Fishing is good for the soul.
Catching fish is good for the ego.
Eating fish is good for the body.
Releasing fish is good for everyone. (author unknown-contributed by Tig)
Converting from Freshwater to
Saltwater Fishing?
By TStubb
As a converted freshie myself, I was as confused as
you are about this salt water thing.
If you separate bay fishing from surf fishing, it
makes it a lot easier to understand. The surf fishing depends more on tides, water color,
sand bar location, and species present at different times of the year. In bays, it's just
like fishing lakes except for the tides! The structure that fish relate to is much more
subtle in a bay (instead of rocks on a steep dropoff it might be a shell patch on the edge
of a 4" ditch. Points fish the same in fresh or salt. Mouths of creeks (bayous in
salt) produce on outgoing tides best. Just consider where the bait (shrimp,crabs,small
baitfish, etc.) will be coming from or concentrated because of currents, and you'll figure
out where the trout, reds, and flounder SHOULD be.
Remember, its fishin, not catchin. Sometimes you do,
sometimes you don't. Plot your fishing areas just like you would a lake, break it down
into smaller chunks and concentrate on finding patterns within that area...once you've
found THE pattern, it will probably hold elsewhere as long as the tide is moving like it
is now. (that changes hourly!). Work your way up-tide or down-tide to stay on
the same pattern.
Confusing? Hope not...if you've done much pattern
fishing, you'll catch on real fast!
Setting up Terminal Tackle for Flounder
(Live Bait) - by "Fishcat"
I use about a 20- or 24-inch piece of 25-lb
flourocarbon leader (Walmart; P-Line, I think) clinch-knot tied to a black swivel on one
end and a 2/0 or 3/0 single flounder hook on the other (Academy, forget the brand but it
is labeled "flounder hook" in orange packaging). For the noise maker part, I use
a brass cylinder weight (fresh-water section at Academy) with red glass (not plastic)
beads on either side and crimped in place (not too hard!) with one sleeve about six inches
from the swivel end. This allows the beads and swivel to slide on the leader about six
inches. The leader below the weight is longer than most people use, but I think it gives
the tail-hooked mullet more flash and action. It also allows for several hook replacements
for released (cut-off) fish. The weights come in a variety of sizes. I prefer the
3/8 oz.
I always chunk out, then drag back with the rod tip two or three feet, then take up the
slack. My theory is, on the the slack part of the retrieve, the mullet swims away driving
the stationary weight and beads towards the swivel and producing a "click". The
subsequent pull back with the rod tip forces the bait downward and sends the weight to the
stopping sleeve with another "click". I can actually feel and see this happening
by lifting and dropping the baited rig by my feet in the water.
The cylindrical brass weight has several advantages in my opinion. The cylinder shape
drags through obstacles with less chance of hanging up. The single hook helps in that
regard also. Being brass, the weight also produces a distinctive "click" and
finally, the weight is flashy, adding to visibilty. The rig costs more than lead weights
and plastic beads, but seems to work.
Fishing Under the Lights (BayStealth)
(reprinted with permission)
I started fishing the piers when I was a kid. I
learned to fish with lures, but not out of snob appeal. Buying live bait was too
expensive. Catching bait myself took a lot of time that I felt like I should have spent
fishing. And, because the trout were not
consistently under one light all night, I often wandered from light to light. If I had to
carry a bait bucket around, I would have been tied to the same light all night. Bait was
just way too much trouble.
In the summers, when the trout are feeding under the lights, they are usually eating small
shrimp or minnows that are moving slowly through the lights. And they just won’t hit
anything large, or anything that you are pulling quickly through the water. Some nights it
was just maddening to see literally hundreds of trout popping the surface, and not being
able to catch any of them.
After a lot of experimenting, I found one method
that was a consistent producer, year in and year out.
First, you need to buy a couple of packs of #2 long-shank wire hooks. That is “number
2” not 2-O. Most of the #2’s you find will be gold colored (I don’t think
that matters.)
Then you need to buy some jig worms. The ones that
worked best, by far, were about the diameter of a standard yellow pencil, and about three
inches long. The ones I used to buy were made as replacements for the tandem worm jigs
called
“Worm Puzzlers”. They were made by Ray’s Tackle in Victoria, Texas, and you
could buy them in packs of about a half dozen. I experimented with every kind of
shrimp-shaped, fish-shaped, curly-tailed, scented, you-name-it plastic. Nothing ever
worked as well as the plain skinny round jig worms from Ray’s. (I will explain some
of the reasons why later.) Plain white was by far the best color. On some rare nights
another color might do as well. But white was consistent, and most of the time got more
bites than any other color. Plain yellow was second.
Fish with a light line. 6-lb is probably best, 8-lb is okay, and 10-lb is acceptable.
Anything heavier will cost you a lot of bites. It also makes it a lot easier to cast a
very light lure. Tie the #2 hook directly onto the line, without any weight or swivel.
Then thread the worm onto the hook as straight as you possibly can. You want to get the
hook to run through the middle of the worm as near as possible. And you want it to be
perfectly straight. If there are any bends or bumps, the bait will spin, and the trout
will refuse to bite it. It’s really important to learn exactly how far down the worm
to bring the hook out, so that it is not bent at all.
The idea is to get the worm to lay perfectly horizontal in the water, and to move along
very slowly, just a few inches under the surface. If you allow the worm to rise to the
surface, you will get very few hits. If the bait is bobbing up and down, you will get very
few hits. The balance between hook and worm is very important. If you use a fatter worm,
it will fill up too much of the gap between the point of the hook and the shank, and you
will not be able to set the hook. If you go to a bigger hook, to get a bigger gap, the jig
will be too heavy, and you will have to pull it too fast to keep it from bobbing up and
down as you retrieve it. Also, fatter or different shaped worms will put up water
resistance in strange places, and cause the bait to move through the water differently.
Stick to the plain worms described above. (Some nights, when the trout were feeding on
very small minnows, I would bite the front end off of the worm to shorten it. I would be
left fishing with something that looked like a cigarette butt.)
Throw the worm out and let it sink for a few seconds
before you click your reel handle. Then retrieve it very slowly, with TINY twitches of the
rod tip. If you give big long twitches, you will pull the worm to the surface. Because the
lure is so light, there will always be some slack in your line. That makes hooksets
harder. But if you reel out all the slack, you will be pulling the bait too fast and high,
and you won’t catch fish. After you catch a few trout on a worm, it will be full of
teeth holes. This will make it buoyant, and it will float. Throw it away.
The really important thing is to get the right “drift” through the water. To get
it to happen, you have to balance several things. First, the weight of the hook and
worm – which I already described. Then you have to balance the speed of your retrieve
with the speed of the wind and the current. If the wind is blowing hard, it will catch
your line (making it “balloon”) and cause the light lure to “ski”
across the surface. It is important to hold your rod tip low. If you can - fish with your
rod tip pointed down, almost touching the water. The height of the pier sometimes makes
this impossible. Even in windless conditions, if you hold your rod tip high, you will be
pulling the worm towards the surface – and you will just have to let it sink again.
Most of the bigger trout are caught at the edge of
the light, or in eddies created by current running past the pilings of the pier.
Where you position yourself in the light, and which direction you cast makes all the
difference. As a general rule, you cannot
pull the worm against the wind or the current without making it ski. You can cast straight
ahead and let the worm move to the side, at the same time you bring it towards you. If
there is a current, you want the bait to be moving at about the same speed as the current,
just like the tiny baitfish are doing.
Experiment. After a while you will get the
“weightless” feeling when the bait is drifting at the right speed, and you will
get a lot more hits. On a pier that sits near the water surface, it was not uncommon for
me to only cast 15 or 20 feet of line out – making the same “drift” through
the same area of water. The most important thing is to move the bait slowly, with tiny
twitches, and to keep it pulling “flat”.
The beauty of this is that you get to see the trout rise and hit your lure each time. It
is also fun to pull in more trout than the people fishing with live bait.
Finding the right spots
There is a great book available, and it's
written by CCCF member and sponsor Ray Crawford ("Flyfisher"). Ray has
gone to a lot of trouble to catalog walk-in and kayaking areas for the entire Galveston
Bay complex, complete with maps and color photos. To order yours ($17.95),
send a check to Ray Crawford, 702 Balmoral Ct., Friendswood, TX 77546.
Of course, you might also want to get hold of the
Top Spot maps for the area you want to go to. They are available at just about any
Academy or at Cutrate.
How to Catch a Flounder on Artificial
Lures (Message by Tig)
For artificial lures, I like to use a 1/8 or 1/4
ounce lead head jig with a
soft tail like a Saltwater Assassin or Norton Sand Eel (try the Sand Eel
Jr). There's also a great specialty flounder soft bait called the Flounder
Pounder. It's a short, stubby soft bait with 2 curly or grub tail sections
and an integrated treble hook. Some flounder will hit a gold spoon if it's
not too far from the bottom. They occasionally will go after a sinking plug
or even a top water! Use the spiral wired twist-lock jigs for the Assassins
to keep them from slipping off. The most popular colors are red shad (dark)
or strawberry with white tail, chartreuse with orange tail (Fire Tiger),
white or glow with red or chartreuse tail, and pumpkin seed or plum with
chartreuse tail. I like to use a garlic scented tail dip/dye like the kind
from Spike-It.
Flounder like to grab the bait, swim a few feet, and THEN down it. Sometimes
they will just try to stun it by hitting it hard and then go back to eat the
disabled fish. If you try to set the hook as soon as you feel them pick it
up, you will usually pull it right out of their mouths if it's a single
hooked lead head. That's where the treble hook comes to play. Also, the
shorter soft baits help prevent those short strikes (biting only the end and
not up where the hook is). Otherwise, I don't support treble hooks except on
plugs.
A popular method of catching them with a single hook soft bait is to fish it
slooooowly, just bouncing it along the bottom with short, small twitches of
the rod tip. Every few twitches, let it just sit there with some slack. They
will usually hit it while it's dropping down, but sometimes they grab it
after it's on the bottom and sitting still. When you feel ANYTHING that
slows your retrieve or a possible hit, WAIT! Drop the rod tip to give it
more slack. If a flounder feels any resistance from your line, they'll spit
it out. Start counting... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, wait! 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and reel in a
few turns of slack immediately followed by a big hook set.
Sometimes you will have a founder already hooked and not even know it since
they settle back down on the bottom. Once you KNOW you have it hooked
solidly, set the hook again. I've lost most flounder later in the battle
than early. ALL anglers lose flounder... it's a given. The good thing is you
can usually cast back to the general area and catch them again! I've missed
flounder 2 or 3 times before finally hooking them.
Reel it in steadily and don't let the line get any slack. Don't get in too
much of a hurry or you can pull a poorly hooked lure right out. Let the
weight and fight of the fish determine the length of the fight. Once it gets
close, don't try to pull it strait up to the surface. They can spit a hook
really quick up there or you can break a big one off while trying. Instead,
work your rod back and forth while reeling it in. This usually causes them
to run since they like the bottom. Ready the net... Work the flounder up to
net depth like you are letting it slice through the water in layers... back
and forth. Put the net into the water and lead the fish head first into it.
They may spook from the site of the net, but tapping them on the tail with
one will cause a much stronger attempt to run. If you LIFT the flounder out
of the water into a net or boat, you will increase their chance of getting
off the hook.
A net is a MUST HAVE for flounder. I like the ones that have a cork handle
and the bungee cord that snaps onto your belt for wading. There is also a
new fluorocarbon one out, but it costs plenty.
Rod and Reel Repair
("Plug" submitted by D-Man)
The folowing is a copy of text received in an email
from D-Man.
"On your Rod and Reel Repair Page, I would like
to put in a plug for Ruland's Rod/Reel shop, 955 Dairy Ashford (South of I-10 West), Ph # 281 531 1441 - Does all my serious repairs, first class guy, very
affordable, quick turn around = less down time.
Thanks, D-Man...Always a
blessing to know someone that can repair our much-used equipment!
Make Your Own Surf Weights by
LittleBigStick
(taken from the message board)
Just thinking about fishing and things I can do while I'm waiting
for school to start. Thought about making surf wieghts and thought you surf fishermen and
fisherwomen may find my mold useful. Buy some Bondo and stick an already made surf weight
into the mix. Let it harden and you have a perfect mold for a surf weight. Hot lead
doesn't stick to the Bondo at all and the mold can be used and used and used again--mine
hasn't worn out yet. Just thought you guys might like to be able to make surf weights
rather than buy them--they are pretty expensive now.
Also, I have a trick for getting free lead. Go to any place that
mounts and balances tires. They usually have buckets full of wheel wieghts used to balance
the wheel. If they just throw them away, leave a bucket there for them and ask them to
keep the used weights for you. Most of the time, they have the wieghts in some sort of
container and they will let you take as many as you need. Another tip--you won't need many
to make ALOT of weights. One half of a five gallon bucket will make dozens of surf
weights. I also use regular copper grounding wire for the legs and tie-end of the weight.
You can get this at most hardware stores or electrical suppliers. Hope this info is useful
to someone.
Avoiding Seasickness (Essay by Surfrat)
Basic Luggage for the Wade Fisherman
(Contributed by Beachbum AKA Gary)
(Items you need to carry)
A lot of what you carry is a matter of personal
choice. This list is simply a starting point.
I prefer a fishing vest over a wade belt.
First, the vest has room for more lures than you can normally lose during the
course of a wade and, except for surf wading, usually keeps them up out of the water.
They aren't in a box that can be lost from the belt, and the vest provides
room for an extra snack, cold drink, rain poncho...some people even carry small cameras in
them...all out of the water.
A lot of what to carry is a matter of personal
choice, location, and season. I generally carry a number of hardbody lures and
jigheads (a heavy jighead, however, is probably not necessary in a shallow grassy
area...or light 1/16 oz jigheads when fishing deeper dropoffs).
I'm not going to go into specific brands/colors here
- DO want to recommend that novices avoid Corky's and other lures which MUST be fished
very slowly. These lures are best suited to very thoroughly working an area that you
are certain is holding a good number of fish. If you are just learning
wading/throwing lures, you are better off sticking with lures that allow you to cover more
water in less time so that you can FIND fish. I've been fishing the coast for
longer than I sometimes would like to admit, and (not being a guide or having a direct
line to one) I am usually in the 'locate fish' mode myself. There are few occasions
that I switch to a 'has to go slow' lure - and those usually occur when I'm fishing
multiple days in one area and have already located fish. If you DO want to fish one
of these lures - stick with one that covers water quickly until you find an area
holding a lot of fish and then switch.
Suggested Lures
6 - 1/4 oz jigheads
6 - 1/8 oz jigheads
3 - 1/16 oz jigheads
6 - dark tails (for off color water)
6 - light tails (for clean water)
3 - floater/divers
2 - brokenbacks
2 - small topwaters
1 - large topwater
2 - spoons (again - size relative to situation)
Other items in/on the vest
line cutter
hemostat or other hook remover
hook sharpener (I carry wetable emory)
sunglasses
something to clean glasses/sunglasses with
stringer
net
Items carried only when I think I might need them
bug stuff or net
snack
drink
rain top
fresh spare spool (not all reels come with a spare tho)
flashlight
That's it. Above all...GO Fishing and Enjoy!
Getting into the shark tagging program
Bbum AKA David is
one of the more knowledgeable shark fishermen on the Texas Gulf Coast. Within the
past year he has tagged and released dozens of sharks. During one week recently,
BeachbumCC tagged and released 47 sharks, including 36 blacktips. These fish are in
danger of extinction if not managed properly. If you are interested in getting into
the tagging program, you need to write a formal request to get started. The address
follows:
APEX PREDATORS PROGRAM
NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC
NARRAGANSETT LABORATORY
28 TARZWELL DRIVE
NARRAGANSETT, RI 02882-1199 USA
Their web site is located at http://www.nefscsharks.nmfs.gov/. The program is free and is made up of voluntary fishermen and biologists.
Too many brands of line? The
opinions of the experts...
Independent testing indicates that Excalibur Silver
Thread line beats out its competitors for strength and is a good overall line, with the
highest overall score in numerous tests. Other popular brands from Berkley, Stren,
SpiderWire, and Maxima were also tested. For detailed results, follow this link:
http://www.lurenet.com/product_review.cfm
The top lures used by members of the CCCF
Team De Geezer is
another one of our good members who took it on himself to attempt to determine the most
popular lures. He surveyed our members on the top five choices. Here are the
results:
1. Bass/Saltwater Assassins- Top colors: Red, Pumpkinseed, Chartreuse,
Root beer and their
combinations. [The Bass and Saltwater were lumped together because some folks just listed
Assassin. [ I'm presuming most use the saltwater version.] (12)
2. Gold Spoons- Johnson Sprite most mentioned brand. (10)
3. Shrimp Tails- Top colors: White, Chartreuse, red, Strawberry, Root Beer and their
combinations.
(8)
4. Top Dog/Top Dog Jr. by Mirrolure- Top colors: Black, Gold, Chartreuse, White, Red and
their
combinations. [top water lure] (8)
5. Heddon Spooks- Top colors: Bone. Red, White, Black and their combinations. [top water
lure]
(6)
6. Mirrolures (M-51), Top colors: Chartreuse, Gold, Red, White, Black and their
combinations. (5)
7. Cocahoe Minnows- Top colors: White, Blue, Root Beer, Chartreuse. (4)
8. Norton Sand Eels- Top colors: Red, White, Chartreuse, Purple, Yellow. (4)
9. Ghosts- The Producers Mfg., Top color: Bone, top water lure. (4)
This should be a good indication of the most popular lures for Texas Bay Fisherman. Most
of those responding are either wade or yak fisherman who are usually restricted from
carrying a great variety of fishing lures and concentrate on using those lures that bring
the most hits. Regardless of the lure the same favorite colors seem to be repeated except
for the Ghosts where "Bone" was the clear favorite. Colors are listed in no
particular order. The numbers at the end indicate the number of fisherman who used that
lure.
Most of the above lures come in different models and weights. We could discuss each lure
for a
week. Most of those who responded to the survey who listed a weight, listed 1/8 oz. and ¼
oz.
Many other lures were listed but were used by only three or less of the eighteen folks who
responded. And, "No", I'm not going in to explain how some of you re-rig them
with different hooks,
trailers, swivels, and yes even spray paint and by banging them with ball-peen hammers
after
purchasing the lures. And to one of you, "You soak a new lure over night in
what?"
The Shock Leader Knot Download the video (Thanks to
Surfrat)
Note:
You must have a media player (mpg) installed to view this video clip.
The shock leader knot is used to attached a shock
leader to your regular line. The primary need for shock leader is that, when
throwing the long rod bait with a heavy weight into the surf, you are putting tremendous
pressure on the last 10-30 feet of your line. If the weight should snap the line
(and it does frequently), you are putting everyone near you in jeopardy...not to mention
losing your terminal tackle. With this knot, you do not have a large knot winding up
in your reel where it can catch and wreak havoc with your cast. Just download the video and view at
your leisure.
Fishing Journal (advice from
Jaws-Bites)
The day you go fishing, even though pretty, may not
be productive because of the conditions leading up to it. Keep a journal,
particularly of those great days on the water. Take note of the catch, previous two
days' weather, wind direction, temperature and water temperature, water clarity, location
and GPS number (if you have GPS), tidal activity, and just about everything you can put on
paper. History repeats itself, so when those same conditions come up again, you can
return to the same spot with a pretty good expectation of another great day!
Besides, the journal is a great rainy day read and reminds you of the wonderful time you
had pulling them in!
An Old Timer's Bait Trick (Thanks to
Surfrat for this tip!)
Years ago an old timer taught me a trick for keeping bait fresh
enough to use without the benefit of refrigeration or even ice. The system works best with
menhaden or shad but I have used it on small mullet also.
Grab the old cast net and a box of some sort (I use a 48qt
cooler) and head for your favorite menhaden netting spot. You'll also need several pounds
of the cheapest possible non-iodized table salt. Expect to use a pound of salt for no more
than five pounds live weight of bait.
After covering the bottom of the cooler with bait about an inch
thick, cover it liberally with the table salt. (leave the plug out on the cooler so the
water drains out quickly) The bait should look like it got snowed over. Then go ahead and
lay on more bait and more salt until you're done.
Let this whole thing sit and drain for 24 hours with no
refrigeration. (Do NOT put any ice in there with the bait!) You'll be amazed at how much
water the salt pulls out of the bait.
After 24 hours, rinse the majority of the salt off the bait with
fresh water and let it drain.
If you're using the bait almost immediately, skip the rinse and
just use the bait straight out of the salt. It'll actually stay fresh enough to use for
several days if just left covered with salt and no refrigeration. (Don't lay it out in the
sun, naturally!)
If you plan to store (refrigerate) the bait, place the rinsed and
drained menhaden in zip-loc bags about the right size for fishing trips---sandwich size is
about right---and stick them in the freezer.
If you've ever frozen bait without this treatment, you know that
it tends to be really mushy when you thaw it. Bait treated as above will remain a lot
fresher and not mushy.
If the bait was properly salted before freezing, it will never
actually freeze solid because there is not much water left in it. Straight out of the
freezer you can reach in and grab a single bait because they won't freeze together.
Haven't tried it, but I'm told that the menhaden can come
straight out of the salt and go into one of those home food dehydrators and then be stored
virtually without refrigeration for up to a year.
Personally, I save bait like this during certain times of the
year for use during those times when fresh bait is very scarce, like mid-winter.
Reds, whiting, sand trout, croaker, and the occasional flounder
will gobble this stuff up. Trout are usually too picky, even though they love the swimming
around type menhaden.
And...as always...when you smell
watermelon...FISH!
More fishing advice will be posted here as
it is received...so CONTRIBUTE!
