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HOF TIPS – Feb. 08
FLOAT APPROACH
Redfish like to snoop around potholes for food, but when clear water
and/or heavy fishing pressure makes them jittery, you may have trouble
casting a live bait close enough without spooking them. You can
try casting ahead of the fish and letting your quarry come to your
bait, but shrimp and baitfish will usually try to hide in the grass.
Reds might sniff out the meal, but that’s not guaranteed.
To improve the chances of a fish finding your live bait, rig it
under a small cork and set the float just high enough to suspend
your offering a couple inches above the grass line. Cast several
yards past the fish and gently reel your bait in front of them until
they spot it. If the fish are tailing (turning vertical to root
along the bottom), keep tugging your bait along until the fish right
themselves and move forward.
WHERE TO WADE
Approaching fish on foot offers benefits of stealth and close contact
with the fishing environment. However, site selection is just as
important as when you’re fishing from a boat – even
more so because of your limited range. The key to productive wading
is choosing an area that offers one or more of the elements that
fish seek. That means food, shelter and comfortable temperature.
When picking a starting point, watch for birds diving on baitfish
schools or big fish breaking at the surface. Rocks, oyster bars
and mangrove edges provide attractive cover, while potholes, channel
edges and creek mouths hold deeper water with more stable temperatures.
Mud banks are especially attractive during cooler periods, because
this dark bottom absorbs the sun’s heat and radiates the warmth
like a heating blanket. Fish will move onto these comfortable spots
as the tide rises. Concentrate on areas that naturally attract fish
and you’ll spend more time reeling and less time looking.
POP WITHOUT POPPING OFF
Popping corks are an effective tool for artificial or natural bait
presentations, but you can’t pop when the popping cork pops
off your line. Most popping corks have a slit in the side that your
line slips into and a peg that pushes down from the top to secure
the cork’s position. If the line is not on the inside of the
cork’s center hole (opposite the slit), the cork may slip
off when you pop it or when you’re fighting a fish. Avoid
this hassle with a little cork maintenance. Buy some electrical
tape – I prefer red or green for optimal visibility –
and wrap it around the cork to secure the line inside the hole.
If you need to remove the cork from the line, unwrap the tape and
replace it as needed.
WINTER SHRIMP RIG
During the winter months, not many baits produce as well as live
shrimp, but you’ll need a strategic rig for the most effective
presentation. Much of the cool season action occurs at or near the
bottom, so bouncing a shrimp low and slow will appeal to snook,
trout, redfish, sheepshead, and mangrove snapper hanging around
docks, pilings, oyster bars and rocks. Start with a 1/8 or 1⁄4-ounce
jighead and run the hook through the side of its head shell and
out the top center, next to the horn. Be careful not to puncture
the dark spot (the brain). When small fish nip off your shrimp,
reduce your bait size by pinching the shrimp in half and threading
a head or tail piece onto the hook.
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