Module 5
Honing your hook-up skills
Ready to turn more bites into solid hook-ups? Honing Your Hook-Up Skills is all about making your bait or lure look irresistible to fish! This hands-on, technique-driven module teaches you how to present bait naturally, rig soft plastics like a pro, and decode lure behaviour so you can fine-tune your retrieve for maximum success.
Through step-by-step guidance, practical tasks, and expert video demonstrations, you’ll learn to make bait look and behave naturally to avoid spooking fish; rig soft plastics to mimic real prey and master lifelike retrieve techniques; and understand different lure types, interpret packaging jargon, and use the right retrieves.
By the end of this module, you’ll fish smarter, attract more strikes, and dramatically improve your success on the water!
Overview
In this module, we work on your puppet-mastery — that is, presenting and manipulating your lures and baits in a tempting and convincing manner. You’ll learn what different lure styles are for and how to make each one perform to best effect, as well as what the various abbreviations and codes mean on the packs!
Duration
8 hours 30 minutes
Testing
- Video uploads
- Assessment by randomised quiz
- Reflective worksheet upload.
- Short online survey
Resources
You will need a fresh printout of your Reflective Worksheet. If you have not kept a copy on your computer, you can download a new one here.
You will need:
- your device
- video recorder (if your phone does not have camera)
- a spool of 16lb monofilament or fluorocarbon line
- a few bait hooks
- jighead
- a soft plastic tail
- braid scissors
- headphones
(if preferred) - access to a printer
- a pen, pencil, or texta
MODULE CONTRIBUTORS
Jo Starling
FOUNDER, Women’s Recreational Fishing League
welcome to module 5
Introduction
units of study
Here’s what you will learn
How to be the most attractive morsel on offer
Understanding how to present your offering in a non-threatening way so fish are not alarmed by its presence.
Baits that beckon – rigging and
preparing baits for common situations
Preparation of food baits to behave naturally in the water.
Puppet mastery – effective soft plastic techniques for different styled tails
Ability to make soft plastics come alive and behave like a creature fish want to eat.
Hardbody lures – understanding the packaging jargon
Confidence in a Tackle Store through knowing the information on the packaging means.
Hardbody lures – what the tow point tells us
Identifying what lures are designed to do by simply looking at them.
Hardbody lures – working different profiles.
Detailed understanding of hard-bodied artificial lures and the different retrieves for the core types.
resources
Self-Reflection Worksheet
Links
For the best experience with this course, we recommend using the Google Chrome browser. Click here to download.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & GRATITUDE
This course is supported by funding from the FRDC (Project ID 2022/033) on behalf of the Australian Government.
For more information on the full team behind this project, please click here.
The Women’s Recreational Fishing League acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live, work and fish on across Australia.
We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
FIRST CAST
Before you begin your new module, please fill out your Self-Reflection Worksheet (both sides). These provide a really great record for you (and us) to track your own growth in self-belief and personal fishing ethos — a truly insightful reflection of your journey.
Click here to download your Assessment Worksheet, fill in both sides, scan and submit through the button below... then start your module.