Captain's Tip - Change up the Bait
It seems like I'm doing it more often with success. Changing up the type of bait has really been making a difference on my trips. Last month I spent a couple weeks throwing hand-picked select shrimp into a redfish hole catching one after the other then they stopped. I changed up to three inch pinfish and caught them for another week before they left. FYI, I didn't fish the hole out - ninety percent were over the slot of twenty-seven inches and were released. This time the change up brought slot sized fish - all we were catching was pinfish and small snappers while using shrimp. With the half dollar sized pins we put slot sized trout, and reds in the box, however it's the snapper that were the surprise. Many times in the bay the slot snapper are ten to twelve inches. With these pins they were up to fifteen inches and chubby. When we did run out of pins and go back to shrimp it was like turning a light switch, the big fish wouldn't eat and the smaller fish robbed us. So, don't leave the old cast net in the garage, throw it in the boat and if you see those little pins flashing in the turtle grass catch a couple - see what happens, you may be surprised. One last note - these pins are small and a large hook will weigh them down. Try a #4 Owner MUTU circle hook, that's what I used and it worked. Not to be confused with a 4/0 - it's #4.
Tight Lines & Good Times, Capt. Terry Frankford
Reelin & Chillin Charters Inc.