Advanced HWS techniques

It has been interesting to watch the development of HWS techniques evolve from using predominantly faster style retrieves to more slowly fished presentations. Another development has been in the variable size of plastics being used in conjunction with HWS techniques. The basis for recent HWS improvements has been in placing lightly weighted plastics right in to fish holding structure and then allowing the offering to sink very slowly through the strike zone. The plastic is often left in the strike zone for some time with only very minor movement being applied before the lure is retrieved and cast to the next likely looking location. The best way to properly describe how to fish some of the different plastics on the market is to describe how to rig them, where to fish them and some finer points of a successful retrieve. Descriptions of three of my favourite HWS plastics are shown below.

Written by: Nigel webster

The 6" GULP! Sandworm:
This plastic is one of the most natural looking artificial baits to hit our shores in some time. To top it off, fish love the smell of it. Successful fishing of this plastic has a lot to do with presentation. I have found that weightless style presentations have been by far the most consistent at taking quality fish.
After experimenting with several ways of rigging this plastic, I have settled on one that seems to work more often than not. Because fish in some systems have a penchant for sucking in the tail of the bait and swimming off with it, I now always use a stinger hook arrangement. I attach a short length of mono to the upper section of a HWS No 2 light jighead between the eye of the hook and lead keeper (top of hook). A No 6 or 8 Daiichi hook is then attached to the end of the mono. The whole sandworm is then rigged on to the HWS jighead and pushed up over the keeper. The reason for fishing the whole sandworm is that the increased surface area of the plastic allows for a very slow seductive sink (this is important!). The Daiichi hook is then threaded through the worm once and pulled right the way through. This process is repeated another two times before the hook is rigged into the lower section of the plastic. By threading the hook through several times, there are no sections of mono hanging out of the bait making it looking un-natural. The rigged sandworm is now ready to be cast at waiting fish.
The two main areas I target with this bait are either shade producing structure or sand flat zones that hold fish. The light weight but bulky bait means the worm can be cast into tight spots very quietly and from a long distance. This reduces the chance of spooking shy fish. In many cases anglers can see fish patrolling sand flats picking up sandworms from good ambush locations. A favoured past time of mine is to search sandflats looking for good ambush spots and casting the worm to such places. As the bait sinks I watch the line for any sign of movement which may suggest a fish has moved off with the bait. If I believe this has happened I lift the rod and set the hook. This is an exciting and easy way to fish!

The 2" GULP! Grub:
A recent spate of fishing trips that encountered very shy fish resulted in the extended use of these plastics. The small profile bait fished on HWS jigheads was the recipe required to undo a lot of these fish. The reason I favour using the 2" GULP! Plastics, is that they cast well. This means they can be cast those extra crucial metres often needed to fool spooky fish.
The TT No 2 light HWS jighead is perfect for these plastics. To improve hook up rates try to rig the hook close to the edge of the plastic. One side of these 2" grubs is a bit flatter than the other side. This means the hook can be rigged close to the edge of the plastic quite easily. The result of rigging the plastic this way is that a good amount of hook is sticking out of the plastic ensuring a higher hook up rate.
A favoured means of fishing this plastic is to patrol waterways while casting this plastic into shaded fish holding locations. Once the plastic has begun to sink, watch the line very closely for any sign of movement. If the line speeds up or stops prematurely, strike!

Tackle:
Fishing HWS techniques is made a lot more effective and enjoyable when using the right gear. To fulfil these requirements I have set myself up with a 7' TDA light spin stick that is matched with a 2000 or 2500 size TDA SOL. This equipment is light, responsive and a pleasure to use. I load the SOL with 4lb Berkley Fireline and match this with 2 metres of 4 to 8lb Berkley Transition Vanish leader.

Summary:
Tackle Tactics have produced some innovative jigheads that helped us remain a step ahead of fussy fish. Get out on the water and practice some of the techniques described above. I know with some persistence you will be very happy with the results. I am very much looking forward to further developments in the growing TT arsenal. If the future products are as good as the current ones we are in for some exciting fishing!