Anyone seen, caught any?
Saw hundred on the reef Thursday but they were breeding and not eating. Managed to hook just 3 in spite of throwing at them for hours. Should start biting soon.
Hydra-Sport 3300VX
18 Key West
They are always there. A little to tricky to catch.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
How do you know they are breeding? I saw schools of them swimming around the reefs but weren’t targeting them …
Local guy who knows more about it than I do told me that’s what they are doing in the spring when the large schools are up top and tight and not eating.
Hydra-Sport 3300VX
18 Key West
Makes sense. When we saw them last week it looked like hundreds bunched up very tight.
What are you guys trying to use for bait when they aren’t eating?
1994 Hewes Redfisher 18, 2004 Yamaha 150 VMAX
Malibu X-Factor Kayak
It’s June! When I was a kid, we started catching them in April\May… As a matter of fact, I remember an article in one of the local Charleston magazines called “April Spades”… Have things changed? Granted, I’ve been hit in the head many times since then, but that is my recollection…
We’ve caught them pretty much all year around.
quote:
What are you guys trying to use for bait when they aren't eating?
Scoop up a dozen or so jellyballs on the way out. String them on a fish stringer, slice them up real good, make them ragged. Then hang them off a cleat about 10’ deep. This is your teaser. Now thrash the surface with a fishing rod, make a lot of commotion and help get them fired up. Use very small but strong hooks, we usually used trebles, with very small piece of jellyball, or squid or shrimp tipped with a little piece of cellophane for bait. The trick is getting the first one to bite, once that happens it’s game on. Threat them like school dolphin, once you hook the first one don’t boat it, leave it in the water. The rest of the school will stay with it and turn on, then you can usually catch all you want. Just leave a lively one in the water. Please don’t get greedy, it’s easy to catch a bunch of them.
I’ve also seen many caught on fly rods.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
I’ve never caught one in my life but granted I’ve never really targeted them. Don’t you use pieces of jellyballs? I asked about them a while back because I see them all the time and someone suggested getting them all jazzed up by sending down a coathanger on a line with lots of jellyballs strung on it. When you start feeling them hit the coat hanger, retrieve it slowly and pull the bait and switch on them by dropping down small hooks with pieces of jellyballs. Are they that good to eat?
Yes, this.
quote:
Originally posted by Cracker LarryWe’ve caught them pretty much all year around.
quote:
What are you guys trying to use for bait when they aren't eating?
Scoop up a dozen or so jellyballs on the way out. String them on a fish stringer, slice them up real good, make them ragged. Then hang them off a cleat about 10’ deep. This is your teaser. Now thrash the surface with a fishing rod, make a lot of commotion and help get them fired up. Use very small but strong hooks, we usually used trebles, with very small piece of jellyball, or squid or shrimp tipped with a little piece of cellophane for bait. The trick is getting the first one to bite, once that happens it’s game on. Threat them like school dolphin, once you hook the first one don’t boat it, leave it in the water. The rest of the school will stay with it and turn on, then you can usually catch all you want. Just leave a lively one in the water. Please don’t get greedy, it’s easy to catch a bunch of them.
I’ve also seen many caught on fly rods.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
They are all over the 60 in schools of several hundred.
They are great for the grill, but 2 fish will feed 4 people a good dinner, so we like to stop after that.
Skinnee,
I have always had the best luck with them between Mother’s Day-fathers day. That’s my spade fish calendar:) I have always targeted them at nearshore reefs(4ki, capers, chas nearshore). I am sure they are there in April just seems like mid May-early June the weather settles down and you can get a lot of clear, calm days to see them and target them. Back in the 90s when I was teenager me and my friends would take my dads 16ft flats boat to the Lowcountry anglers reef and have a blast with the spades. He does not know it to this day but he would have killed me if he knew I took his little boat 3.5 miles out in the ocean when I was 17.
Don’t target them often, but they sure are fun and tasty.
I made a simple rig that works great out of nothing but a coat hanger. Take about 8" of coat hanger and twist an eye in each end. then take the hook portion of hanger and bend each side into a U shape after twisting top portion into an an eye to attach mono (think I used a 60lb piece)to prevent the Jellyballs from falling off the end.
Once we have enough Jellyballs, take the 8" piece of the coat hanger and simply push it up through the bottom center and let them slide down to the U shaped hooks which will prevent them from falling off. Usually put 4 or 5 on there depending on size.
I then have a spinning, or whatever rod you prefer with a large snap swivel attached to mainline that I connect to the top eye of 8" piece of hanger. Also add about 4 to 6 once weight to snap swivel, depending on tide and if you have to drop it down deep to bring the school up. If they are on top, no weight needed. Place the rod in rod holder and lower to whatever works. If you notice some vibrations in rod tip and it is to deep to see fish, start reeling it up and the school will often follow.
Use small pieces of the extra jellyballs for bait on a strong, small hook with at least 18"to 24" of 15 or 20lb flouro.
Rod and reel choice, I use what I would use inshore for Reds and Trout. Enjoy the fight as those things are nothing but propeller on the rear end!
Hope this helps.
NN
quote:For sure. That's kind of what I remember. I will be re-engaging in the spade fish fishery at some point. My little girl is only 2 years old now, but she'll probably be out there at the age of 4 and I'll be retracing my youth watching her catch them!
Originally posted by fishboySkinnee,
I have always had the best luck with them between Mother’s Day-fathers day. That’s my spade fish calendar:) I have always targeted them at nearshore reefs(4ki, capers, chas nearshore). I am sure they are there in April just seems like mid May-early June the weather settles down and you can get a lot of clear, calm days to see them and target them. Back in the 90s when I was teenager me and my friends would take my dads 16ft flats boat to the Lowcountry anglers reef and have a blast with the spades. He does not know it to this day but he would have killed me if he knew I took his little boat 3.5 miles out in the ocean when I was 17.
That being said, I’ve seen spades at all months of the year in Charleston. I’ve even seen them in Dec\Jan on some of the offshore bottom fishing grounds. I remember trying to jig up some bait with sabikis with midgiemullet one January in about 130-150’ of water. I was marking a glob on the sonar, but sabikis weren’t getting touched. Was beating my head up against the gunnel until I finally saw what I was marking… An enormous school of spades that came up and hung under the boat.
They are so much fun to catch on a trout rod! Great eating too, fresh only. They don’t freeze well. Like others have said, 1 fish will feed a family of four for a meal. Please don’t be greedy and keep them just because you can catch them. No need to fill your cooler as I’m sure most of that fish will be thrown away if you freeze it. Just my opinion.
Here is a little video I did on spades last year
http://ralphphillipsinshore.com/learn/nearshore-fishing/
2000 SeaPro 180CC w/ Yammy 115 2 stroke
1966 13’ Boston Whaler w/ Merc 25 4 stroke “Flatty”
www.ralphphillipsinshore.com
What size hooks are people using? I’d prefer a non treble hook if they work.
no 4 gamakatsu
Saw plenty in 60’ yesterday but they were not biting,I’ve fished on and off for em since 1998 and this was probably the biggest school I’ve ever seen. Nephew caught one on small piece of peeled shrimp.
You can’t catch fish on a dry line
Stupid question, but are you using any weight on the fluro rig?