BigBendFishing.Net

Glad to hear the fish are still biting there. Looks like your friend had a great time. I have caught 2 big houndfish down at Keaton, they sure can pull some drag.

Thanks for the fish ID. Yes, I thought I had a spanish on until I saw the long skinny shape.

Yes, livebait always works better than the imitation. I used to fish exclusively with gulp and Saltwater assasin but have now switched to livebait partly because they're more efficient in targeting bigger fish but also because I used to spend 3-5 packs of gulp per trip costing $20-$30 - whereas livebait is free. The porgy seems to work better when the trout are aggressive as they often swim to the surface even with a half oz weight and give out a lot of flash with their silvery body. Also, I prefer them in shallower water (less than 4') for the same reason. However, on days when the trout are not as aggressive I've notice that they will just kill the bait and not coming back to eat it. In this case, pinfish seems to work better. I've also noticed that this mood changes through out the day, perhaps due to the time of day, clear vs cloudy, or current/tide etc. Just my personal observation. Anyone have a similar experience.

I have been fishing live bait, mostly pins, post Fay. They have been extremely productive in the Aucilla area also. However, I can't say that I agree that live bait catches more fish than artificial. Actually, a majority of the time I believe the opposite, especially if you are targeting specific fish (trout/reds). Gulps ARE expensive, and I am not a fan myself, but know plenty of folks who are. However they spend alot of time weeding out, pinfish, catfish, ladyfish, mother in law fish, sharks, and stingrays, when the overall goal is trout and reds.... This is why I stick mostly with Topwater, flukes and the good ol' twitch bait. Rarely will you catch trash fish on these types of lures.

I have found that pinfish/porgies tend to work very well in the warmer months, but let it cool off a bit and artificials will out fish live bait 3 to 1. Just my opinion... but I wouldn't change a thing, you've consistantly had the best reports so far this month. And yes, you should look into guiding.

Nice hound and trout of course!