PLASTIC SURGEON – RORY BENN-CLIBBORN

Perch Palm Plastics owner and finesse freak Rory Benn-Clibborn puts down the spin rod and turns his attention from finicky perch to angry greenbacks, dropping three tips to help you target Murray Cod on big soft baits this season.

RIG IT RIGHT!

Many large soft plastic lures come without the luxury of being pre-rigged, for example:

• Perch Palm Plastics Deluxe Swimbaits
• Storm RIP Shads
• Westin Shadteez
• Giant Papa
• Geecrack Boabab Hogs
  

My number one tip is don’t be afraid when it comes to rigging big baits. If you’re new to soft plastic fishing, there are many tutorials online, in magazines and in books which can help you master the hundreds of different ways to rig a soft bait. Get familiar with these rigging techniques and when you do, make sure you take your time to get it right. To avoid damaging the bait, try to only rig it once. Further tampering will destroy the inside of the bait and affect the action and alignment. I glue my baits into my rigs with superglue for extra life on the hook. You can see how I rig my 250mm deluxe swimbaits in the below tutorial. 

SOFT vs HARD

When choosing soft plastics for Murray Cod, I don’t prioritise durability over action. Soft plastics aren’t meant to last a lifetime and generally, the softer the bait, the more natural and attractive the action. Choose baits with plenty of life and don’t stress about them getting damaged. Soft plastics are generally cheaper than their hard cousin’s and it’s definitely worth the sacrifice. I make Perch Palm Plastics with special formulas that I have tried and tested to increase durability whilst maintaining their unique action and life, but I always remember, no bait is safe in the jaws of a big Murray Cod. 

GET CREATIVE

There’s a whole world of different soft baits and many different ways to rig them. Each bait and technique has it’s own positives and negatives in different conditions and environments. There’s no one lure or rig for every scenario and that’s the beauty of a soft bait. Be inventive, there are so many ways to imitate a bait source that it’s hard to know where to start. My advice is to try something new even if you’re unsure, throw them in places you haven’t been game to before and hold on. Rigging plastics weedless is one of my favourite ways to fish for Murray Cod in tight structure, the Texas Rig is simple and can be implemented for many different baits i.e. Creature, Swimbaits and Topwater. The ability to throw the T-rig right into the gnarliest of structure has completely changed the way I fish soft plastics for a multitude of species including the mighty Murray Cod.