BigBendFishing.Net

Well we have been out about 3 times the passes month and have caught maybe 5 fish total :/ we are using 1/4 oz jig heads with gulp new penny's and the white/grey ones. We try right out in front of the light house to about 2 miles out. Is their "holes" somewhere or bait or what? Thanks for the advice guys. We have caught a few trout but nothing in the size limit, and a few rock bass. We would like to catch some nice reds and trout. What is the ideal time to go? We are out there about 10 am. Thanks guys!!!

worry less about what you read on forums or in magazines and try to understand what is going on around you. Change depths, baits, run a few miles until you see a different color water or different bottom. Right now trout and reds can be caught in any part of the water collunm all day long. Try a topwater, jig and popping cork from creek mouths out to 5' for a 3 mile section of coast and you'll likely catch a limt of trout. Once something works, try and repeat in a similar setting. Good luck.

What is a good top water to use? Thanks for ur reply man!

Zara spooks, skitterwalk, top dogs. I like top water early(daylight til I quit catching) then cork and gulps on jig heads.

Awesome thank you so much! How do u work a top water? (don't let it sink)??

It wont sink.Watch some you tube videos.

Just type in the name of the lure?

Type in, HOW TO WORK A ZARA SPOOK. Watch Jimmy Houston.

Thank you!! Any other suggestions?

Yes. Every throw visualize that you catch a fish. I know it seems spookie but a persons attitude has a lot to do with catching fish. Good advice already given above. Keep trying, don't give up. Find someone that will let you tag along and learn from them. Take the FLATS course in the spring.

Where do I find info on the flats course?

Watch tides as well. A lot of us have that nasty 4 letter word (work) that interferes with our fishing. So a lot of us go when we can go. You will start getting a feel for what works and where based on tide and weather too. Keep a log book. record tides, weather, water temps, depths, port you left out of, what worked and what did not.

A lot of these guys that catch a lot of fish consistently have been doing it for a while and just kinda know those things without thinking about it. The cool thing about fishing is that you should always be learning. Keeps it challenging. Just when you think you got it figured out - SKUNK.

Thanks man! Is the Zara spook a fresh water lure? I looked it up on YouTube and there was a lot of bass fishing videos

You may want to go earlier. Unless there is a slack tide we usually put in at safe light. The spooks, skitterwalks and topdogs all use a "walk the dog" action. Not too hard with a little practice, but does take a little. On the other hand a storm chug bug ( or ang chugger)can be just as deadly on the trout and reds. Easier to get used to. Just pop it, let it sit. Reel a little. Pop it, let it sit and so on. We usually start with one with a spook and one with a chug bug and see what works. If you get " blowups" with no takers, switch to a suspending plug like a mirrodine or Paul brown corkie. I think a spook was originally a bass lure, in fact I think most of our redfish lures are borrowed from the bass guys. Like previously said, try to fish when the tide is moving. Also move around and try different spots and baits until you establish a pattern. Don't worry it gets better. I had a lot of skunks in my boat when I first started. It is sweet when it all starts to come together though. You will be there before you know it

Setty 7 I'm new at the salt game as well, haven't been totally skunked yet but came mighty close. Those suggesting switching up until you have the pattern of the day down make the most sense to me. I usually have a least one other person in the boat so from the begining we fish differently until things start happening. The cork/jig/Gulp is probably the best newbie game out there but I've found that sometimes they want a different color etc. So when we are starting if there are 4 in the boat we use 4 different colors or depths or presentations. Just to see if the fish are being picky. I recently went to Steinhatchee and fished from daylight until about 11:00 with hardly a bite. Went from the grass out to 5'. I like to fish a jig/gulp without the cork more or less bottom bouncing. As I moved out we suddenly hit a zone and caught trout as fast as we could pull them in. Not a single bite on the jig/cork combo but slamming on the jig alone. Switched my daughter to the jig only and she went to slamming as well. Color didn't seem to make a differencem, it was pretty much cast and reel. Had boats all around me, including one who decided to investigate closer but I lucked into the right spot and the right presentation, never saw my "neighbor" bring in a fish. Came back and hardly any of the folks at the docks had caught anything. We probably caught 70+ trout in 2 hours. I wish it were skill but it was luck, other than being willing to change up until you find something that works. I do try and fish moving water as in tide but the JOB is such a pain so I fish when I can, hang in there I think the best is yet to come for this year!