Ecogear Balt 3.5

A big paddle tail combined with a flat-sided body gives the Balt a stable, natural rolling action with a high-pitched vibration, generating strong appeal through wave energy and flashing as it swims. That vibration and flash combination is designed to be felt as much as seen, giving the Balt an edge in low light, discoloured water, or at night when visual cues alone aren't enough.

A versatile shad-style soft plastic suited to structure, harbours and open ground where rockfish, flatfish and seabass are feeding, it works well as a search bait when covering ground on an unfamiliar mark. It suits open ground, drop-offs and current seams as much as tight structure, making it a reasonable first cast on a new mark before switching to something more specialised.

Fish it on a jighead sized to the depth and current, using a steady swimming retrieve to let the paddle tail and flat body produce their rolling vibration, or slow down and add lifts over likely holding spots. A steady, moderate-speed retrieve usually draws the most consistent results, though slowing down and adding occasional pauses can trigger fish that are following without committing.

A medium spinning rod, a 2500-3000 reel, PE0.8-1 braid and a 10-16 lb fluorocarbon leader suit the Balt across its 3.5-6in size range on a matched jighead. Match jighead weight to the size being fished and to depth and current on the day, since an undersized head will let the tail collapse and lose its vibration.