Always been a live bait/cut bait guy but just this year have really gotten into artificials (mostly because I just bought a trolling motor!). I hear people tell me not to fish artificials in the summer because the fish won’t hit it nearly as much as live/cut bait, (A) is that true, and (B) if so, is there a water temp, or time of the year (i.e. early May) that I should keep in mind as the artificial bait cut off? Thanks
The artificial bite does slow down in the warmer months, but does not mean that they do not remain effective. Some examples are topwater baits in low light conditions, swim baits and spoons for working a lot of water, and DOAs always work for trout. I have had many days when only artificials produce and on the flip side only live bait. I will says that using artificials in the heat of the summer are almost always better in the morning and evening when the fish are more active.
Iain Pelto
Sea Hunt Triton 160 w/ 90 ETEC “JB3”
Native Manta Ray 14
X2 on what Hairball says. When there is a tremendous amount of “stuff” to eat during the summer months, artificials can be ignored by fish on some days. He is spot on as far as low light conditions producing the best artificial bite during the hottest of water temps.
I am kind of an artificial snob, but mostly because I like to stay on the trolling motor and chunk and wind. And I have to agree, almost in any part of the country, the midday summer bite can be tough and low light excels. A couple of things we do in the summer is fish deep at low tide, but not in creeks, more open water. At high tide we fish faster with faster baits. Lipped divers with very short pauses, spinner baits, flukes worked pretty quick thru the grass, rattletraps, spinnerbaits, wider crank baits and faster hops with jigs. This is also the time I will get a little crazier with the colors. I usually like natural hues, but in the summer as the bloom thickens I throw a lot of orange, chartreuse, blues, and whites or combos of those colors.
Capt. Tim Cutting
www.fishthegeorgiacoast.com
I never leave home without my bucket of marinated gulp baits. I start out with live mummichog or shrimp inshore or squid and cut mullet offshore. If they are not producing, I go artificial. I have been completely skunked with live shrimp or mud minnows and on the first cast of a white grub I hook up.
I figure with the cost of gas for the boat and time prepping and cleaning the boat, a 20$ bucket-o-gulp can make a bad day great.
Hydra-Sports 22 Bay Sport
225 Rude