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Lures in the bay
#14071074
07/23/21 03:48 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774
Holzer
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774 |
OK, got my solo saltwater trip under my belt. Didn't catch a fish in the bay but ready to go back and try something else.
What's you're top 2 or 3 colors / types of baits when fishing the bay? With plastic swim baits, how heavy of a jig head do you like to go with? The grass ate several of my lures this week.
I just took a little of what I already had rather than to buy new tackle. I either threw all of the wrong colors, fished them the wrong way, or just flat out fished where there were no fish.
Holzer My pic is gone
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14071091
07/23/21 04:03 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,700
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,700 |
My selection is short but works. All plastics are on a 1/8 oz Oldham head. The screw lock will catch more fish because the plastic won’t slide down the hook when a big trout or flounder clamp down.
Stained/colored water get hogie super minnow. Pumpkin chartreuse when it’s over cast, red glitter white tail in bright sun. Clearer water is time for Norton sand eel. Tequila or Baffin magic.
My neighbor just used plum chartreuse Norton bull minnow and does well.
Don’t overthink bay fish they really aren’t picky.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14071210
07/23/21 05:21 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774
Holzer
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774 |
Thanks Pat.
Do you work your baits above the grass or through it?
Holzer My pic is gone
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14071369
07/23/21 08:02 PM
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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,005
Osbornfishing
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,005 |
My go to is a 3/4 ounce gold Johnson spoon. It will catch redfish, trout, ladyfish, mackerel, and jacks.
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14071463
07/23/21 10:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,700
Pat Goff
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,700 |
Thanks Pat.
Do you work your baits above the grass or through it? Definitely above. Seagrass ends the cast immediately. Your prime areas will have grass with potholes. 90% of your action will come out of the holes.
Pat Goff Seadrift TX
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14072696
07/25/21 11:33 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 14,195
Fishspanker
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 14,195 |
Get jig heads from 1/16 to 3/8 oz. grass gets lightest you can throw. Potholes in the grass. Let hit go to the bottom in those and work close to the edges. Above the grass every where else. Outside the grass they want it in different part of the water column at different times. Usually start on the bottom. Sometimes they want it worked dead slow other times they want it worked pretty aggressively. Try different things and let them tell you what you want. Once you figure out the cadence and where in the water column keep doing that as long as it’s working. Usually wading catches them better than out of the boat. One guy will get into them and it’s “purple reign dead slow on the bottom, 1/4 oz jig head”. Gives everyone a good idea of presentation. Some days you can catch them on just about any bait, jig head or cadence. Other days they are super picky and only want it one way. There can be short windows of opportunity so you need to be in the right place to capitalize on that. Tide, tide, tide.
I like the Down South Burner Shad for a good all around tail. You can work it jigging or just straight reel it. Darker water typically get darker colors clearer water gets lighter colors. If I could only throw one color it would be Chicken of the Sea. The ones with the chartreuse tails probably catch more fish, especially smaller fish. The ones with out the chartreuse tails seem to catch bigger fish at least for me. Purple Rain, White Ice, Super Natural, Color X, Blue Moon they all catch fish.
Most important is to be where the fish are snackin. Tide, water color, bait, current, bottom composition are all important. Need to develop the ability to read the water.
Using a good guide will quicken the learning curve. Rather Ethan try to get spots find out why he is selections spot, lure, tide, tie. Of year, timing etc. That 100X more valuable than spots.
Last edited by Fishspanker; 07/25/21 11:49 AM.
The Sheep who only fears the Wolf is eaten by the Shepherd.
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14073624
07/26/21 02:15 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 814
split cane rod
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 814 |
Check out my son’s business: biteandfightangler.com
He makes soft plastic baits. He lives in Alvin, TX. He kayak fishes all the time. He is on Facebook and YouTube,
I live in East Texas, and I went fishing with him a few weeks ago. We only fished with his lures, and I brought home a cooler full of fish. Flounder, Speckled trout, and Redfish were caught.
He is very forthcoming with information on how and where to catch fish. His lures work!!
JR
Split Cane Rod
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14073696
07/26/21 03:34 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774
Holzer
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774 |
Thanks for the tips. I'll for sure have to get me some lighter jigheads. Most my stuff is 1/2 oz or heavier because I'm used to fishing deep water. Most of my smaller lighter heads that I would use for whitebass have a "flimsy" hook. I'll be looking for some of those heads that have the lighter lead head but strong hook.
Holzer My pic is gone
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14085773
08/06/21 08:35 AM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 415
Lindsey
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 415 |
Holzer I definitely recommend a 1/8 or 1/16 oz jighead. Most of the lure's weight is in the bait itself. Consider tandem rigging too. You can make a bunch yourself very inexpensively. They cover a ton of water and catch fish. 1/16 oz definitely recommend there.
I'm not a chick.
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14085781
08/06/21 09:46 AM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 415
Lindsey
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 415 |
Some other things too-to avoid the grass, you can just powerfish your way through it. I discovered it by accident constantly fouling in the dense seagrass. By fishing fast with jerks and pauses, you cover a ton of water and knock off most of the grass that sticks to your hook. And trust me when I say this-you can't reel your bait faster than a redfish can swim. You can also rig 5 inch jerkbaits weedless with the screw in hooks. Tex-spose the hook and you're weedless. As for baits I love the Zman series. Extremely durable, lifelike, and effective. The Paddlerz, dieZel minnow, and jerkbaitz work very well for me. The Troutsupport lure is very effective too. Rig it weedless on a 5/0 hook. My other favorite bait is the Norton Bull Minnow. So simple and effective. Literally all colors work.
I'm not a chick.
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14086105
08/06/21 03:50 PM
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 647
Captain Nathan Beabout
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 647 |
All great suggestions on here, but for starters get you the 3-4 fundamental colors(chicken of the c, pumpkinseed, plum/chart, and a red/white, and experiement with them on 1/16-1/8oz jigheads. once you have figured these colors out in different water colors and cloud covers simply expand your color selection. On my Youtube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCblbilBvpSfzOPxb6w-fx4w, I have under the playlist tab, Why's and Why Nots of Fishing videos. these are all meant to be instructional videos and help anglers of all skill levels. I have 2-3 videos that cover this topic, from selection to retrieving.
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Holzer]
#14091685
08/11/21 09:28 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774
Holzer
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 6,774 |
Thank you all ![flag flag](/forums/images/graemlins/default/flag.gif)
Holzer My pic is gone
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Re: Lures in the bay
[Re: Captain Nathan Beabout]
#14093595
08/13/21 12:26 PM
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Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,240
Jerry713
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 1,240 |
All great suggestions on here, but for starters get you the 3-4 fundamental colors(chicken of the c, pumpkinseed, plum/chart, and a red/white, and experiement with them on 1/16-1/8oz jigheads. once you have figured these colors out in different water colors and cloud covers simply expand your color selection. On my Youtube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCblbilBvpSfzOPxb6w-fx4w, I have under the playlist tab, Why's and Why Nots of Fishing videos. these are all meant to be instructional videos and help anglers of all skill levels. I have 2-3 videos that cover this topic, from selection to retrieving. Holzer if you have time Capt gives some good info on his channel. Well worth the watch.
You get out of it what you put into it!
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