Bass fishing tactics transferring fairly well

Moved down with my wife for her new job in April and have been slowly (real slowly) putting a few pieces of the puzzle together this year mostly on the Wando and the Jetties as they are convenient when I get time to go.

What’s been really fun is to use 25+ years of tournament bass fishing knowledge on an entirely different group of fish species and see how it works (or doesn’t in many cases).

Topwater has been pretty much the same (reds, trout, and flounder all like it equally).

Bottom contact baits; same thing shakey heads, small finesse jigs, slow rolled swin baits along the bottom all good too.

Crank baits; not as good but have gotten a few reds to bite some square bills. Mid range cranks have not yielded much (4-10 foot range), and deep divers like a DD22 out on the jetties has caught all kinds of fish (trout, reds, ladyfish, bluefish, etc) but as in all crank bait fishing you must be making bottom contact which just means fishing parallel to the rocks so nothing new there.

Jerkbaits have been the biggest and most pleasant surprise. They are magic especially now that the water has cleared up some. Everything from 78mm to 110mm hard baits are getting bit and bit in big numbers. Same for soft plastics rigged weedless like a zoom fluke or DOA jerk shad on a 5/0 EWG and with a light weight belly hook. Same presentation, flats, along break edges, over oysters, and out on the jetties. Jerk bait fishing is one of my favorite techniques as I love clear water bass fishing and you get to see some fish take your bait if it’s clear enough which is pretty fun. Had a 3-4lb trout destroy a lucky craft pointer 78 out on the jetties this Saturday on the south side (outside) using 10# floro on a bait caster just like I would in any lake. Super fun bite and a great fight.

Spinner baits and chatter baits have not been the best for me yet so I may need to make adjustments like remove skirts, downsize, change blades, etc so that experiment goes on and will likely wait until warmer temps come back.

Just like you, I relied on my bass fishing experience when I first started fishing in the salt and I have stuck with it ever since because, as you said, it works. It’s tough enough stepping into a whole new fishing venue so it’s comforting to know techniques you’re already comfortable with can produce. Good for you.

FWIW, I was out a couple of weeks ago and caught my first (of several that day) redfish on a chatter bait (see the pics in the “11/18=great day on the water” thread). It was a standard (skirted) Z-Man with a 5" soft plastic baitfish imitation trailer and they were absolutely choking it.

“You don’t always know where you stand till you know that you won’t run away.” ~Slipknot

Thanks for letting me tag along Saturday. I think I am still wet from fishing with you on Saturday:smiley:. Definitely upgrading the rain gear this week.

He must Increase,but I must decrease. John 3:30

Great report Chuck. It was nice to meet you in the shop this summer. You’re on the fast track


1966 13’ Boston Whaler “Flatty”
2018 Sportsman Masters 207
www.eyestrikefishing.com #predatorsstriketheeye

Hard jerkbaits don’t work around these parts…

Great report…

Good write up, thanks

Fishing Nerd

“skilled labor isn’t cheap, cheap labor isn’t skilled”