I will start with trout.If you are new to fishing look for places with some kind of structure.That goes for all species of fish.Trout like fast moving water.Fish points and all places where the water moves over or around an oyster bar.If the water is glass slick look for small clear spots the appear on the top of the water.I have located many fish due to the slick spots forming on the waters surface.The smaller the slick ring the closer the fish.I read someplace that the slick is caused by feeding fish.Also the Watermelon smell and fresh cut grass smell.Theses are not made up stories.I was trolling in my favorite creek one day and the smell Of watermelon was very thick.Never found the fish in that area but as soon as we got up stream about 100 yards we hooked up steady for an hour.Maybe 50 trout each.Another method is pinning.Catch a nice trout and pin his tail with a 2 pound test line and quill float.Drop Him in and follow the quill.Might not be sporty but it works.For Red fish i run slow along the ICW close to the shore and look for Reds I spook.Once i find them I note the area and leave and fish for trout.Later I quietly return to the red fish spot and quietly anchor and set lines out with Crab chunks,Finger mullet or dead and live shrimp.Works for me just about every time.On dead high tide i search the flats i can get to with my rig.Once i see flags i ease up as close as possible and throw either live finger mullet or cut crap in front of the red.Remember the run will sweep your line across the grass and may cut the line.I use braid and have no problems with cut lines.Remember this is some of what i do so don’t get excited and raise hell about what i do.
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Once i see flags i ease up as close as possible and throw either live fingers or cut crap in front of the red.
LOL…Just goes to show that reds will eat just about anything!
Thanks for the information Joe.
Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
When you call a guy lefty it may mean something!! LOL
Stonoman
Thanks Stono. Great tips and I need ALL the help I can get. I plain ole suck at finding fish consistantly. It all looks good! Sometimes I feel like I stay too long in one spot, sometimes I wonder if I should have given a spot more time etc etc.
I did see a ■■■■■ of gulls and a couple pelicans on a tiny creek mouth on a falling tide just sitting in the water, no activity. Why were they sitting with no active feeding going on? Waiting like I try?
Stonoman when you use crab chunks what type and size hook do you use?
Thanks for all the good info. I like that pinning method.
pinning works but will get you a hefty ticket from the man,
I’m obviously not stonoman, but blue crab is probably my go to bait for reds so I’ll tell you what I do. I take a live blue crab and with a long pair of pliars, pull his claws off. If you just crush them, they pretty much just fall right off. Now that it’s easier to handle I break it in half, with a machete if I remember to bring it with me. I then pull off it’s legs and run my circle hook through one leg hole and out the last one. I don’t know what size my hooks are. I can say that all I use is owner circle hooks, and I use the same size as for menhadden or mullet. I have never really found that hook size has affected my success fishing for reds. I’ve caught big ones on small hooks, and small ones on big hooks. I guess when you’re eating a blue crab, a small hook amongst all those sharp pieces of crabshell easily goes unnoticed. At least long enough for me to get that hook right in the corner of the mouth.
Sea Hunt Triton 186
Yamaha F115
Thanks Creekrat for the info will give a try this week.What is the best tide or does it matter.
Different tides seem to work in different places. I guess trial and error is the only way to know when a spot is best. I seem to do more fishing on the lower half, although not on purpose necessarily. I like to find structure, obviously, but my best spots seem to be in creeks where large amounts of water drain through a relatively small area. Sometimes if you find a deep hole in this setting the reds will hold in the deeper water waiting on the tide to get back up. The particular spot I’m thinking about it a creek about 10-20 yds wide and about 4-8 ft deep at low tide. It has plenty of oysters and docks, and a hole I found that holds at least 10 ft at low tide. Think about the reds moving from deeper holes and ledges at low tide, to shallower flats and creeks at high tide. Redfish seem to be creatures of habit and you’ll start to see patterns over time. Good luck.
Sea Hunt Triton 186
Yamaha F115