Past Tips
Aug '09 __Sep '09__ Oct '09 __Nov '09 __Dec '09 __
Jan '10__ Feb '10 __ Mar '10 ____Apr '10
Tip of the Month
Time for Red Snapper
The typical goal when going snapper fishing is simple. And that's to bring home fillets for the dinner table. Don't come up short, follow these tips and your cooler will be filled.Remember that big snapper easily can become line and hook shy. Generally light line and hooks the snapper can't see often will produce more and bigger fish.
Anticipate the bite. If you've fished long enough to know when a snapper should bite, you can set the hook before you feel the fish take the bait.
Chum them up. Sometimes you can bring snapper to the surface by throwing out chum or hanging a chum bag overboard.Pull them away from the wreck or the reef. By sinking the chum bag up current of a wreck or a reef, you may can pull the snapper away from the reef and catch them in the open water.
Put out a drift line by simply hooking a cigar minnow through the head and letting it drift behind the boat. Often big snapper will come up well away from the boat and take the bait near the surface.Try a squid pie. Push a cigar minnow inside a large squid bait. Then hook the squid and the cigar minnow by burying the hook up in the bait. Fish this bait on 6-foot leader. Afetr that, hold on and get ready to catch snapper!
August 2009 - Looking for Fish
One of the most exciting things about fishing the waters within interior marshes is that much of it is done by sight. As you move stealthily along, always look and listen for signs of fish. A large wake moving slowly along the edge of a bay or channel is definitely worth a speculative cast. A much better bet is the tip of a tail intermittently puncturing the water's surface beside a patch of submerged grass. An entire tail waving merrily at you anywhere you might encounter one is almost a sure thing. Then there are "crawlers" - fish which move with some purpose in water so thin that their dorsal fins and part of their backs are exposed. These fish might also appear to be almost a sure thing, but they demand a very precise cast. Unlike a "tailer", which is a stationary target, a crawler must be led just far enough to prevent the lure's impact from spooking the fish, yet close enough for the fish to detect it. Knowing just how much to lead the fish is determined in great part by experience and blind dumb luck! Do not expect consistent results with crawlers - but then, that's what makes fishing for them such a hoot. In clear water, redfish can be detected relatively easily beneath the surface. For best results, work the up-wind shorelines where emergent vegetation creates a calm surface. Move along in the direction allowing the best sub-surface visibility. Wear amber or yellow polarized sunglasses and a cap that is dark green on the underside of the bill. If you are moving along slowly and stealthily, you can spot these fish quite close to the boat, so be prepared for a short, quick cast with minimal movement.
September 2009 - Fishing for Flounder
Knowing where to find flounder is of course the first step, but just because you know where they are doesn't mean you are doing to catch them. Flounder can be real finicky and at times you have to play the old bass fishing-type mind games to put them in the boat. Very important is water clarity at the mouth or inlet. Flounder will gather where black marsh water meets murky bay water. Fishing clear water is a no-no. The tides dictate how flounder will be feeding. On a fast falling tide, they move in close to the drainage. When it is falling slowly, they might scatter out around the mouth. Working a soft plastic bait fish imitations like a Twister tail, DOA shrimp or Hogie around marshy points where they meet these flats can lead to serious numbers of fish. There might be four of five productive points at the mouth and working all of them is sometimes what it takes to find flounder. In most of my flounder fishing endeavors I like to tip my jigs with shrimp. Over time I've learned that the key is not to peel the shrimp until the last minute so that the scent holds with the meat inside. Equally important is rigging the jig so that the tail points down and the shrimp can be rigged parallel to the hook, not perpendicular. Flounder generally bite because of intrusion of domain or hunger. If that bait moves through bed with that tail pointing down with that shrimp on there and comes across a flounder, it will scent track the jig and attack it. I would say that tipping with shrimp adds another bunch of percentage points in your favor for catching flounder. Watch for tails flopping in the shallows. If you see some shad come cruising along in a few inches of water and something hit at them, more than likely, it's flounder. Throw your bait at the edge of the shore and slowly drag it in. These moving flounder are feeding and will gladly gulp down your bait.
October 2009 - Speck Fishing Tips
Fish structure for big fish. That's right, even on the flats you'll notice that big trout tend to hang out near depressions, points, sandbars, oyster beds, etc. Big trout like to hang near drop-offs, close to deep water for safe haven, and in the shallows or on the drop's edge. Other hot spots that hold Big trout are bridges, rock piles, fallen trees, jetties and docked boats.
Quiet, stealth approach for big trout. When approached on the flats trout are very difficult to sight cast, and it's uncommon to see them before they see you; for this reason they're easier to wade fish than to approach with a boat.
Fish at night for big trout. Big trout feed at night. It's a fact that most people overlook that bigger trout feed once the sun's down. There's less boat traffic at night, and less pressure from anglers. Lighted docks provide a great habitat for the big fish.
Fish big baits for big trout. Big trout are typically lazy. They don't want to work hard for their next meal. But it's amazing how large a bait they'll try to devour. It's not uncommon for gianttrout to attack small trout while they're being reeled in.
Medium sized shrimp work, better than the larger ones because they stay active longer on the hook. Mike favors large live baits for gator trout, but also notes that gator trout are attracted to the noise of loud surface lures.
Spotted sea trout need to be handled with the up most care. They are far less suited for catch and release that their redfish cousins. It's wise to use a dehooking device to release them, and it's optimal to touch them as little as possible.
(Tip: Before handling any fish, it's important to wet your hands PRIOR to touching them. The "slime" is actually germ protection for them and when it gets on your hand, it's coming off of the fish. Wetting your hand (or using Catch & Release gloves) helps minimize the loss of their protective slime).
November 2009 - Fishing for Black Drum
Black drum fishing can be enjoyed by anyone at almost any time. It is a relaxing outing compared with other types of fishing which require experience, expensive tackle, boats and related equipment. Anyone can catch a drum, whatever their skills or finances. Tackle can be rod and reel, trotline, hand line or cane pole, and bait is inexpensive. Fishing can be done from piers or from the bank and the entire family can join in. Black drum are rarely taken on artificial baits since most feeding is done by feel and smell. Cut fish, squid and shrimp are used, with peeled shrimp tails (preferably ripe and smelly) the most popular. Since feeding is done on the bottom, the basic technique is simple - put a baited hook on the bottom and wait for the drum to swallow it. The tackle to be used depends on the size of the fish present. For small drum, light tackle is more sporting but for 40-pounders, heavy rods with plenty of backbone are needed. Use a strong single hook with line and leader of appropriate strength. For more sport, try light tackle using a single drop with no sinker, allowing the bait to move along the bottom with the current. If the bait will not sink, a few split shot on the leader will help. The absence of weight increases the fight of the fish. A conventional bottom rig with sinker and one or more drops with single hooks is most common for bank and surf fishing or for fishing from an anchored boat. Drum will often "mouth" the bait for some time before swallowing it, so anglers must wait until the fish moves off with the bait, then jerk the rod tip up to set the hook. Drum neither jump often nor make long racing runs or any of the other things a great sport fish is supposed to do, however they are powerful and will fight all the way in. Many lines and leaders have been broken getting fish into the boat or on the bank.
December 2009 - Fishing in Cold Weather
Experienced trout anglers have their own combination of bait, tackle, location, etc. for catching fish. The following is offered primarily for the novice with the expectation that use of the suggestions as a starting point will lead to the development of his or her own "magic" for catching trout. The most popular terminal tackle for spotted seatrout is the popping cork rig. Best results are achieved by popping the cork periodically to simulate live action. By varying the retrieve, frequency of popping, and the depth of bait, the best action for the catching trout can be found. The best bait for catching trout is live shrimp. Live fish such as mullet or pinfish and dead shrimp can also be effective. If the cork is removed and the sinker is replaced with a very small weight, it is called a "free shrimping" rig. The same types of bait can be used with this tackle.This method is effective when drift fishing from a boat or when fishing in areas with strong tidal flow. The bait is allowed to drift freely in water. Adjust the weight of sinker and amount of line out to move the bait up or down in the water until fish are found. Jigs may be fished singly or in pairs either with or without the use of a cork. They are very effective fished under lights at night when trout congregate to feed. Worm jigs, fished under a small popping cork in grassy flats are effective. Try them without corks in deep guts or channels. Vary the action, depth fished and lure color. Hot pink, root beer, dark red and white are good colors. Try the fishlike lures during the cooler months, although they can be effective anytime. They are especially good fished very slowly, during cold weather. When fishing shallow water during cold weather, some anglers move the point of line attachment from on top of the lure head to the snout tip to permit slower retrieval while keeping the lure off the bottom.
January 2010 - Fishing for Sheephead
Lets get crackin' on those sheepshead! If you ever looked closely at a sheepshead's mouth, you will notice that the front teeth on both the top and bottom look exactly like the teeth of a sheep (hence the name!). They use these teeth to crush small crustaceans and shells to get at their food. The inside of their mouth is lined on the top with a very hard grinding surface, which aids in further pulverizing the shells it picks up for food.Remember that these fish like to hang around any kind of structure, particularly if that structure has any sea life around or on it. Piers, jetties, rocks, pilings, and just about any other structure will hold fish, if there is sufficient sealife growing on and around the structure. Things like barnacles and oysters do just fine attracting them. And jetties and pilings generally have their share of fiddler crabs. My rig consists of 6 pound test line on a light action spinning reel. I use as small a slip sinker as is necessary to get the bait down, and a leader about 12 inches long. This is a much shorter leader than most folks are familiar with, but there is a reason for that length. With the bait in the water, we would wait for the bite on all other fish. But on these fish, you have to "find" the bite. If you sit there very still and don't move your bait, these fish will steal every bait you have and leave you wondering what happened! The method that many use including myself is to slowly lift your rod tip - maybe two feet - and feel for any pressure. If you feel some pressure, simply keep lifting the rod tip. If the fish has your bait, he will begin moving away from the pressure. When he does that, reel a little faster to increase the pressure, He will move a little faster, and before you know it he has hooked himself in the side of the mouth, away from the hard hook proof roof of his mouth!
February 2010 - Fishing for Trout
You have all probably heard at one time or another that trout move and react much more slowly during colder months of the year. It is during these colder days that it will help you to slow down on your bait presentation. As you diminish the speed of your retrieve, the speed of the bait also declines, which results in the bait working the lowest portion of the water column. In theory, the trout prefer deeper depths during cold periods because deep water maintains a much more consistent water temperature for a longer period of time. The deeper water will not undergo fluctuations in temperature as rapidly, or at the same level of variance, as that of more shallow waters - it takes longer period of time for deep water to be effected by surface water changes.
OK, it's time to explore the rest of the water column - that part of the water residing between the bay floor and the surface. This is where subsurface and slow-sinking lures play an important role in catching big trout during February. When fishing shorelines with these baits, start by slowing your retrieve; allowing the bait to sink a foot below the surface. When fishing deep reefs, I like to let these baits fall between the middle and lower water column. But, whether I'm fishing shorelines or reefs, I start reeling at a slow-to-moderate speed once the bait sinks. It's good practice to make sudden stops with the lure, allowing it to fall. Once the lure has fallen, begin reeling at a slow pace at first - if it feels too comfortable, it's probably the wrong speed. However, if you discover grass on the treble hooks, you're allowing the lure to sit too long. Most importantly, if you find yourself casting more often than once per minute, then you are definitely working your retrieve too fast. Pay attention to how the trout hits the lure. In deeper water, I normally get hits on subsurface lures as the lure falls. In shallower water, I have more trout hit aggressively just as I begin reeling the lure just after it has fallen.
March 2010 - Safe Surf Fishing
Dead bait will attract pan fish, and if you are interested in just action, especially for the kids, dead shrimp fished on the bottom would be a great choice.
If you are not accustomed to wading, use an old pair of tennis shoes and be careful to drag your feet while moving around. This will help protect your feet from underwater obstacles and Stingrays.
Watch for jellyfish, and do not venture beyond waist deep water. Employ common sense and get out of the water if a thunderstorm crops up.
Surf swimmers and waders tend to be more concerned about sharks than lightning, and the fact is lightning strikes and drowning take more lives each year than all other perils around the water. As far as shark attacks go, your chances of being struck by lightning or a stingray are far greater than by an aggressive shark. If you're lucky and manage to snag a few fish, keep them on a long stringer or in a floating mess bag. The long stringer will help keep sharks away from you while they're focused on your catch.
While we're at it, let's discuss when fishing reports and fellow fishermen talk about the second and third sand bars. Those are terms that surf fishermen use to describe the distance from shore where the fish are found. When wading from shore, you will find the water gradually getting deeper (gut), then a rise or hump. That is the first sand bar. The same exercise takes place from there (another gut) until you reach the second hump or sand bar. Somewhere in the gut between the second and third sand bars is usually where most of the beach-front action occurs. I have caught some nice trout in the first gut early in the morning however.
April 2010 - RedFish Fever
Use popping corks and jigs. Fish with 12- to 25-pound-test line, and tie a 1/2- to 1/4-ounce jighead with a grub, to the end of your line. Depending on water depth, attach a popping cork. When redfish are in shallow water, 2- to 6-feet deep, cast the popping cork and jig near the shoreline. Pop the cork two or three times. Then, let the cork sit still, which is when the redfish will attack Jig oyster reefs. Tie a Mann's Stingray grub, a Cocahoe minnow or a Norton Sand Eel on the end of your line. Cast and retrieve over sandbars using a bottom-hopping retrieve to slowly swim the bait just off the bottom in the mid-story of the water or just under the surface. Use cracked crabs on jetties and channel bars. Depending on the current, use a 1-ounce slip egg sinker up the line and a plastic bead below the egg sinker. Tie the line to a barrel swivel. Attach a few feet of leader material, the same weight of or heavier than your main line, below the barrel swivel. Bait a 4/0 or a 5/0 hook with half of a crab. Cast the bait out near jetties or on edges of channels. Fish a clip-on spinner bait. Use a safety-pin-type spinner bait with a large Colorado gold blade and a jig, like Strike King's Redfish Magic. Cast and retrieve the spinner bait like you're fishing for bass in that waters hold redfish. Slow-roll the spinner bait near the bottom in channels, cuts and ditches. In shallow water, wake the bait just under the surface.