a wide berth. A clear, almost translucent colour however, will look very natural in the same conditions.

In murky, muddy water, bright colours like the Softies Mandarin Gold can be hugely effective where other colours are not, even though they almost seem to blend in with the surrounding water colour. This is because in nature, any fish that stands out too dramatically will have probably been eaten long ago. Therefore predatory species are use to hunting for species that blend in more effectively with their surrounds.

Based on this information, it therefore stands to reason that in clear water on a bright sunny day, clear, highly transparent soft plastics will more often than not work best, whereas in murky water, golds, reds and oranges tend to get better results.

Along this same line of thinking, you will often find that the best soft plastics in low light conditions, such as very early morning before sunrise, or late afternoon after the sun sets, are in fact the darker colours. This is because the dark solid colours are clearly visable as a silhoutte against the sky as the lure skips off the bottom. More translucent colours do not stand out as well.

Of course there are always exceptions to these rules, and as mentioned, the very reason why species have evolved to match the colours of their surroundings is because if they stood out too dramatically they would quickly be eaten. Given that this is the very thing that we hope will happen to our soft plastic, it’s worth keeping this in mind when the fishing is slow, and you’re not getting any strikes.

So as a starting point, try to use colours that blend into the natural surrounds and then, if you find they are failing to raise a strike, start moving towards colours with a higher level of contrast. But most importantly, make sure you purchase a variety of different colours in a variety of sizes to ensure that you always have the right coloured soft plastic for the prevailing conditions.

As a result there are now a number of options in materials when it comes to rod construction. But by far the 2 most common are graphite and fibreglass, or a blend of both.

There are pros and cons with both of these materials. But to fully understand the benefits or pitfalls, you must first understand the role of the rod in casting and landing fish.

Casting

Depending on what style of fishing you do, casting accuracy and distance will either be very important, fairly important or not at all important. For example, if your style of fishing involves casting out a dead bait and waiting for a strike as you drift, the ability of the rod to cast any great distance, or with any level of accuracy is reasonable unimportant. For this style of fishing close enough truly is good enough.

However, if you fish using soft plastics or hard bodied lures, then casting distance and accuracy become a lot more important. Lure fishing requires that the lure be cast close to likely fish holding structure, or indeed directly to fish that you can see, as happens when spinning at schools of mackerel or tuna.

Lure fishing will often also require more finesse. Often the weight of the lure will be on the lighter side, so the ability to cast light weights is important. You will also typically find that you are casting in close to low hanging branches or other structure that can snag your lure or line. The ability to cast very close without getting snagged is hugely important, therefore the rod needs to cast as accurately as possible. Finesse fishing is typically more successful if you cast from a good distance away so as not to spook the fish you are targeting. Therefore for this style of fishing, the casting ability of the rod is vital.

The purpose of the rod in casting is to basically act as a spring. Energy is created as the rod bend backwards under the weight of the lure. This action is often referred to as the rod ‘loading up’. The rod then flicks forward as the cast is made, thrusting the lure towards the intended target. How effectively the energy built up during the cast is transferred to the lure depends on something known as ‘recovery’.

Recovery simply means how quickly the material used in the blank of the rod returns to its original state. To understand this further, picture the rod as it is bent backwards under the weight of the lure at the start of the cast. The natural state of the rod is to be straight, not bent backwards, therefore as the cast is made, the rod attempts to return to this original state.

The force of the cast will cause the rod tip to bounce up and down. This is commonly known as ‘after-shock vibrations’. These vibrations have a detrimental impact on casting distance and accuracy, as they cause the guides to hit the line as it runs out off the spool. This friction and impact results in less distance and can cause the lure to be thown off line during the cast.

Different materials will suffer from after-shock vibrations more than others. Therefore it stands to reason that the material that suffers least from these vibrations will typically be the best for the purpose of casting. Understanding that, we can now look at the question of which rods are better, Graphite or Fibreglass.

Fibreglass

Fibreglass rods have 2 main advantages over their graphite counterparts, being price and strength. Typically fibreglass rods are less expensive than graphite rods, simply because the cost of materials and manufacturing are less. Fibreglass is also better able to withstand knocks and can bend further into a fighting curve without breaking.

Fibreglass is a very flexible, very durable material. It offers great characteristics for bait fishing because it bends more easily, which cushions the hard hits that occur with some species of fish.

The downsides of fibreglass is that they tend to weight more than graphite rods, which after a long days casting can be a real problem on aching backs and arms. This extra weight also results in a lack of sensitivity, often making it harder to detect subtle bites. This lack of sensitivity is also detrimental whe lure fishing as you cannot ‘feel’ the lure moving over structure.

But perhaps the biggest downside of fibreglass rods revolves around casting. Fibreglass bends more easily than graphite, so it is therefore more prone to ‘after-shock vibrations’, which in turn reduce casting distance and accuracy. It also lacks the stiffness required to cast lightly weight lures and jigheads.

Graphite

Graphite rods are typically more rigid than fibreglass rods, allowing them to cast lightly weighted lures more easily. The stiffness of graphite also reduces the effects of after-shock vibrations, resulting in longer, more accurate casts.

This stiffness also has the benefit of giving the angler better ‘feel’ of what the lure is doing. Vibrations of the lure moving through the water, or subtle nibbles from timid fsh are transmitted quickly through to the angler allowing them to strike quickly. Graphite rods also tend to work the lures more effectively as they tend to flex less when you raise a lower the rod tip. This lack of flexing also allows hoks to be driven home more rapidly when the angler strikes.

Graphite rods however do have their downsides. The 2 most important of these being price and robustness. Graphite rods are almost always more expensive than fibreglass rods, although there are any number of graphte models in the Maple range that would be well within the budget of the average angler.

But perhaps the major disadvantage, particularly for those new to fishing, is the fragile nature of graphite. Graphite is quite brittle by nature, ad therefore requires more care on the part of the angler. Dents in the rod blank caused by it striking the side of the boat, or being struck by other lose items during transportation, will very quickly turn into cracks that will ultimately result in the rod breaking. The finer tips found on graphite rods will also break easily. It is important to ensure that the rod tip is never bent more than 90 degrees to the main body of the rod blank.

Verdict

So whilst it may seem like neither graphite rods nor fibreglass rods are perfect, the fact is that both are in fact perfect for certain applications.

If you predominantly bait fish, where casting is not a major issue, and you like the idea of a powerful, robust rod that can handle a few knocks, then fibreglass is the way to go. They are relatively inexpensive, strong and built to handle anything you can throw at them.

However, if you want a rod that can cast lures and jigheads over a long distance with incredible accuracy, then graphite is a far better option. Particularly for those looking to fish with soft plastics, you cannot go past graphite for its increased sensitivity and casting prowess.

Of course if you feel like having a foot in both camps, and a compromise that leaves you somewhere in between these 2 extremes, you can always invest in a rod made from a graphite/fibreglass blend.

The gear ratio of a reel indicates how many times the bail arm makes a full 360 degree rotation for each full turn of the reel handle. For example if the reel has a gear ratio of 5:1 that means that the bail arm will travel around the spool 5 times for each full turn of the handle. If the ratio is 4.2:1 then the bail arm revolves around the spool 4.2 times for every single full turn of the reel handle and so on.

Many anglers tend to go for the fastest ratio, believing that faster is better, but this is often not the case. Certainly for high speed spinning, or some jigging applications the ability of the reel to quickly retrieve the lure is important, but in most other forms of fishing high speed is not only not essential, it is in fact undesirable.

For example, when finesse fishing with soft plastics, a slower retrieve speed is often more effective in enticing strikes. Attempting to retrieve the lure slowly using a high speed reel is a difficult and sometimes frustrating technique to master.

Another disadvantage of high speed reels is that they lack pulling power. They simply lack the grunt when trying to pull large fish up from the deep. And whilst the rod should do most of the work when pulling up fish, a lower gear ratio is definitely an advantage. It’s a bit like trying to ride a bicycle up a step hill in top gear. You end up doing a lot of peddling but not getting anywhere fast, whereas a lower gear would enable you to climb the hill with relative ease.

Another point to keep in mind is that a reels gear ratio does not actually indicate the reels retrieve ratio. By that I mean that even though one reel might have a higher gear ratio, another reel with a lower gear ratio might actually retrieve the same length of line for each full turn of the reels handle. This is because the amount of line that is retrieved is dependant on the size of the spool and length of the handle as much as it is dependant on the gear ratio.

To better understand this, imagine a large spinning reel with a long handle and large spool circumference, yet a relatively modest gear ratio of 4.1:1. Now imagine a smaller 1000 size reel with shorter handle and small spool circumference, but with a high speed 6.3:1 gear ratio. You might assume that the smaller reel wuld retrieve line faster, but due to the differences in handle length and spool circumference, it’s possible that both reels would retrieve exactly the same length of line for each full turn of the reel handle.

Maple spinning reels have been designed with these factors in mind. Our range of smaller 1000 – 2000 sized reels will often have higher gear ratios simply to overcome the smaller spools and handles featured on these reels, whereas our larger spinning models feature lower gear ratios to ensure that you still have enough low down torque to handle larger species. But no matter what style of fishing your into, there is a Maple model that will suit you application and budget.

Throughout these pages you will find detailed information on the wide range of top quality Maple fishing tackle and accessories. But more than that, the Maple Fishing website is dedicated to giving you the angler, an array of hints, tips and advice that will assist you in becoming more successful out on the water. After all, there is little point in having the best fishing tackle if you don’t fully understand how to use it.

So each week we will be adding more and more hints, tips and stories to the front page of our website. But more than that, we have also included a variety of tips throughout our product pages to ensure that you select the right tackle for your chosen application.

Covering from the legendary Softies soft plastics, to the amazing range of Maple rods and reels, this is one website that you will definitely want to visit time and time again. To ensure that you don’t miss out on our valuable hints and tips, please make sure that you subscribe to our live feeds in the panel on the right. This way you will be notified via email each time we add a new article or product to this website.

We hope that you get value from the information on this website, in the same way that we know that you will get value from our amazing range of Maple fishing tackle and accessories.