Over the years a lot has change with sub surface baits. With technology so advance baits are looking so life like it is hard to tell the difference in the real thing. More importantly is the way to rig them. A bait can look so life like hat you may pop it in the fring pan but if it is rigged wrong and fished uneffeictly, you may as well have nothing on the hook.
It is very easy to over work and or under work bait. For instance if you retrieve the bait to fast all you are doing is out running the fish. Now here is the tricky part. What if you are on a drift and fishing down wind? How about a drift that has you moving at 4 knots? How do you know a good speed to retrieve the bait back ? Well a good rule to judge this is to pay close attention to the way the bait is looking as you retrieve it. A soft plastic with a paddle tail just needs to move fast enough for the tail to have action. If you are on the flats in one to two feet of water, it needs to have just enough speed for the action to be correct and the bait to suspend a few inches above the grass. If the same flat has patches of grass, then as it crosses over the sandy spots allow it to fall and drag the bottom. The combination of sand clouds and the noise it will make can drive Trout and Redfish crazy. Not to mention Flounder.
Over deeper areas like along canales, cuts and drop offs. Slow the retrieve and allow it to fall into multiple depths. Try to vary the jigging from slow to fast as well. A good sharp jigging motion followed by pauses and falls will surely cause a strike from below.
Moving on to more active baits like Darts, Shrimp and Jerk baits, the action changes tremendously. A constant working of the rod tip seams to be the best ,accompanied by a slow retrieve. For instance try to work a Dart or Jerk bait like a walk the dog top water only keeping it suspended, not on the surface. To do this use a weighted hook like a flutter hook or an offset worm hook with a keeper attachment. It can be a screw in type or the barbed style. For every inch of the bait add a 1/0 for hook size choice. For example a 4-inch bait needs a 4/0 sized hook. Size of weights will vary with the size rod you use. Check the side of the blank for the recommended weight. A long with a proper line class as well. Unless you use a braided line then the scale will vary a bit. A good measure is if the line class is 8 to 20 pounds on the rod then a braid of 20 pounds with a 8-pound diameter will work just fine.
My personal favorite rig is a soft plastic shrimp. It is very versatile and can be fished for many species of game fish. Redfish on the flats like it rigged weedless. Sea Trout take a plastic shrimp rigged on a jig head as do snook and tarpon. This also works on Tripletail and all species of not so glorious fish like jacks and ladyfish. Working sand holes with a weed less shrimp on the flats will surely get you a flounder in the winter months. Rigged under a popping cork with a mono or fluorocarbon leader you will catch tons or Sea Trout and Redfish over deep grass flats. Skip it under docks for snook and let it fall a few feet then pop it as you retrieve it back. Suspend it in a strong current in front of a bridge that holds Tarpon and wait and see what happens. So many ways to use this bait that it goes on and on.
The new Berkley Gulp saltwater baits with scent added can be as effective as live bait with up to 400 times the scent dispersion. Very little action needs to be achieving to get good results. Some days just getting the bait in front of the fish is all that is needed. Add a twitch or two and BANG! All are and can be rigged the same as any of the soft plastics on the market. Circle hooks work well on the shrimp patterns with a split shot lead weight to help get it down to the fish. Weight offset hooks are great to work the bait across the flats and get lots of action. As far as colors go just try to experiment. A good rule of thumb is to go natural. I find that white, penny and olive are best.
Let s cover hooking methods now. Flutter hooks are great on almost all baits but keep in mind that the bait must be able to handle the weight being driven through it. To me a more practical weighted hook is a keeper rigged worm hook. This great way to rig baits works on all of the styles out on the market today. Just slick the barbed piece in the front of the bait then insert the hook. Lastly as the hook rests on top of the bait, just tip the point into the back of the bait enough so its weedless yet able to set the hook. Lead head jigs are a close second on my favorites list. Due to the fact that again all baits work with it and the instant hook sets. Make sure to get a good jig that is very sharp and has barbs near the head, double barbs are the best. The added benefit of having double barbs just below to lead head really holds the soft plastic bait in place. Next chose a jig that is more spade shaped rather than round or flat shaped, the spade shaped jigs seem to be a bit more weed less. To be honest these two rigs the weighted keepers and lead jigs are the only soft plastic rigs I use on my boat.
In today s market with so many choices to choose from you can easily get confused. Just keep in mind that old sayings work best. Keep it simple and do not make it to difficult. Just stick with the basics. Colors are important but you do not need to have every color on the market. Try a few and once you find a color that suits you best, stick with it. It goes with the style rather it s a mullet pattern or a shrimp. If it seems to work well for you then the battle is half over. Confidents in a bait is much more important than colors or styles. If you know your bait and feel good about it, you will catch fish. Over the years as a guide I find myself using less live bait and more soft plastics. I rarely stop to pick up shrimp any more and throwing the cast net is a thing of the past for me. But again it s all about the confidant s factor; I know that my clients will catch fish on these proven tactics I use.
Over the years the gold spoon has stood the test of time and for good reason. A gold spoon is by far the best tool a shallow water angler can have. I have caught so many different species o the spoon it is hard to remember them all. Just on a short list here are a few of the top remembered ones. First on the list goes Redfish. From November to March on the flats nothing seems to out fish a gold spoon. Winter Reds go crazy for them. Trout for sure are suckers for a gold spoon as are Lady fish and Jacks all year long. Try tossing a spoon near and along your favorite Snook spots, you will be very surprised on how fast they go for it. There are many styles on the market and again experiment with a few to find what works best for you and your style. For me a shallow running weed less style for the flats and a deeper, heavier style with lots of action does well in deep water.
Lastly, top water baits are a hot and popular way to target fish. From chug styles to poppers and don t forget the walk the dog styles. Top water comes in many sizes and the best way to judge the right one is to think of the size fish you want to catch. Snook fishing docks in a residential canal will take any where from a 3 inch to a 6-inch size. On the other hand if you want to target an inlet then you need to up the size. Go for the 8-inch baits with large hooks and strong leaders. On the flats the best pick for Trout over all would e the 4-inch size. Walk the dog is best but if your skills are limited try a chug or popper. In cold weather work the bait very slow and be prepared for false strikes. Learn to not move the bait much during a false strike, try to keep it in the same spot and twitch it slower. On the other hand in the spring and summer a faster retrieve works great. Look for baits being pushed to the top of the water pull up slow and start working the top water through the middle of the school. I will be shocked if you don t catch fish! Redfish also take the top water lures. Around shallow creek mouths and along mangroves mullet swim there for protection. Believe me when I tell you a redfish will hit the lure with a mighty force. Big Reds in the 20 and 30 pound range in the warmer months not nuts for a walk the dog action. Even on slick calm days where the tail in 3 feet of water, a perfectly cast top water gets a huge strike from a big bull red.
Fishing artificial can be very rewarding and addictive. To be good at it takes time and practice. Stick with it and test out your skills on many types of fish. Many bait shops offer free seminars and work shops. Check the papers and surf the net on fishing forums like South Florida Sport fishing Magazines Forum and I think you will be surprised just how much free info is out there. Hire a guide for an instructional charter where he can focus on teaching you the proven techniques he uses in his area. Hopefully this has taught you at least a few things about fishing shallow water and using sub surface baits. If used the ways I have described you will catch more fish and catch more fish more often. Flats fishing has become very popular in the last decade and more boats entire the fishing scene very year. Practice catch and release to save the resources and be kind to the people on the same flat as you. It has become way to normal to just pole up to a stranger within 50 yards and fish the same area he is fishing. Be more respectful and find your own fish. It is different if a couple of friends chose to fish near each other but to just pole up on a boat working a school is just not acceptable. Have fun take a kid fishing and teach them to be the next big name on the water.
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