Yesterday I had some incredible fishing in the surf. I caught a limmit of trout, 4 spanish mackrel, 2 bluefish, and 1 snook. Though this looks like one of the best days ever, it was topped by about 6 or 7 fellow anglers. All of these anglers were using live shrimp and that seemed to be the ticket. They caught about 4-5 fish to my 1. I was using artificials. It took me about an hour to make the right ajustments and start catching fish. At one point I became frustrated and tied on a cork. However, after my first cast I went back to my lures. Though I caught fish at a slower rate than the potlickers(not to insolte), I had more inner satisfaction in knowing that I used more skill to catch the fish. Fish arent very smart anyway and getting a hit on live bait is almost purely luck. Furthermore, it was an interesting challenge trying to find a lure that would produce a strike. Looking back, that was fun in itself. All in all, I guess that just catching fish is cool regardless of bait. However, lure fishing makes it more of a sport than a passtime.

Just curious, what did you tie the cork above?

when I said cork I ment a popping cork for live shrimp.

I used to fish the Highway 35 Shootout Tournament in Port O'Connor with artists Sam Caldwell and Ben Kocian. We had "hardware" and "live bait" team divisions, and we always fished the hardware side.

We got beat about four out of five times, but we were out there to enjoy fooling those fish on lures.

I work marketing live bait (Black Saltys) and spend a lot of time fishing them, shooting photos of fish taken on them, and best of all, taking guys who have yet to do a lot of fishing and shooting pics of them catching fish. Live bait, especially large live bait, calls for some technique of its own, timing-wise on the hookset.

Reckon I'll never be a "purist," but then again, I never go without taking a fly rod, either. When it's right, it's right ... and when it ain't, live bait can sure turn the tables on an otherwise slow day.

Then again, sometimes it's just fun to kick back as opposed to "grinding" all day long.

God help me; it sounds like I'm getting old

Good fishing, everyone ...

Boz

I never understood the theory behind fishing a black salty. It is not even a natural bait for saltwater species. Yea, it may work sometimes but sometimes the sun shines on a dogs butt. I guess that someone used them when the trout were biting anything that moved and a craze began. I used them once and did not even have a bump. Also, it gets a little complicated if you are wade fishing with them. You have to tote them around in a bag of fresh water just like a goldfish. They kind of remind me of goldfish.

An artificial bait isn't natural either. Use what works.

I was curious where you got the live shrimp, because you said you don't like to fish live bait. Were you with people who do fish live bait?

Okay smarty, artificial lures mimic baits that they would naturaly see in the water. A bass assasins acts the same way as a wounded shad. A mirror lure works like a hurt hourse mullet. I can go on and on. Yea, there artificials but at least they portray a naturally occuring bait. A black salty is the biggest crock I have ever seen. I watched my dad try and use them and they were worthless. Before he ran out of croaker, he was catching one every cast. The bait store told him salties were like croker. They wernt. Croakers are natural trout prey, not like the goldfish your promoting. As for the live shrimp thing, I was introduced to saltwater fishing like everyone else, WITH SHRIMP. I fish enough to know just about every method of hooking every bait regardless of natural or artificial. I have no problem with live bait or bait soakers. My dad fishes along side me with bait everyday. Sometimes it is the only way to catch but it is just not for me. I look for a challenge. I guess I should try salty fishing because from what Ive seen it definatly is a challenge. How bout I used bacon on my next trip. HA HA

Got a little carried away. Like punch says, "I live for trash talk." NO HARD FEELINGS Kat. Maybee the salties work for you.

I think it is more of a case of using what you have confidense in. I fish artificials almost exclusively and seem to do as well or better than the folks using bait. I can't stand spending $16 on shrimp and half of them are to small to use. I am going to try some black salty's just to see what they are all about.

Not to offend Kat again, but I wouldnt try the salties. Im telling you that they wont work unless the trout are just supper aggressive. Stick with the lures.

I have never used salties so I am definately not offended. I see no reason to bash someone's product though unless you know for a fact that these things just flat out don't work. I have used croaker and caught trout, then switched to piggy perch and not gotten a bite. I have used shrimp and caught trout and switched to croaker and not gotten a bite. In either case that doesn't mean the other bait doesn't work, only that it didn't work that day.

The reason I asked you about the shrimp is because you started off bashing people who use bait, then said you used shrimp. I figured that, if you were using shrimp, you must have had shrimp, which means you bought shrimp, which means you thought you might need them. The other option was that someone else had shrimp and you used theirs.

The bottom line is that bashing another person's fishing preferences is not conducive to promoting the sport of fishing in any way. I also prefer artificials and have undoubtedly spent much more on them than on live bait, but I will not begrudge anyone who chooses bait over plastics or hard artificals, and if that's what they are biting, I have no problem being a "potlicker". If it puts meat in the cooler and it's legal, I will use it.

No offense to you of course.

I never bashed those using bait just said that I felt more gradification in lures because they take more skill. Also I have seen my dad use salties several times with absolutly no luck. Were I fish, thats all I need to see. Also, my friend was using the shrimp and I used them for about two seconds until I got borred. I call my dad a potlicker and when I engage in croaker fishing I call myself a potlicker. This is what you call it when your using live /dead bait so get over it. I am not calling you anything that is a new term. I would like you to find, since your so big on quoting people, where in my opening comment that I bashed anybody for using the shrimp. Calling them potlickers does not count. I simply said it was not for me. I also credited them for having better luck on that day than me.