As mainly a Bass fisherman i dont even consider using live bait when im out on the lake, its artificial all the way. however, ive been starting to pick up on inshore fishing and love it but have only had luck on live bait for the most part. talking to some inshore tourney guys all they use is artificial. For me, its easier to make live bait look alive than it is to make artificial bait look tempting(obviously...). i just wanted to see some opinions on bait preference from some of yall and see what works best for whom?

It sounds as though I come from a similar background as you except I may be more advanced in the saltwater department. I love to fish with whatever the fish are biting whether thats artificial or live bait. The thrill I get from trout thumping my croaker gives me just as about much joy when the fish just about yanks the rod out of my hand with a talc on. I've had days where the fish would only take live and others where the fish would only take artificial. Either way I find most enjoyment reeling in and fighting a nice fish on my rod.
As for suggestions of how to make you artficials look more "alive" there are tons of articles out there suggesting how to fish lures and when to fish them. I think whats most important though is being at the right place. If you see a small slick forming get over there asap and start casting your lure. Live bait may in general may produce more fish, but I can almost guarentee you that artificial will produce a higher percentage of gamefish.

what type of artificials are you generally using for reds, trout, etc.

Depends on the situation, IMO. A big factor is water quality/visibility. Another is the feeding situation. For example, when slick fishing in green water artificials work for me almost as well as live bait. Same for bird fishing. Actually, artificials offer a big advantage when you've got a school pinned down in that you can re-cast much faster after landing a fish. If you can spot the fish, artificials also work as well as bait.

On the other hand, if you are not fishing a known school or area with fish and just searching for individual random fish, live bait is the best ticket for me.

Like Wrangler says, its all fun no matter what you choose, but certain situations artificials are best and others bait works best.

Good points everyone. Sometimes you have to use live bait! In East bay in the summer spec's will hold on oyster shell and they will bite live croaker the best I would say 5 to 1 if not more. I would rather cast salt assasons.

Generally for trout and reds, you can use similar types of baits. I like using norton sand eel jr.'s with a 1/16th ounce jig head because of their durability but any type of saltwater assassin bait is good. Red with a white tail time and time again seems to be a pretty productive color. As a general rule of thumb, try to pick a color that has a bright and dark color to it.

As for on the top I highly recommend anything like Mirrolure's top dog shedogs. They imitate a jumping mullet making them a great bait. Also, they aren't too big and rattle to grab attention to fish.

Like I metioned earlier, location is the most important thing and this applies to reds and trout too. Reds will usually be found hugging the shoreline from 1-3ft of water. Trout on the other hand, unless spawning, are going to be found in deeper water. This includes submerged reefs or a deeper area of a grass and sand flat. Flounder, for me, are a lucky catch. I think if you really wanted to target them, anywhere in sand in grass would be good using saltwater assassins.

I hope this helps you in your pursuit of these awesome gamefish.

i appreciate it, how exactly are you workin the plastics (compare them to any bass bait if possible.)

Well, i usually will go with the simple reel, jerk and pause approach. You of course can vary it however you like. I'd say the retrieve is most similar to pulling in a lipped crank bait. You want to let it drift for a second or two to let the fish grab it.

SigJack-

Most common lures:

-Soft plastics on jighead. Norton Sand Eeels, Norton Bull Minnows, or SaltWater Assassins will work. Work these lures like you would a jig/pig on rocky ledges, not like pitching a jig in heavy cover.

-Topwater: Skitterwalks, Super Spook Jr's, Top Dogs, She Dogs on windy days, etc...Pretty much work these like any walk the dog topwater. Vary the retrieval speed until you find what they want.

Suspending lures: B&L Corky Fat Boy, MirroLure Catch 2000 or Catch 5, X-Raps...Slow and steady seem to work best. Twitch, pause, twitch, pause...

I fish with artificial 99.9% of the time. If you can't get the to hit a soft plastic, try using a popping cork and Berkley Gulp! shrimp in 3" size and New Penny color. Work this slow and methodically...Pop, wait 10 seconds, Pop, Pop, wait 10 seconds...use that method if wading, if drifting you will have to speed it up a little bit.

Soft plastics will work just about year round and the topwater bite is just starting to turn on.

Colors:

Soft plastics: Norton colors-Tequila Gold, Morning Glory, Mardi Gras. General colors-Plum/Chart, Strawberry/White, Amber/Chart, Black/Chart

Topwater colors- Bone, Pearl, orange, pink, black/chart head, red/white

Pretty much, you want dark colors and natural colors.

Glow is a good one too.

there you go ross, speakin a language i understand haha, i appreciate it, sounds like a mix of a shakey head/jerkbait type with the plastics(considering they are pretty much soft jerks) and a simple walk the dog... can do. thanks

i notice im the only one who ever mentions glow DOA's on here. am i the only one who does good with em?

I get to the coast about five times a year, artificial's only. zara spook jr, or zoom fluke avacado /red tail are primary baits.

fluke is dead sticked or worked very slow with a slight pull or two with the rod tip.

Ross,

How do you hook the gulp shrimp? what size and style hook do you use? I am new to saltwater fishing and will be staying at Tiki Island for a week in April. I would like to try that technique in the canals at night over the green lights for some Specks.