what is the best speckled trout lures/softplastics they sell?? ive seen alot at academy and bass pro shops,the ones that are already rigged with a hook, like the ones from TTF and such, the all say Spec Killers etc.. which of these have yall used and which works best

Caught a 27 1/2 trout off a berkly gulg alive 3" shrimp the new penny one this past saturday night, had it on a jig head just threw off the pier at matagorda and let the current take it since the tide was going out and pow that big sow took it right off the bottom just had my rod laying on the pier LOL so not bad for doing nothing to catch it LOL.

As far as lures, I would say my best speckled trout producing lure would be a bone color topwater or bone color with silver sides topwater.

My personal favorite is the Heddon Super Spook and Super Spook Jr. I would never go wade fishing without one.

IMHO, I think the gulp shrimp 4" in new penny or glow color work best. They are easy to use, because you can fish it like live bait, pop it under a cork, or just jig it. It works well and is really easy to use. A little costly compared to other jigs, but still cheaper than live bait, and works just as well.

Last trip finally came full circle and dug the red/white shrimp tails out. Old school still catches the trout. Norton Sand Eels in pearl/chart & purple/chart on 1/8 oz. jigs are another standby. Lately 3" Gulp shrimp ivory or new penny free lined over grass has been a favorite.

As far as soft plastics I still use strawberry and white tail shrimptail jigs. As you said, they catch a lot of fish. I started using Kelly Wigglers since back in the 80s. And then the Norton shrimptails too. My favorite colors are strawberry/white, strawberry/firetail, purple/white, rootbeer/firetail, pearl/firetail, pearl/chartreuse, and glo in the dark.

But like you said old school strawberry and white shrimptails still catch a lot of fish. I still use them and catch lots of trout on them.

I use other soft plastics too with a lot of success like the Norton Sand Eels and Trout Killers and Salt Water Assassins and so forth but the strawberry/white shrimptail I have caught so many fish on over the past years.

And also I spray my shrimptails with WD-40 and it works great.

Yeah i am sold on that Berkly Gulg Shrimp thats for sure.

The Glad Shad rocks.

Wow, no one with the Corky Devil's or Devil eye. Never thought I see the day where the Corky isn't the first lure on the list.

wow thanks guys,, thats alot of options to try... sad to say im might go broke next time i step into Academy lol,,, u can use artificial at nigh?? holy [censored] i did not kno that seriously,, i have sum arti's, sum cocoho minoows n red/white and sum mirrorlure softies ummmm in dark red and chartreuse,, but have never even gotten a nibble with either, even with the wd-40 sprayed on it or the carolina lunker sauce thing but i guess im no using them right, or either always throw where theres no fish lol,,, im still trippin out about artificials at nite tho,, those topwaters are for like to use in he mornings mostly right?? or was i mislead? and thanks for all yalls responses

the texas tackle factory double shad rigs work really well. in glow color. cheap too. also rapala x-raps

Generally speaking topwater is only for daybreak. But usually right before dusk you can catch the trout, reds breaking the surface and throw thos poppers out there.

Another thing...don't waste your money on the Carolina Lunker sauce...it's worthless. If you want to get a "sauce" get the berkley gulp in either shad or shrimp. They work REALLY WELL! If you have doubts, you can meet us up when we're out there this monday. I'll show you what I'm talking about.

You will be amazed!

Been courious about the Devil Eye's. Saw some at Tackle Town in Rockport, and had heard about them on the fourum. Guy's around my coffee shop didn't seem to know much about them. Are they mostly an Upper coast thing that just hasn't caught on down there yet?

Corky sold the rights to 5 of its lures to Mirrolure so I think only certain tackle shops carry Corkys if they are not gone already as people are buying them up fast for collector's items.

Here is an article I found online about it:

Written by Thomas Phillips
Friday, 02 October 2009

Brandan Frederick, owner of the Tackle Box in Victoria, straightens some of the Corky inventory in his store. One customer had recently bought almost $1,000 worth of Corkys, saying he wanted to have the originals built by Paul Brown.

B&L Bait Co. recently sold the rights to five of its popular Corky lures to L&S Baits, the maker of MirrOLure brand lures, the owner of B&L said.

L&S will now manufacture the Corky�s Regular, Floaters, Devils, Fatboys and Devil Floaters, said Paul Brown. Brown and his wife have been manufacturing Corky lures for 21 years, he said, and he will still be involved with them. L&S will manufacture the lures at its plant in Costa Rica, and Brown was to travel there to help set up the operation.

�I never wanted to be the best lure in town or have a lure in every shop,� said Brown, 74. �MirrOLure�s gonna do that.�

But yeah slickrick, artificial lures definitely work in night fishing conditions.

The best color to use is black or black with a hint of chartreuse on the tail or head. It has to do with black color showing up best in the water at night. Kinda like at night when you look at trees against whatever bit of moonlight there is. The trees look black in color not green and most all distant objects at night in moonlight look black and so black is the best color at night you can see the best due to the way it casts a silhouette against other objects at night. So that's why a black lure or plastic bait works best at night.

That's why for night fishing I would use something like a Norton Sand Eel in Black Magic color or I use a black color with chartreuse head topwater Mirrolure. Black/chartreuse seems to be the best color combination at night.

As for topwaters, generally speaking they are mostly used at daybreak or dusk or any time you have cloud cover. But I have caught trout with topwaters during the day too with or without lots of cloud cover. But usually dawn and dusk seems to be the best times but there are many exceptions to that rule. Reason being it has to do with the way a topwater shows up better on the surface without too much of the sun's reflection on it so fish can see the bait better on the surface somehow in low light or cloud cover conditions.

igotsnagged.. the carolina sauce i bougt i cuz i seen it on TV lol i got like he whole bottle left and well its in the garbage can as of this morning,, crud i cant do monday wish i could tho.. when are yall going next?


thanks aj.. ive jus never really been a believer for sum odd reason with artificial.. i think i just need to one time see someone in person catch a fish with one and ill be a major believer,,, ima easily convinced person i should say..well visually covinced

Black is a good color at night because it's a dark color. Think about murky water if you're a fish looking up at a black v. white lure black because it's darker cast a darker silhouette making it more visible at longer distances.

The serious big trout guys swear by devil eye or devils during the winter especially. In matter of fact most of them will only throw the Corky's. I am not sure what to think about Mirrolure buying Corky's, that could be a good thing because hopefully they'll go down in price and normal fishermen can buy them and use them. It could also be a bad thing because Mirrolure might redesign them or they might not be as good quality. Either way we will see when they come out.

Pink Corkies.

Bone, chartruse, and red head Mirrolure's and and same color's for Heddon Spooks were always my favorites. Any time of day too.

kool thanks guys.. what do those corkys an devil eyes look like?? i think ive seen them before but not sure,, any links??

is that it?

Can someone please elaborate on the wd-40 thing? I've never heard of that.

I would have to go with the Berkley Gulp 4 inch new penny shrimp. Day in, day out, it is a producer. I put it under a cork on one of the new Marsh Works New Penny jig heads and it is a killer rig. I like the Marsh Works Bull Red Jig Head because of the larger hooks even in the smaller weights.

Berkley Gulp new penny shrimp? C'mom man, using those is like cheating !! I'm just playing with you. I just know people say that catching fish on them is just too easy it's like cheating they work so good and very effective bait. Just as good or better than live bait.

Yeah, the Corky line of baits is an extremely good bait and big trout producer. It has caught so many trophy speckled trout over the years and I know lots of people swear by them. I have a good collection of them but I never used them much and collected most of them, they being Texas lures and I like to collect Texas lures.

As for B&L selling the rights to the Corky baits to Mirrolure it could be a good thing since it will bring the lure to a bigger market. But then the qaulity could be affected. People always like originals made in Texas and when you change things people don't like that too much.

Like what happened to All Star rods when they sold to the Shakespeare company and some people are upset over it being that they are made overseas now and quality not the same as when they were made in Houston, TX. But like all things, including companies and corporations, they change with the times and a lot of times it means moving operations overseas.

Another good trout bait I like is the Mirrolure She Dog. Nice size and loud action and I catch a lot of trout on them.

I'm all for the Corky baits going mainstream. As to a possible change in quality, I'll never no the difference since I could never find an original on the shelf.

That is a Corky Devil. Great lures, love that color. the Devil Eyes are a soft plastic bait, but not made by Paul Brown. I have mixed emotions about the Mirrolure buyout. Half the fun of buying Corky's was going to Paul Brown's house and visiting with him, he is a great guy. Maybe they will a little easier to get now, but hope Mirrolure doesn't change anything.

Yeah, a lot of people liked the fact of it being a Texas made lure and like you said also meeting and visiting Paul Brown for those that know him. I think I met him at a fishing show in Houston back in the early 90s and B&L had a booth there. If it was him he was a really cool guy and I bought a lot of baits from him almost every day at the show there.

I suppose when Mirrolure makes them now, there may be subtle differences but I am quite sure they will be able to reproduce the baits as exact to the original as possible since Paul Brown will be involved in the operation of the plant in Costa Rica, but we'll see. People may be a bit upset over it being that it will not be a Texas made lure anymore but at least it has a Texas origin which is what counts and overall I think it is a good move to make the Corky baits more available to a wider group of fisherman that may otherwise have not been able to buy the baits in their local tackle shops.

Rootbeer DOA shrimp or 1/8 norton bull minnow in pumpkin pearl

well guys thanks a bunch for all of yall input on my question,, well i went to academy, texas tackle unlimited, bass pro and marburgers and bought almost every single lure and soft baits yall recommended except for some colors that i wasnt able to find, i spent about ehh nearly 60 bucks for all the lure i bought, well im sad to say i had no luck with any of them, not because they dont work im sure but i couldnt get a bite out of any excet the new penny gulp shrimp.. but hey i actaully caught a couple fish with it and now i am a believer in artificials,, i dont know it it was my presentation or wut with the others, i even sprayd them with the gulp spray in shrimp scent and also wd-40 with the sae results(no bites), i was rigging the softies on weedless and jig head with about 15-20 inches of flurocarbond lines tied to my main line, tried carolina rigging and popping corks but nothing, the hard plastics were tied on with 15-18 inches of fluro also but still no luck,, but i guess it was just my luck i dunno o i was just throwing them where there was no fish, but yea id still like to thank all of yall for all of yalls help and tips an still going to continue usin all these lures

A buddy of mine uses norton sand eels for trout. ive tried some but i dont really know how to work artificial baits. ive caught 4 or 5 this month using shad.

kool thanks NeedABoat,, im wit u on that,, ive boughten severl artificials this past month and hvent had luck with any except gulp new peny shrmp but who doest catch fish with them, iguess u gotta know how to work the arties..i know i dont

Gulps are alright, but in really skinny water they suck at swimming. The classic Queen Cocaho Minnow is still the best for shallow water trout action.

kool thanks the bill collector

Yeah, the Cocahoe Minnow is a great artifical to use as well as another one H&H makes called the Sparkle Beetle.

For soft plastics this is another one I recommend right now for trout, reds, and flounder in Galveston Bay. Bass Assassin/Saltwater Assassin in 10W-40 color. It's like a rootbeer color against the light.

Fishing on the bank at Rollover Pass i have catching many nice trout(4lb.-9lb.) with this rig:



And many specks 15-20 inch with BASS ASSASSIN 2 inch(chartreuse silver glitter,crystal,limetreuse):

thanks Aj and Jean ima try those out,, hey jean that first one is that a homemade rig?

Yes al my rigs is home made by me special for fishing at ROLLOVER PASS.Because i don't have boat i am fishing with long rods(over 10ft.) and i am handicap i am fishing all the time on the bank(99% at ROLLOVER PASS).
I use braid 4lb-6lb.-10lb., fluorocarbon leader 8lb-15lb and spinning reels(DAIWA SS TOURNANENT 700,1300 ,1600)

kool kool sounds good, have you found any other places to fish when they close down roll over pass?? ive never been there myself but im dieng to go before they close it up

I have problems with my legs,so i can't walk on the jetty or with my tackle long distance from my car.
I don't like to fish on the piers because are to many people and many don't know to fish...

Rollover Pass is the best place for me to fish,because i can park my car close to the bank, seat on my chair or on ice box and try to catch some fish with artificials.I can't fish on foot standing
for long time so i use the chair or my ice box to seat when i am fishing.
If they close down Rollover Pass ,maybe i go to Texas City Dike,but no place is like Rollover PASS where i was catching a lot of nice fish(trout,red fish,spanish mackerel,black drum ,flounder)with artificials.

Sorry for my broken english !!!!

well thats kool,, n u catch all those types of fish on artificial?? maybe i needa take some lessons from u because ive boughten several arificials this past month and havent any luck with any lol, gotta be sumthn im duin wrong,, but yea the texas city dike i aint ever fished there bfore either i think

I am fishing just with artificials,i don't like to fish another way and i was catching many nice fish at ROLLOVER PASS.

yea i have a bg assortment of different soft plastics and a couple of had plastics topwaters n sinkers but ive never had any luck what so ever with them exept the gulp shimp but then again who doesn catch with those... i just wunna put these arties i bought to good use,, and i know there all really good lure because they were all recommended by users on this site so i knnow there good, but i guess its jus my presentation and rigging that needs alot of work

I've been givin' your problem some thought rick. What weight/type line are you using when you fish plastic? I know bait soakers tend to use heavy line 14#+.

well for my main line im using either power pro or spider wire in 30#test,,and tied to the end of that ill put 3-4ft of flurocarbon leader in 30#test..i know that may too much test but i bought it and just tryna use it before i buy some more and if that critical ill just buy some lesser test before my next outing.. and im using a albright knot to tie both lines together.. it makes a very small knot and its never got hung up or stuck in the guides when im casting.. and to the end og the flurocarbon leader i tie a size 3(i think, its fairly small) swivel that has a clip on it, and i clip my lures to that, i just clip the hard plastics on to that and the soft plastics i put either a jighead or a weedless type hook thru them in the weight of either 3/8, 1/2 or 1/4oz.. i try to go a lil heavy so i can cast a lil further becuz everytime ive used a smaller weight i get very poor distance and backlash alot on a baitcaster,, im fixina get a small spinner combo so throw small weights tho

@way2slickrick,

If you fish inshore you don't need so strong line(30lb!!!)
I was catching many nice fish(23lb.red fish,9lb. trout etc.)using FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB +fluorocarbon leader 8lb.-15lb.Using spinning reels and 4lb.-15 lb. braid you can cast easy smaller weight and if you are in the right place you can catch fish.

hmmm i see,, ima have to go back to academy tomorow or walmart n get me some smaller test brid and smaller test fluro leader material... i got 30#braid and 30# fluro leader right now so i definetely need change it

He meant 30# braid so it's thinner than mono, and 30# fluorocarbon just to use as a shock leader.

If I use braid I use either 20# or 30# Sufix braid but I use mono more often than braid. Usually 10 lb. test mono is what I use the most and 8 lb. test on spinning rigs.

If you want a good distance baitcasting reel to throw lighter lures then the Shimano 50 MG is a good reel for that. They don't make them anymore but that reel in my opinion is one of the best for throwing lighter lures and I like them. It's a great all around reel too but it's really good for throwing lighter lures.

I already send you one PM about my fishing at ROLLOVER PASS for flounder and red fish with FIRELINE SMOKE 4LB.and long rods.

How is Rollover right now Jean?

I know they are closing it down and I want to fish it before they shut it down for good. Is there still time before they shut it down?

Sorry,i don't know because last time i have fishing at Rollover Pass was in ....15 September!!!!.I was sick long time and this fall i was catching just 2 flounder(19,20 inch) at Franch Town in o5 November '09 using GULP MINNOW GRUB 3 inch pearl(beetwin 1am and 3pm).
At 05 september'09 i was not fishing at Rollover Pass because the water was to fast,not good for jig fishing and i don't like to fish with live bait.
In the way home to Houston i stop for one hour at Rollover Pass,looking how a lot of fishermans catching flounder with finger mullet,2oz.-3oz.weight,very,very close with de bank on the bay side.
You can see the people fishing that day in:

-

thanks Jean