Trout, salmon, and perch be warned: dozens of Central Otago anglers picked up pro tips at a fishing workshop in Cromwell at the weekend. 

Organised by Fish and Game, pro-angler Lance Gill set up on the edge of Lake Dunstan at McNulty Inlet to run a hands-on session on using soft baits in freshwater fishing. 

Lance, who works with fishing brand Okuma, demonstrated rod and tackle set-up, as well as casting and retrieving techniques, answering questions from amateur anglers keen to upskill ahead of the summer season. 

Fish and Game hosted a hands-on information session for freshwater anglers at McNulty Inlet on Lake Dunstan. Image: The Central App

When it came to soft baits, hooks and jig heads, Lance had plenty of advice.

“If you’re going to be stocking up your tackle box, I’d be getting size one hooks and a range of weights,” he said. 

His go-to weight is 1/8oz, which he said he “can use in a foot of water or a deep lake”, and his “all-time favourite” bait is a 2.7 inch paddle tail. 

“In my opinion, it’s probably the most effective out of the whole range,” he said. 

When it came to colour, he said the key was to mix it up: “The best colour is the one that catches fish on the day”.

Lance’s go-to soft bait? A paddle tail, and he mixes up colours to see what works. Image: The Central App

“I just go for the most natural colour. But if they’re not catching fish and you know there’re fish there, change it – they obviously don’t like that colour”. 

As he demonstrated casting and retrieving, Lance emphasised calm and control. 

“You just want a smooth cast,” he said.  

“Give yourself a wee bit of line to actually do the cast [at least two foot was his suggestion] and you shouldn’t have any dramas.” 

For the retrieve, keep tension on the line so it winds tightly and neatly, he said, and keep the pace slower than you might think. 

“You don’t want to be setting your reel on fire,” he said. 

“You want [the soft bait to travel] at a natural speed, add some twitching to your rod...It will just make it [look] more like a fish.” 

He encouraged people to check their gear regularly for signs of breakage, particularly after a fish had taken their line past a rock. 

“That next fish could be the fish of a lifetime, and you’d only have yourself to blame,” he said. 

Lance shared his preferred knot for joining braid to fluoro carbon – a “clinch knot”. 

“This is what I’ve used for a very long time, and it’s never really failed,” he said. 

“It’s the same knot I use to tie lures on.” 

For anyone who couldn’t follow the demonstration, he had a simple top tip: “There’re thousands of YouTube videos showing what to do, but practice is key”, he said, so anglers can tie the knot quickly in any conditions. 

He also advised trimming ends carefully with a “good pair of braid scissors” - specialty serrated scissors that can cost as little as $6 - to prevent tangles. 

Cromwell-based Fish and Game officer Mason Court said upskilling anglers of all abilities was the aim of the day. 

A change to family fishing passes this season means each associated family member will receive their own ID card. 

Mason said the update was about encouraging women to fish independently of their partners. 

“There are so many different license options for people to give fishing a go.” 

He said soft baiting was a good place for beginners to start, as it was less “tricky” than fly fishing. 

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