Inshore Report
Inshore light tackle bite has been light!
We have not been setting the world on fire with large catches of inshore red fish, spotted sea trout, or flounder. About the only fish that seemed to braving the springing tides was the old whiting. I would like to report that some of these fish have been a little on the large side. (Sometimes referred to as bull whiting) Not only did we have raging currents we had tons of floating marsh grass involved in the mix. While bottom fishing in the sound I landed more stick fish than the real thing. And if I had kept the stuff, dried it, and made baskets with it I could have made quite a few dozens of all assorted sizes!
If you happen to catch the one hour between tides change this might have been the only time that your chances for catching a fish exactly prevailed! The best news is there is always opportunity to do better next week!
Sound report
How to catch a trophy red fish in the sound!
When we go fishing in the sound, especially during this time of the year, plain old bottom fishing comes to mind. With water temperature on the cold side you really don’t know what you might catch. It can be anything from a whiting to a cold water shark to a big trophy red fish. It is truly amazing just how big these reds do get. Just thinking about them making way though the rivers and sounds it almost not believable, but it happens almost every year. When the water temperature is less than 60 degrees the sharks and smaller fish bites is at its minimal stage. With this being a said, your bait can stay on the bottom for longer periods of time without being picked to death by crabs, smaller fish, and sharks of all sizes. The gives the old red fish time to smell and then find your bait offering. The absolute best bait for trophy red fish is fresh whiting. It is simple bait for sure. All you do is cut the head of the whiting while leaving about 1 inch of meat attached. Here’s why this bait is so good especially to a red fish. A fish head holds lots of inviting smells and as the water flows through it these aromas are carried with the current. Then bottom currents push down the scent causing it to travel in its own little special layer in the water column. That layer of water would be right at the bottom level. Red fish are basically bottom feeders that root as they go. Once a fish picks up interesting scent they swim towards it. The closer they get to the source of the smell the stronger it gets. At ground zero (the whiting head) the red fish is going to want to eat for sure!
This is a whiting head that I have put on a hook, which is my favorite trophy red fish bait while fishing in the sound!
Artificial Reef Report
March 15, 2015 Sunday
Believe me when I say, “It was a family bottom fishing affair!”
Buffington Family Catching Affair!
Here’s how the catching and keeping went. While bottom fishing at the artificial reef L the group caught their limit of nice size black fish. Then we decided to give offshore trophy red fish fishing a try! We jigged three assorted jigs at a time, had a few hit, and misses. As if clockwork was on our side the bite began.
Front row left to right: Hannah Buffington, Alan Godwin, and Hannah’s brother John
Back row left to right: Shannon and Jamie Buffington (Hannah and John parents)
Red Fish Catching Tagging Mania
Well, I have to say, “This past week has been so catching interesting!” And I will be so sad when it changes and of course it will! For the past few weeks I have been telling offshore customers that if they want to catch fish they would need to book at least a 6 hour offshore trip. The reason being is that the current colder water ocean temperatures has moved the black sea bass from the near shore artificial reefs to the next set, which is an additional 10 mile boat ride. The best news is that when we get there we catch lots of black sea bass, which is a lot of fun. Not only fun, but these fish are great to eat! After the fishing for black sea bass is over, which means we have caught our limit I offer yet another catching opportunity. Most customers don’t think much about what I am saying, because they know it just might not happen. And I am always saying, “We could try to catch a trophy red fish, tag it, and release it back to wild.” And that is exactly what we have been doing!
Jamie Buffington and his son John are both sporting fish catching smiles. Jamie’s red fish couldn’t pass up the way he worked his diamond jig. This trophy red fish could not pass up the old diamond jig movement trick. It’s so simple, cast out, let jig free fall to the bottom, retrieve it using you favor twitch, cast out again, let it free fall to the bottom, and repeat.
Pretty Hannah Buffington is holding up a nice red fish that she caught while working a diamond jig. As you can see this red fish has been tagged and is just about to be reintroduced back into the wild!
Best Baits
While jigging over the wreck located at artificial reefs, located in 55 feet of water, the trophy red fish bite has been very good. Best lures to jig are diamond (with or without trailing tubes) and assortment of butterfly jigs. Another type of jig that will work is a jig head/white hair rigged with screw or paddle tail. My preferred and most used jig is designed by Captain Cefus’s and made by the Whoop Ass Tackle Company. No tackle box should be without them! http://www.nutsandboltsfishing.com/c...tackle-company This lure can trigger a more than serious fish hit! They work on all sorts of bottom to top water fish.
How to work these baits when fishing an underwater structure
Best ways to work your jig is to start up current of wreck, which means where you don’t see any structure on your fish finder. Then I suggest dropping your lure all the way to the bottom and then reeling up pass the height of the structure. This means if your structure is up about 10 feet into the water column I suggest reeling up about 12 feet. Once achieving this goal I suggest working your lure by simply moving rod up and down. This action will bring your lure straight up and then when you lower your rod the lure free falls. It is a known fact, proven by me at least when fishing from the Miss Judy Too, that a red fish normally hits the lure when it is falling. I don’t suggest dropping back to the bottom until after you have passed the structure. This keeps you from getting hung on the wreck. As you know jigs are expensive with some costing over $20.00 each. However, as my daddy used to say, “There is no reason for crying over lost lures especially if they are catching fish!” This is kind of like the other old saying, “If you aren’t losing tackle you aren’t fishing close enough to the structure!”
Some fishermen while waving up and down with their lures will add a twitch or two. This is when your lure movement becomes signature only to the fisherman working the rod. I have seen this on my boat many times. Some fishermen can dial in a fish’s bite pattern better than others. The secret to reaching this goal is to always be confident in regards to personal moves made! Laugh if you want, but negativity runs right down your line and ruins your chances for catching a fish! I call this old school logic!
Captain Kathy Brown and Alan Godwin (with the Buffington Family) He is holding his just caught, fought, landed, tagged, and released red fish.
March 16, 2015 Monday Red fish catching affair
Caught, fought and tagged seven red fish!
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