On a rising tide, the remaining brown shrimp and growing white shrimp that fuel the Louisiana marsh ecosystem are scattered throughout the skinny-water marsh ponds, enjoying the hours of relative peace and quiet that accompany high water levels. To be sure, some get picked off by marauding hordes of redfish that scavenge around every grass bed, searching for any living morsel that might provide an appetizer before the entree really arrives.

That happens when the tide turns. As water levels begin to fall, tides stack the hapless shrimp on the conveyor belt of death, dragging them from back waters to the bigger lakes and bays. Redfish know this, of course, so they camp out at marsh drains, and let the food come to them. This puts the fish in an aggressive, feeding frame of mind, and makes them particularly susceptible to lures you’d find in the tackle box of a guy hoping to win the Bassmaster Classic.

One of my favorites is a Bill Lewis Echo 1.75 crankbait, a lure that’s obnoxiously loud and has more action than a salsa dancer. That’s what I had tied on during a trip in July that began just three hours before the sun would cross the western horizon. I intentionally started late, partially to avoid the suffocating heat but mostly because that’s when the tide was falling. While working the shoreline of a large marsh lake, I came upon a drain that was dumping gorgeous water from a pond choked with hydrilla and coontail. It certainly looked like a place that might hold a feeding redfish or two.

Not all my casts are perfect, but this one was, landing just at the opening of the drain. I wouldn’t have to wait long to see if any feeding reds were there. I don’t think I got two full cranks on the reel before something clobbered the hard-plastic bait and I instinctively set the hook. The water erupted in a froth of copper-tinted foam as a 27-inch redfish became enraged at the baitfish that seemed to have otherworldly power. The fish thrashed its head back and forth, and in the process managed to dislodge the hooks from its gaping maw.

The lure flew through the air, reentering the water about 5 feet away. I was disappointed at having lost the fish but, as always, impressed by the power and tenacity of these trophic marsh dwellers. Then something crazy happened. Apparently super annoyed that its easy meal had gotten away without providing a little corner of contentment in its belly, the redfish charged at the bait and absolutely obliterated it while it was resting motionless on the surface. I again set the hook, and this time, the fish wouldn’t get so lucky. It would never again get to swim where it wanted without a yellow tag near its dorsal fin.

Would the ubiquitous soft-plastic paddletail have elicited the same reaction from this redfish? Who knows? But it’s not for novelty that my favorite redfish lures this time of year would work equally well on a cypress-peppered flat of an impoundment. Redfish just can’t seem to resist them.

In addition to the crankbaits, I also regularly throw a gold-bladed spinnerbait teamed with a ¹⁄₄-ounce jighead and soft-plastic paddletail as well as a ribbed worm fished Texas-rigged below a ¹⁄₄-ounce tungsten bullet weight. The crankbait is my go-to in waters devoid of submerged aquatic vegetation or where there’s a hard edge to the grass that the fish use as a shoreline. When the grass is scattered, I’m more likely to reach for the spinnerbait, and in areas with drop-offs and ledges, the worm is hard to beat.

All are proving particularly effective this year. After a few meager seasons, the spawn of 2021 was especially robust, and those fish are all now in the 18- to 22-inch range. The marshes are absolutely crawling with redfish.

The post Bass Fishing for Redfish appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Circle hooks have taken over many fishing applications for their conservation and hook-setting benefits, but some captains say anglers might be missing an important point: J hooks perform more effectively in certain situations.

When targeting fish with small mouths, such as tautog and winter flounder, or when pursuing aggressive gamefish, such as tuna or mahi, captains often choose J hooks. Traditional inline Js also work best when replacing lure trebles with single hooks (a process that also offers conservation benefits), and for targeting certain soft‑mouthed predators such as swordfish. But choosing the right hook always boils down to a case-by-case approach.

Bait Fishing with Crabs and Blood Worms

“We typically use J and octopus hooks when we’re fishing for blackfish,” says Capt. John Luchka of Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “They have small mouths, and we use green, white-legger and fiddler crabs. You need that wide gap between the point of the hook and the shank to hook the crabs.”

Luchka says the tautog’s big front teeth and crushers usually prevent deep-hooking. In most cases, they’re hooked in the lip or mouth area. He cuts off the legs and claws of the crabs and runs a 3/0 or 4/0 hook through the bottom part of the crustacean where he removed one of its legs. Luchka uses inline J hooks for stripers when he’s fishing lures. He replaces treble hooks on swimming plugs with J hooks, which are easier to remove from a striper’s mouth.

J hooks also work better than circle hooks for winter flounder, he says. “They have a very, very small mouth, so we use a long-shank J-style hook or a bait-holder hook,” Luchka explains. “You’re not catching the fish deep in the throat or the gullet. For bait, we use sand worms or blood worms and thread them on the hook, a Chestertown 2/0 or 3/0. It’s hard to do that with a circle hook. And the longer shank of the hook gives you the leverage to remove the hook from a fish’s mouth and release it.”

Tuna Fishing on the Troll

When Luchka runs to the canyons for tuna and mahi, he trolls rigged ballyhoo with a 6/0 to 8/0 J hook, depending on the bait size. “[Mahis’] feeding behavior is very vigorous, so most of the time you’re going to hook that fish in the mouth,” he says.

To catch tuna, he fishes either naked ballyhoo or pairs that bait with a Joe Shute skirted lure. J hooks lie flat in the bait, unlike circle hooks, which would have to be bridled to a ballyhoo because “it’s next to impossible to thread a bait on a circle hook.”

When to Use J-Hooks

Capt. Tony DiGiulian, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, also replaces the plug trebles with J hooks. Otherwise, he only uses J hooks when he trolls lures and when he’s daytime swordfishing. Although he experiments with circle hooks for that fishery.

“You would probably have a better hookup ratio,” says DiGiulian, who releases both undersize and keeper-size swordfish. “If we get into a big pod of mahi, one thing we do is try to release a lot of fish. If we’re catching 5-or 6-pound females, we let all of them go. Our personal standard for size is way higher than what the state or federal limits are. We use circle hooks because we want to make sure that we can harvest the fish that we target, and that the fish we are releasing are released in good condition.”

When trolling for kingfish with planers and lures or strip baits, or targeting big blue marlin and tuna, he uses J hooks. “If I were trolling, I’d use either a single J hook or a double J hook set,” he adds.

Under special circumstances, he also uses J hooks when live-baiting for kingfish. “If I’m targeting just kingfish, and I know I’m in a spot where there are no sailfish around, I might fish some J hooks with live baits,” he explains. “Fish such as kingfish or wahoo, with really sharp teeth, like to immobilize a bait by biting off the tail or biting it in half. Then they eat the remaining chunk as it sinks, and the hookup ratio with a J hook is traditionally greater. Kingfish of 5 to 10 pounds are harder to hook on a circle hook. The big ones eat the whole bait on a circle hook.”

Better Hooks for Baitfish

Capt. Jamie Thinnes, who fishes out of Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego, says he primarily uses J hooks except when he’s fishing for bluefin tuna. A drawn-out battle with a bluefin often ends when the tuna spits the J hook because the angler failed to stay tight to the fish as it neared the boat and begin moving erratically.

“Bluefin tuna, they’re just smart; they just roll over and do a complete 180 on you,” he says. “Our catch rate is usually a lot higher with circle hooks.”

Yellowfin tuna are a different story. “If we’re fishing for yellowfins or yellowtail, we’re using mostly J hooks. A 3- to 4-inch live sardine is a perfect yellowtail-size bait.”

Thinnes uses light line, 20-pound fluorocarbon leaders and No. 2 and No. 4 Mustad bronze hooks up to 1/0 or 2/0. “For a small bait to swim really well, we have to collar-hook it. Being able to get a bait on the hook without damaging the bait is important. A J hook hurts the bait less. We’re able to grab a bait out of the livewell, snap it on the hook and let it out immediately. The less handling the better. Hooking a bait on a circle hook is more challenging.”

So don’t let those old J hooks rust just yet. At times, they’ll run circles around the competition.

The post When to Use Circle Hooks or J Hooks appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Mullet

King of the inshore baitfish, different mullet species are a favorite food for everything from striped bass to tarpon. Mullet connoisseurs prefer individuals that feed over sandy bottom for the finest bait. Apparently, they taste better to gamefish (and even anglers).

Mud Minnows (aka Mummichog)

The hardy little killifish is a great bait for flounder, redfish and speckled trout. Easy to catch in a small mesh trap, the minnows will stay alive for hours in the bottom of a cardboard box covered with a blanket of wet newspaper.

Herring

These come in different varieties. It could be threadfin herring in Florida. Or maybe it’s blueback herring or shad species farther north. No matter where you fish, herring are a likely baitfish worth using or imitating. Some herring species travel into fresh waters, making them great options for heavyweight catfishing too.

Atlantic Menhaden

They have been called the most important inshore fish as an essential part of the food chain and a powerful water filter. Menhaden start their life in the marsh where they feed the next generation of gamefish. Too small to use as live bait, the small, silver menhaden are imitated by dozens of twitch baits, soft plastics and swimming plugs.

Scaled Sardines (aka Pilchards or Greenbacks)

Sardines school up into living clouds of little fish providing a reliable source of food for all types of inshore gamefish. Whether used live, frozen or imitated with all sorts of lures, greenies are a best bet. Scaled sardines are known to spawn offshore and are especially popular on the Southwest coast of Florida.

The post Five Baitfish Species You’ll Find in the Marsh appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

In the prestige column, where largemouth bass rate a 10, bowfin come up snake eyes. But those who know and appreciate bowfin will tell you when it comes to rating these species’ fight, the bowfin should come out well on top. Very few native North American game fish will outfight the bowfin. Other names for bowfin include choupique (Louisiana), grindle, mudfish or dogfish.

Notice the descriptor “native.” No one can suggest the bowfin is introduced or invasive; in fact, they’re one of the most indigenous of our fishes, found only in (eastern) North America. And this living fossil has been around longer than most species of fish — since the Triassic era, 150 to 200 million years back. It’s the only living member of the order Amiiformes, other species extinct. Clearly, the bowfin is a survivor.

Bowfin are Tough-Fighting Fish

It’s also an irascible brute. After catching many bowfin, I’ve learned to be cautious when trying to unhook one, whether boat side or in the boat. One might suppose these fish wear themselves out with their take-no-prisoners response to being hooked: They make unstoppable runs, sudden turns and come flying out of the water in wild leaps. They just don’t give up. Yeah, bowfin really do make bass seem pretty tame.

If, after all that, you can get them to boat, watch out. Bowfin launch into what anglers have termed a death spiral: they spin unstoppably, with great force, twisting and wrapping themselves in line and leader, and often making it nearly impossible to zero in on the hook in their jaw with pliers.

Where to Catch Bowfin

Often in warm weather, shallow, weedy waters without much current become increasingly hypoxic, as oxygen is used up. Thus most game fish species move out to deeper, less oxygen-deprived habitat. But one predator can remain: the bowfin. That’s because this ancient species is a bimodal breather, retaining its ability to breathe air, which it does by gulping in air at the surface which it can store in its swim bladder from which small blood vessels can take in the oxygen as if from a lung.

This explains their tendency to gulp at the surface or roll in very shallow waters. Anglers may sight-cast to these fish, but success at that can be tricky. That’s because bowfin are decidedly not visual feeders. These patient ambush hunters sit motionless over or in weeds until prey — or a lure or chunk of bait — moves essentially right in front of them. That’s the challenge for the angler. Bowfin will hammer any moving lure as a rule if they see it, so an angler has to get his retrieve right past its nose. Then, hang on! Their no-nonsense strike can rip the rod out of unprepared hands.

Fishing for Bowfin

Fortunately, the odds of being able to get close enough to drop your offering into their zone are increased because these things are not spooky. I’ve had them swim away if alarmed but not far at all, then stopping to offer more shots. They can be wary, however, and a boat may inhibit them from striking.

Sight-casting to bowfin is action at its most exciting, when fishing waters clear enough to spot them. Often, enthusiasts like Florida angler Paul MacInnis say that clear conditions and sunlight are important, since, “They don’t tend to push wakes or tail when feeding to reveal themselves. But when I can get a lure in front of one, I like to give it just a twitch or two — just enough to catch the bowfin’s attention. They’re aggressive and will usually pounce on it.”

But mostly, anglers drifting over shallow, weedy waters with low visibility, probably drift right past the big ones. That’s when fishing live or cut bait gets results. Apparently, what bowfin lack in the way of visual acuity, they compensate for with a keen sense of smell and the ability to detect vibrations.

Bowfins are Not Snakeheads

Until recently, one could maintain that bowfin couldn’t be confused with any other North American fish found in the same waters. The invasion of Asian snakeheads in much of the United States has changed that, since the two species share a similar elongate shape and distinctive characteristics such a large rounded tail and a dorsal fin that runs more than two-thirds of the body length. Those familiar with both species easily distinguish them since the snakehead’s head is more streamline like a snake, whereas the bowfin’s is more rounded. Lastly, the snakehead has a very long anal fin, while the bowfin’s is quite short.

Of course a major difference is that bowfin are native sons. While some anglers mistakenly accuse them of “eating all the bass” and other gamefish, they’re not any kind of a threat to the ecological balance of waters in which they live. Unwanted bowfin should be released alive. On the other hand, snakehead are considered an invasive species, and many states still ask anglers to kill them if caught.

The post The Underrated Bowfin appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Some of the most productive areas you can fish appear as green blobs on coastal charts. While these areas are exposed to the atmosphere at low tide, they harbor plenty of fish when covered in water. Follow these tips to ensure you don’t damage the delicate marsh environment and end up on The Qualified Captain.

Learn the Waters

To effectively create a mental map of the marsh you intended to fish, you need to visit it at varying stages of the tide. I spend a fair amount of timed trudging through tidal mud at low tide looking for clams, so I know all of my local creeks intimately. If you don’t do this, I suggest at least anchoring the boat and walking the creek banks at dead low.

Proceed With Caution

Once you have a rough idea of where you can motor, do so at idle speed. You’ll want to probe likely areas for fish of course, but you’ll also want to poke around with an eye on the depth finder. Of course, a trolling motor excels here, so use it if you have it. If not, keep your motor tilted up a bit and look for a telltale plume of mud behind you.

Drop Some Breadcrumbs

Though these areas will show up as land on your plotter, you can still leave waypoints, or even better, a trail for you to follow. This will be your roadmap for future visits, but remember it is subject to change—a little bit of silt or an errant crab trap can ruin your day.

The post Tips for Boating in Shallow Water appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

If you walk into any Mid-Atlantic or Northeast tackle shop, fishing club or shady dockside bar and start talking about circle hooks, expect some mixed opinions. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission rules require anglers to use non-offset circle hooks when fishing bait for striped bass. And some stock assessments show that stripers are still not where they’re supposed to be. Circle hooks reduce release mortality. Despite some circle-hook skepticism, captains and pros have used them for years. They say the conservation-minded hooks work exceptionally well if you know how to rig them.

Fishing With Eeels

In late winter, Capt. Kenny Louderback slow trolls live eels off Virginia’s Eastern Shore. He fishes up to 10 rods, using planer boards to spread out the lines. The tactic produces a lot of slack line between the rod tip and the bait, which can impede striper hookups on circle-hook rigs. To improve his odds, Louderback says he waits until the fish pulls line off the reel before he takes the rod out of the holder. He also uses a lightweight circle-hook rig.

He snells an 8/0 Gamakatsu circle hook to 4 feet of 50-pound fluorocarbon, capped with a 150-pound-test barrel swivel. He slides a small, ½-ounce egg sinker onto his 30-pound monofilament mainline, and then ties the mainline to the swivel, creating a Carolina rig. To control the bait’s depth, he uses a heavier egg sinker. “I want just enough weight to keep my baits just below the surface,” he says.

Eels are slippery and very uncooperative. Given a chance, the slimy worm ties itself in a knot or slinks overboard. Louderback hooks the eel through the nose so it swims straight without tangling the line. Louderback points out that circle hooks improve the release survival of his catch.

Chesapeake Bay Striped Bass

Some years, 70 percent of the world’s striped bass come out of Chesapeake Bay, and Maryland anglers have perfected methods for catching these fish year-round. Capt. Greg Shute favorite time of year to target striped bass occurs in late spring and summer, when he anchors along a drop or channel edge and fishes menhaden chunks and live spot.

To fish cut menhaden, Shute uses a bottom rig with a 6/0 to 8/0 light-wire circle hook, made from narrower, more malleable wire. “I like a light-wire hook because it pierces the fish’s jaw,” he says. He snells the hook to 18 inches of 25-pound fluorocarbon, and ties the leader to a swivel. He threads a fish-finder slide and bank sinker onto his 20-pound-braid mainline, and then ties the mainline to the swivel and leader. Shute lightly passes the hook through a small piece of the chunk bait so the bait doesn’t interfere with the hook gap.

When he uses a live spot, Shute creates the same rig, but leaves out the swivel and sinker. He ties the leader directly to the mainline. “If I need a little extra weight I’ll pinch on a split shot,” he says. He runs the hook through the spot’s back, behind the head and in front of the dorsal fin. “This encourages the bait to swim down,” he explains. It also creates a solid connection without deep-hooking the bait.

New Jersey Cow Striped Bass

Capt. Greg Cudnik targets striped bass off the famed Long Beach Island in central New Jersey. From spring through fall, Cudnik chases striped bass in the ocean, inlet and back bays with live spot, eels and menhaden. To fish a live spot or eel, Cudnik chooses a 5/0 circle hook. For live menhaden, he upsizes to a 9/0 circle hook. He prefers a wide-gap circle hook, like the Mustad 39951, that he can dig a little deeper into the bait.

Cudnik snells the hook to 25 inches of 50-pound fluorocarbon tied to a small, 230-pound-test swivel. He passes his 30-pound braid mainline through a ¾-ounce egg sinker and ties it to the other end of the swivel. He wants to keep the bait on or near the bottom with as little weight as possible. “I don’t want the fish to feel the weight,” he says.

When he fishes live spot, Cudnik hooks the bait in the mouth and out the cheek plate for a solid connection. He hooks a live menhaden near the tail. “The tail presents a solid place to insert the hook,” he explains, adding the bait swims naturally and the tail doesn’t inhibit the hook gap. Cudnik particularly recommends circle hooks to new anglers. “People who haven’t learned how to use a J-hook have an easier time with a circle hook,” he says. Keep steady pressure on the line, and the hook will find its home, he adds.

New England Stripers

Fishing out of Rhode Island, Capt. Jack Sprengel has made a science of using circle hooks for striped bass. “I’ve been using circle hooks for years because they actually make it easier to hook a big bass,” he says. Sprengel starts the day catching menhaden with a cast net, gill net or snag rig. With live bait onboard, he heads off looking for bait schools and structure in Narragansett Bay. “When the current is moving, I drift the baits, and when it drops out I bump troll,” he says.

To handle a huge striped bass, Sprengel breaks out a 6000 size reel. He spools the reel with 30-pound PowerPro. “I like traditional four-carrier braid,” Sprengel says, preferring the heavier, more abrasion-resistant line to keep a 50-pound trophy out of the rocks.

The sturdy tackle allows Sprengel to put smooth pressure on a big striper with a light, 25-pound-test fluorocarbon leader. He uses a 30-inch leader in dirty water and 48 inches in clear water. To further reduce distractions for the fish, Sprengel attaches the leader directly to the mainline.

Hook size plays a critical role in success. As a rule of thumb, Sprengel chooses a circle hook that’s 30 percent larger than the appropriate-size J-hook. A larger hook allows him to hook the bait deeper with plenty of gap to catch the striper’s jaw.

Sprengel has tested his knots for effectiveness and prefers to attach his hook with a Palomar or uni-knot. “The knot allows the hook to pivot,” he says, explaining that when the circle hook pulls into the corner of the striper’s mouth, the hook pivots to drive the point into the fish’s jaw. He also improves the circle hook’s efficacy by lightly hooking the bait. “Bridling is the best,” he says. Use floss to lash the bait to the hook, providing a strong connection without interfering with the hook gap.

The post Best Circle Hook Rigs for Striped Bass appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The ultimate goal of Elon Musk’s SpaceX is to one day establish a colony of humans on Mars, a planet 140 million miles away. Reaching the Chandeleur Islands is only slightly easier. Formed more than two millennia ago when the Mississippi River was dumping sediment into its St. Bernard lobe, the Chandeleur chain is a 60-mile stretch of sand, shell, mangrove and dune grasses. It more resembles an unexplored moonscape than a popular fishing destination.

That’s partly because the area was included in the Breton Island Reservation by President Theodore Roosevelt more than a century ago, and development of any kind — even primitive camping — is illegal there. But it’s also because the Chandeleur chain is so freaking far from absolutely anywhere. Though it’s part of Louisiana, the nearest ports are actually in Mississippi. Still, it’s a 30-mile run over open water from Gulfport.

Boats that can handle those big offshore swells may not be best for exploring the shallow-water grass flats that seem to go on forever behind the protection of the islands. That’s why for many anglers, the best way to fish the islands is to plunk down a wad of cash, hop aboard a mother ship and fan out over the flats on skiffs with tiller-controlled outboards. A number of outfits along the Mississippi coast offer the service.

A DIY Chandeleur Island Fishing Trip

Other anglers with more of a DIY mindset wait for days with perfect conditions, load up on fuel and roar across Breton Sound in their bay boats. That’s what outdoor television-show host Kevin Ford and I did with our good buddy Capt. Justin Bowles during a June trip not too long ago. We had a night reserved at the Chandeleur Islander, a jack-up barge that provides hot meals and bunks for visiting anglers, so our plan was to scout on day one while fishing from the boat, in hopes of locating an area to wade-fish the morning of day two.

Most fishing plans, of course, require some adjustment on the fly, but this one worked to pure perfection. We launched along the Mississippi coast, and after a ride out that was a little bumpier than ideal, we arrived at the Chandeleurs mid-morning. Even though all of us are jaded lifelong anglers, we still stood in marvel at the sight of gin-clear water over seagrass flats as far as the eye could see.

We employed a hit-and-run strategy, fishing for a few minutes in a number of different areas, looking for the right mix of water clarity, depth and bait. Though we caught tons of fish from the boat, it was mostly a scouting mission to locate an area that would give us a reasonable chance of success while wading the next morning.

Great Fishing at the Chandeleur Islands

Lucky for us, it was an embarrassment of riches, with almost too many options to choose from. We all agreed on what we figured would be the No. 1 spot, and then spent the waning minutes of the day catching speckled trout within sight of the Islander. The next morning started well before dawn with way too much breakfast and that nervous chatter that always precedes fishing trips in new areas. We loaded our gear, and with only a hint of twilight to the east, we scooted down to the area we had found the day before.

With Bowles’ bay boat securely anchored, we fanned out over the grass flat, while a constant cacophony of nesting-shorebird calls washed across the flat surface. Before I even made a cast, I knew this was going to be one of the best fishing trips of my life. Everywhere around us, speckled trout were crashing into schools of mullet, emitting that characteristic pop sound big trout make when they suck in bait, water and air.

The fish clearly couldn’t tell the difference between our topwater plugs and the real thing. The explosions were relentless, and we all caught speckled trout almost every cast for the next three hours. It was epic.

But really, for the Chandeleur chain, it was just ordinary. The area is so vast, unspoiled and underfished, trips there that rank as the best of your life are the rule rather than the exception. Plant your toes in the sand at the right spot, and you simply won’t be able to believe how many fish can crowd into one area. I’ll be back out there soon — assuming Uncle Elon doesn’t come through with that ticket to Mars.

The post Wade Fishing the Chandeleur Islands appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

The nearshore waters off the coast of Southern California spring to life around mid-May as massive schools of bait fish swarm northward from Mexican waters. It’s a moveable feast stalked by gangs of predators, including voracious common thresher sharks weighing anywhere from 60 to 175 pounds.

As they grow, the maturing threshers tend to trickle offshore to live the balance of their lives as pelagic predators. But in the meantime, the smaller-grade fish hang close to shore, pile on the pounds and provide outstanding catch-and-release fishing on light tackle. They’re pure fun, displaying magnificent leaps, amazing strength, blinding speed and supreme agility, which allows these long-tailed sharks to change direction in a split second.

“I never imagined these fish would be so much fun,” said my friend Ron Ballanti, after we caught and release 12 threshers before noon one August day. “Let’s do this again soon.”

How to Hook Thresher Sharks

Indeed, we’re talking world-class light-tackle fishing, but there’s a caveat here. Threshers stage their spectacular fights only if they’re hooked in the mouth. Unfortunately, foul-hooking threshers commonly occurs because they use their long tails to stun potential prey, often becoming tail-hooked in the process. Some anglers take advantage of this by trolling deep-diving lures, which usually results in a foul-hooked fish — a technique known by the derogatory term snag-and-drag.

Use Circle Hooks for Thresher Sharks

The key to minimizing foul-hooked fish—and maximizing the sport—is drifting or slow-trolling live bait such as sardines or small Pacific mackerel, using circle hooks such as a 2/0 to 3/0 Owner Mutu Hybrids. Threshers tend to inhale small, isolated, slow-moving live baits, and the circle hook helps prevent foul-hooking, even if the shark swats at the bait with its tail.

Circle hooks also facilitate catch-and-release fishing and help prevent bite-offs. Threshers have relatively small teeth, so I forgo wire and opt for 130-pound-test fluorocarbon leaders. However, these fish can measure anywhere from 10 to 15 feet from the nose to the tip of the tail, and they sometimes roll up in the leader, so I use about 20 to 25 feet of fluoro leader material to prevent the fish from chafing through the leader and reaching main line with their sandpaper-like skin. I crimp on the hook. A wind-on leader gives you better control of an unpredictable fish when it gets close to the boat. A size-10 lever-drag reel spooled with 50- to 65-pound-test braided line proves more than sufficient for these fish, especially when matched with a 6-foot rod, sporting a medium to medium-light action.

Thresher Sharks are Active Predators

Threshers that gather nearshore in SoCal are active predators that focus on anchovies, grunion and sardines, often working in wolf-pack-like groups, corralling prey into tightly formed schools. Sometimes, they force the bait to the surface, indicated by telltale signs such as terns flittering just above the water. You might also see free-jumping threshers or the quick-slash of their tales as they cleave the bait schools. During quiet mornings on the water, I have even heard the subtle hiss as the tip of that deadly tail scarcely slices the water’s surface.

Threshers don’t seem to mind the green shade of nearshore waters. In my view, these younger fish might even prefer off-color water, which is often a reflection of the rich nutrients that attract forage species. Threshers also possess an affinity for inshore structure spots such as rockpiles, reefs and ledges. More than once I have trolled back and force over such structure and experienced a bite on each pass.

In terms of water depth, I have found threshers from the edge of the surf break out to about a mile off the beach in 50 feet of water. If you don’t see signs at the surface, use your sonar to look for densely packed bait schools deeper in the water column. You might also see the sonar returns of the sharks themselves shadowing the bait.

Fish the Entire Water Column

During a fast drift or while slow-trolling in the deeper waters, it pays to stagger lines high and low in the water column. I usually fish three lines, one with a 2-ounce egg sinker, another with an ounce and a third with no weight at all. I use small rubber bands to hold the sinkers in place. Sometimes the fish are feeding deep or in mid-depths, and this technique helps you find them.

Once you do, get ready for wild action as these speedy and high-flying sharks will keep you on your toes. And please practice catch and release, remembering that these fish, even the 150-pounders are still immature and have not yet had a chance to reproduce.

The post Thresher Shark Fishing in Southern California appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

New Jersey Black Drum Fishing Spots

Black drum traditionally spawn around the full and new moons in April, May, and June, when the tides are super high, to allow for better chances of cross-pollination of the sperm and eggs. The full moon in April saw an unusual presence of hundreds, if not thousands, of black drum entering the relatively shallow Barnegat Bay system. The parade of drum provided incredible back-bay battles for boaters setting up on a clam chumslick, as well as dock and pier anglers tangling with drum pushing the 50- to 60-pound mark. This Barnegat Bay drum fishery was missing in recent history.

Fast forward to the May full moon and things got even weirder. The surfline from the barrier island at Island Beach State Park down through Long Beach Island was flooded with roving packs of big black drum pushing 30 to 75 pounds, offering up even more big game battles from the beach.

Black Drum Fishing Tackle

For surf fishing, rods and reels must be capable of handling these brutes. I employ a 12-foot Shimano Tiralejo rod matched with a Shimano 14000 Ultegra reel spooled with 50- to 65-pound PowerPro braided line. At the tag end, I attach a size 2 three-way swivel, a sinker clip with a 3- to 5-ounce pyramid sinker, and the last eye gets a 24-inch section of 50-pound fluorocarbon leader. For a hook, I snell on a size 10/0 Gamakatsu Big River bait hook.

In the surf, anglers are bait fishing with clams, so a super sturdy metal sand spike driven deep into the beach is needed to prevent your rod and reel setup from being stolen. Baits are simple. A whole fresh gob of shucked clam is pierced on the hook three or four times, then cast out into a deep cut or slough where the drum are feeding.

Best Tactics for Black Drum

The key to success is timing the tides. Your best bets are to fish around the high tides, generally two hours before and two hours after the dead high tide. Deep waters allow for the barrel-chested warriors to enter close to the surf line. Light to moderate 5 to 15 knot easterly onshore winds are preferred as they push water and schools of drum up onto the beaches. Add some north or west into the wind direction and achieve similar success. Main spots where drum feed are deeper holes, but also the inside and outside of the sandbars. The drum are searching for clams and crabs getting washed over the bars.

Once hooked to a big drum, hold on tight. Let them dictate the terms of the fight as the initial run is long and sustained. Surprisingly, they put up quite a tussle as they use their big broom-tails to power away from the shoreline. Expect them to surface and boil up trying to shake the hook. The end game is critical in the undertow of the surf. Don’t freak out and pull on the line hard, as the drum will use their weight on the receding waves to try and snap your line. Time the wave patterns and reel in when they get pushed up onto the sand with a crashing wave, then run down and grab the drum by the mouth or gill plate to land it effectively.

The post The Black Drum Boom in Jersey appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

While a common mantra for catching flounder — “fish near the bottom, stupid” — is mostly true, being tuned in to exceptions and nuances increases the odds of bagging big flatties.

No one’s better at doing just that than top flounder fishing guides and pros. Questions we asked included what are the best flounder rigs, what’s the best bait for flounder, where can we catch flounder, and when is the best time to catch them. Here’s what the 10 experts said.

Catching Flounder in Maine

• Expert: Barry Gibson
• Region: Booth Bay Harbor, Maine
• Species: Winter flounder (known as “blackbacks” locally)

The late Barry Gibson spent decades targeting winter flounder. In fact, it was easy to spot his 28-foot Whitewater during the hot flounder months of July through September. “Area tides don’t make a lot of difference,” said Gibson. “Flounder like moving water around coves, estuaries and inlets that present fairly deep centers and shallow fringes. A sand or gravel bottom is ideal, but they’ll also feed over mud and grassy areas as well as mussel beds and creeks that empty into deeper water.

Maine Flounder Fishing Tips

• Go Zobo: Fish a Zobo rig developed by Pete Santini, a tackle-shop owner in Everett, Massachusetts. It’s essentially a high-low rig with hooks and 2- or 3-ounce sinkers painted orange or yellow for more visual appeal.
• Seduce with Sandworms: The best bait for flounder is a 3-inch section of a live sandworm. To make the worms less slippery, put them in a plastic container half filled with corn meal.
• Move It: Blackbacks feed more by sight than scent; try moving the bait a few inches at a time.

Catching Flounder in Massachusetts

• Expert: Capt. Jason Colby
• Region: Boston Harbor and Quincy Bay
• Species: Winter flounder

Catches of winter flounder weighing 3 pounds or more often reward anglers fishing with Capt. Jason Colby. You can find him aboard his 31-foot Contender with dual 300-hp Yamahas. He says the best months for winter flounder are May, June and July, and August to September for summer flounder, aka fluke. (Colby says summer flounder are encountered more often during August and September past Cape Cod.) Colby prefers no wind, but a light breeze with the tide works fine. “Generally, I drift over smooth bottom and anchor where there’s structure,” he says.

Massachusetts Flounder Fishing Tips

• Drop Down: Flounder tend to gather on the deeper side of a ledge, especially on a falling tide, around creek mouths that feed into larger bodies of water. Sometimes flounder follow baits to an anchored boat, so periodically drop straight down.
• A Puff of Mud: When chumming in a current over mud or sand, bounce your flounder rig on the bottom: Lift it 2 inches, and drop it suddenly. That creates a particulate puff each time the sinker hits, and blackbacks hustle over.
• Clam Up: Colby’s consistent success often relies on a two-hook tandem rig with one leader a little longer than the other. Put a clam on the shorter hook and a worm on the longer one — more flounder will go for the worm, but the clam is likely to attract the big boys.

Catching Flounder in New Jersey

• Expert: Capt. Scott Newhall
• Region: Southern New Jersey
• Species: Summer flounder

“Summer flounder start arriving around the coast in this area in April and during all of May,” says Capt. Scott Newhall. “Then they head into the back bay before reaching the continental shelf for the winter.” A veteran in the guiding biz, Newhall fishes a 21-foot Contender. “In the back bay, you want two hours before and after high tide, since you often get cleaner water then,” Newhall says. “Light winds add to the bite, and I run a drift speed of half to 1 mile per hour.”

New Jersey Flounder Fishing Tips

• Gulp! Over Gulp!: Go with a single-hook ­bucktail tipped with a Berkley Gulp!. Ten inches above that, thread a bare Gulp! onto a hook — all colors seem to work well. Vary the retrieve from a long stroke to rapid fire.
• Lots of Live Baits: Effective live baits include minnows, peanut menhaden (pogies or bunker), baby bluefish, striped killifish or mullet, fished on a bare hook.
• Structure on Sand: For ocean fishing, stay tight to structure where the debris or metal meets the sand. If you get a bite and the flounder drops the bait, immediately set it back.

Catching Flounder in North Carolina

• Expert: Capt. Jeff Onley
• Region: Albemarle Sound
• Species: Southern and summer flounder

Capt. Jeff Onley, who guides from a deep-V Polar Kraft, says the best flounder months in his neck of the woods are May to September, when winds come from the southwest to clear up water and push tides higher. “I prefer braided 6-pound line, up to 12-pound around structure when bigger flounder or stripers are in the mix,” says Onley.

North Carolina Flounder Fishing Tips

• Deploy a Dropper: A dropper rig using a rounded weight and, above it, a hook tied to the line or leader, helps avoid break-offs around structure.
• Best Baits and Lures for Flounder: The best live baits for flounder are croaker or mullet. For strip baits, he likes bluefish, squid or the belly of a gray trout or croaker. When fishing artificials, his go-to list includes Berkley Gulp!, swimming mullets and spinnerbaits.
• Creek-Mouth Wisdom: Target mouths of creeks on the ebb tide and, on the incoming, deeper water over drop-offs and around structure with live baits.

Catching Flounder in Georgia

• Expert: Capt. Tim Cutting
• Region: St. Simons Island to northeast Florida
• Species: Southern flounder

A guide since 1990, Capt. Tim Cutting bags flounder year-round from his 20-foot Scout, but does best from June to late fall. “I’m not that big a believer in tidal influence,” says Cutting. “Flounder like clean, salty water and structure near an inlet. They gravitate to wherever the ocean feeds into marshes, jetties, docks and riprap.” Cutting utilizes his trolling motor frequently to cover water. He prefers a Carolina rig with soft plastics, using a sinker as light as possible above the swivel and a short 6- to 15-inch leader to limit bait movement where the bottom is snaggy.

Georgia Flounder Fishing Tips

• Skip the Shrimp: Flounder seldom pass up live croakers, finger mullet, pinfish or menhaden. Junk fish, such as hardhead cats, tend to get to shrimp in this area before flounder do. Soft plastics, such as Berkley Gulps, do well along with spinnerbaits.
• Fewer Fails with a Kahle: Use a Kahle hook for more dependable hooksets. On live bait, wait five to 15 seconds before a hard hookset.
• Think Clearly: When water runs fast, it can become turbid, so concentrate on areas where the bottom isn’t silty. If you can’t see the bottom of your trolling motor, move.

South Florida Flounder Fishing

• Expert: Capt. Alan Sherman
• Region: South Florida
• Species: Gulf and summer flounder

A Miami Beach head boat skipper for decades, Capt. Alan Sherman, who runs a 24-foot Pathfinder, knows a thing or two about flounder. “We usually come upon flounder while fishing for other species,” says Sherman, adding that the more frequently encountered summer flounder run 4 to 6 pounds but Gulf flounder are smaller. Late fall through winter, in sandy areas, near rocky bottoms, yields the best flatfish catches. Sherman likes moving water.

Florida Flounder Fishing Tips

• Supersize Shrimp: In the colder months of winter, fish shrimp, which tend to run large, or else use pilchards hooked through the nose.
• Fish Finger Channels: Target finger channels. Tie the running line via swivel to a 30-pound monofilament leader with a 1/0 short-shank hook, and go with a ¼- to 1-ounce egg sinker, depending on current strength.
• Feel for the Fall: Bounce red or chartreuse jig heads with Gulp! along the bottom. Strikes usually occur as the lure falls.

Gulf Coast Flounder Fishing

• Expert: Capt. Paul Hajash
• Region: Tarpon Springs to St. Petersburg
• Species: Gulf and southern flounder

Capt. Paul Hajash (pronounced hash), who has been guiding since 1999, fishes a 20-foot Backcountry. “Flounder seem to migrate offshore during winter to spawn in deeper water, and come back when water is between 68 and 78 degrees during spring and fall,” Hajash says. Flounder — especially the bigger doormats — feed more by sight than smell, he adds. “Accordingly, they can see better in clearer water, where they lie hidden until something swims over their heads.”

Gulf Coast Flounder Fishing Tips

• Guide’s Hot Spot: Good areas include the ­mitigation reefs that run from Sound Key south to St. Petersburg. Flounder congregate in sandy areas in 10- to 15-foot depths just off those reefs.
• Soak a Sardine: Live sardines with a 1/0 to 3/0 hook, fished with just enough split shot to get them to the bottom, are hard to beat. Nearly as good are tiger minnows, chubs and small pinfish. Mullet strips or small pinfish on a lead-head jig also work.
• Cast Up-Current: In Clearwater Pass when the tide is moving in or out, cast up-current and let your bait drift slowly or bump it along the bottom. Oyster bars anywhere often hold promise.

Catching Flounder in Louisiana

Guide: Capt. Troy Nash Contact: 337-412-5950, Region: South Louisiana Species: Southern and Gulf flounder

Capt. Troy Nash, who’s guided for more than 30 years, employs a 2023 Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid bay boat. “Our best flounder fishing starts in October and November as they migrate into the Gulf to spawn,” he says. “We fish a lot of artificials, such as ⅛- or ¼-ounce wiggle jigs tipped with shrimp.” Nash prefers spin gear with a 20-pound fluorocarbon leader and, if using bait, a 3/0 Owner hook with a shrimp threaded onto it. He adds a small split shot, then bumps the rig along the bottom of bayous and outflows. “You can catch large numbers of flounder in Vermillion Bay and around Marsh Island in the Russell Sage Wildlife Refuge,” he says.

Top Louisiana Flounder Fishing Tips

• Go to the Gators: Look for alligator trails where they enter and exit the water; these create holes where flounder like to nestle. Other points of water flowing in and out of the marshes are good too.
• Follow Slack Tide: Fish the end of high tide, when water starts to slacken, as long as water clarity is decent, then follow the slack tide to the next spot and on and on.
• Flounder on Fly: Fly patterns take plenty of flounder, particularly small poppers, Seaducers and lavender bendbacks. Put a lead wire on the flies to get them below the surface so flounder feel and see the push of water.

Texas Flounder Fishing Secrets

• Expert: Capt. Mike Losoya
• Region: Galveston
• Species: Southern flounder

Capt. Mike Losoya fishes in the marshes and open bays of Galveston. “Around here, we find a decent amount of flounder year-round, but the best runs occur in the marshes from October to November,” says Losoya. He searches for green water that’s neither stained nor crystal clear. Wind doesn’t seem to affect flounder, but he does look for mixed bottoms, “such as sand and mud together with shells around drop-offs in depths from 2 to 20 feet, with the 5-foot range most productive.”

Top Texas Flounder Fishing Tips

• Better with a Baitcaster: Learn to throw a baitcasting rig to maximize precision with just a touch of your thumb to hit the points and run-offs.
• Texas Choice: Live shrimp, mullet, pinfish and croakers work well for those not adept at casting lures, but you should have good action with Berkley Gulps, MirrOlures and the Texas favorite, Corky lures.
• Cover Ground Looking Down: Use your sonar to look for irregularities in the bottom, such as small holes and rocks. Fish eddies in currents. Cover lots of water because flounder will be scattered in potholes as well as open areas.

South Texas Flounder Fishing

• Expert: Capt. Bill Sheka Jr.
• Region: Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay
• Species: Southern flounder

Few guides can match Capt. Bill Sheka’s prominence as one of the most famous fishing personalities in Texas. Now retired, Sheka plied the waters in a 21-foot bay boat for 35 years. “Fishing is best from October to December, when water temperatures fall below 72 degrees, because that seems to get flounder to stop moving,” says Sheka. “Dropoffs are the big key in shallow grass beds, as are points during a push of current.”

South Texas Flounder Fishing Tips

• Pop a Cork: A live shrimp under a popping cork can work magic if popped hard where grass bottom gives way to a channel.
• Twitch Versus Hop: Don’t hop baits along the bottom — they tend to snag too much in these waters. Instead, work your offering with small twitches.
• Cast Master: Precision casting will result in more catches — a difference of only 5 feet from where a guide says to cast can mean the difference between success and a big zero.

The Different Types of Flounder

Gulf Flounder

Summer Flounder

Southern Flounder

Winter Flounder

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