BigBendFishing.Net

Went to Econfina today. Got there about 0730. Launched on a low tide...but made it out of the river without hitting anything. Went out to the first bird rack and started fishing. We used live shrimp on C/T. Got 100 shrimp at J.R.'s (any idea what 100 shrimp cost? I haven't bought any in over 7-8 years till today...only $16.05.)
We caught several shorts around the birdrack...no keepers. Lost a pile of shrimp to pins before we went toward shore about 1 mile...angling toward Rock Island. The tide had built up a bit and we stayed in 3-5 feet of water.
There was no wind at all. Tried a topwater mirrorlure off and on as the morning progressed. Much to my delite....I got the largest trout of the day....an 18 inch-er.
We went on to catch 5 keeper trout ... one 2 1/2 lb drum...about 30 cats (keep 2 sailcats...they're good to eat you know), one quite large black bass.
I can't imagine you guys saying, "we picked up 200 shrimp on the way"....as I hear you often say.
Our luck was about average for the reports I hear from this area.
The water was dark everywhere we went.....out over 4 miles...in to shore. The river was completely full of dark water. Looked like coffee. The Dixie Reb caught his only keeper trout on a bait rig while trying to catch small shiners. There was 3 of us.

Nice report F989.....If you didn't use all the shrimp, boil the rest for supper .....Try that tannic water, you might be suprised....

Chalk....those shrimp critters J.R. sold us were so small they wouldn't smell up the grease if I tryed to cook em. If i boiled them they would disappear with the steam.

This is why I stick to the artificials.

Thats alot of shrimps. I rarely get shrimp and like TC I depend on artificials. I would have gone for the extra 8 gallons of gas, and only picked up a bag of frozen shrimps.

Good report and an A for effort, I know it couldn't have been a short trip..

I haven't bought live shrimp in close to 8-10 years.... and then in the rivers during winter..but so many people on this forum have been talking about going out with "200"....I decided to try it.
Pins love them. First time in over 30 years of flats fishing that I took them.
They're too expensive to feed pins and hardhead cats for me.

Yup.

Hey you got a few, good deal.

That why I cast net my shrimp

Sea-Grits, probably the most used artificial is a jig and grub rigged about 2' below a Cajun Thunder.Or, a jig and grub tied straight to the main line. There are all manner of hard baits that work. Mirro-Lure is the most common brand. They make many different models. Do a search and read back through old fishing reports, and the fishing section. There is lots of discussion on this forum about artificial baits.

sea-grits wrote: I'm told, "Stupid, I already know you don't know, Jack about fishing and it don't work like that!"

I don't think I would ask that person anything else...

The migration of shrimp is true....

A trout will eat any easy meal it can...If you are in the right area and they are feeding they can be caught on just about anything.... You can be in the right area and you can't buy a bite, until the time (tide) is right...But to contradict my own statement, I have been out there and all they would bite was a PT2 SWA and if you weren't throwing it, you didn't catch jack.... I can substitute the said "bait" for about dozen or so trips....

It's a matter of being in the right area, matching the hatch and the right time.... Each trip will have a variance in this equation, it's up to you to adjust to it, be it shrimp, fiddler crabs or a chrome & blue redfin

I could go on but don't want to be accused of derailing someone’s post….

We had 6 trout in the ice box when we got home from this trip. All 6 had shrimp in their bellies. Caught 1 on a grub..1 on topwater mirrorlure..1 on cutbait....3 on shrimp.

Several companies make pinfish pattern lures, not sure about a hard shrimp bait....This is someone else'e fishing report, start a new post to ask off report questions, please......Thanks, Chalk