|
|
 "Tip
of the Week"
| For the week of
July 3, 2008 |
|
 The
next few weekends are some of the busiest fishing weekends of
the year in our Bay system. That means that most of the
"community" spots are going to be covered up or at least
pressured by other anglers. It's a good time to practice
etiquette on the water, but also a good time to look for new
places to fish. A couple of tips on scouting new areas are this.
First, remember to stay in the pattern that is working. During
the hot summer months that means deep structure.
Secondly, remember that all fish in the Gulf
and Bay eat shrimp. You'll never go wrong with live shrimp as a
bait- especially when you are experimenting with a new spot,
take advantage of that. You are at a disadvantage already when
scouting, but with the right bait on the business end of the
line, you'll give yourself a better chance of creating your own
fishing spot- and that's a neat thing to have when it gets
crowded in the Bay! |
| For the week of
June 26, 2008 |
 As
we move out of the mid-week neap tides, current movement will
get stronger each day . Early in the post-neap period and around
the tide change, there will be minimal water movement. This is a
very good time to use live bait under a cork. The slower water
movement allows for a very natural presentation of the bait and
allows the bait to stay in a strike zone longer. Be sure to
allow the bait to drift naturally with the speed of the current
and you'll entice more bites during this period. |
| For the week of
June 19, 2008 |
 It's
trout tourney weekend! There is some big trout competition going
on this weekend- The Stormin Norman Challenge on the eastern
shore, The MCWA Trout Tournament, the WNSP Trout Tourney and the
Specktater Invitational. Man, someone is going to rack up this
weekend. As we'll go post-full moon the best bite is usually at
daylight and after a tide change during this period. This week's
tip is to be sure to focus on your primary locations when you
have the best chance of catching your winning fish. Also, the
shrimp bite has been great, but some really big trout were
caught by myself and my crew over the last week on croakers. Be
sure to have some good lively ones in the well and you may have
a chance to really cash in while helping a good cause or two. |
| For the week of
June 12, 2008 |
|
|
| For the week of
May 29, 2008 |
  We’ll
finally fall out the neap
tide on Friday afternoon and
the weekend tide cycle looks
great! A good full tide at
daybreak starts to fall
shortly afterwards. That
means that the two best
periods for catching inshore
saltwater fish occur
practically at the same
time. Top that off with a
good weather forecast and it
should be a good weekend to
wet a line. Of course top
waters in the shallows early
is my favorite way to catch
trout and redfish, but you
won’t go wrong with a live
shrimp or croaker fished
under either a slip or
popping cork.
|
| For the week of
May 22, 2008 |
 As
we go post-full moon by the
weekend, look for some of the
biggest tides of the month-
along with some of the strongest
currents. Usually when this
occurs, you'll find trout moving
to the shallows-especially
early. The big flood allows the
bait to creep closer to land and
of course the fish follow.
We
should get some low light well
into the weekend mornings as
well. This all shapes up to be a
great time to top water fish.
Again, being post -full moon,
you'll find the best activity
early and after the tide change.
|
| For the week of
May 15, 2008 |
  This
is probably one of- if not the
best weeks to fish of the entire
year. Water temperatures
are such that trout stay active
all day, both shallow and deep.
This is also the week before the
may full moon. Trout are in a
major spawn mode and it reaches
a peak during the full moon
period. At that time they are
most aggressive, thus easiest to
catch. The neat part is that
even if we get some wind- like
we have had all week, you can
still find a place to catch
fish. Top water lures are always
good during the spawn and of
course live shrimp won't get
many refusals either. Be sure to
practice catch, proper handling
and release of the big spawning
females and they'll be plenty
for all of us to catch in the
future.
|
| For the week of
May 8, 2008 |
 Most
fishermen around here will tell
you that May is probably the
best fishing month of the year.
I think that one of the best
aspects
 of
May fishing is that you can
catch fish so many ways.
Especially as we approach the
middle of the month, water temps
are such that trout stay active
shallow all day, but if you
enjoy the ease of structure
fishing, trout can be caught in
fashion as well. They are in a
peak spawn so they’ll be
aggressive wherever you choose
to fish for them. Flounder have
usually started to show in
decent numbers and if we don’t
have much upstate rain there are
fish all the way to the northern
part of the Bay system. Bull red
fishing is probity at it’s peak
as well. Yes, May is a fine
month to fish- all we’ll need is
Mother Nature to provide us with
some decent weather.
|
| For the week of
May 1, 2008 |
 If
you love top water bait fishing for
trout and redfish, you know how hard
it is to get off of the surface.
This week's tip is for all of us top
water nuts who'd like to actually
catch a few more fish. The next time
that you are on a top water bite,
try having someone cast a sub
surface lure into the fish. You'll
notice that the trout and redfish
will still bite it after they have
gotten off of the top waters.
Casting the sub surface lure will
tell you whether you are still on
the fish but that they have moved
off of the top water baits. The only
problem is getting someone to throw
a sub surface bait when the fish are
eating on top- it's kind of like
trying to find a designated driver!
Chris Heck pulled this nice trout
right out from under a good top
water bite that we were on.
|
| For the week of
April 17, 2008 |
 The
effect of the full moon on speckled
trout is magical. If you like to
catch them, now is the time.
The water temps and
 salinity
ranges have them in full spawn mode
and the moon stage has them eating.
It looks
like we’ll even get some pre-front
weather to add fuel to the fire.
Live shrimp are the best bait and
Chief as well as some of the other
local shops have plenty of tit, but
don’t fret if you can’t get it. The
new Berkley pee rigged Power Shrimp
out fished anything that I threw
this week as far as quantity. We
also caught some monsters on top
waters and that will
continue through the weekend.
|
| For the week of
April 10, 2008 |
We’ll have the biggest tides of
the year so far this weekend.
With that, areas that have been
dry or have had low water will
get covered with salty gulf
water. That big influx of salt
water will also bring bait in
form the gulf. You’ll probably
start to notice trout being more
active on the shallow flats near
where they have been during the
low water periods of the
previous few months. This often
means that they are a little
more aggressive in that very
shallow water. I like to look
for mullet jumping very quickly
more than once or “nervous’
looking bait on the surface.
These are prime times to throw
top waters or suspended shrimp
imitations, especially in low
light conditions. Also, the
feeding trout will leave slicks
where they feed as seen below.
Both of these are killer signs
of active fish, and they should
be active with the tide cycle
that we have upon us for the
weekend. Also, don’t be
surprised if you find offshore
mixed in with the trout. We
caught some nice redfish and
even saw a few Spanish mackerel
while on good trout bites
earlier this week.
|
| For the week of
March 27, 2008 |
If you’ve tried to fish over the
past couple of weeks you’ve found it
to be pretty windy- that’s
 why
I said tried. The wind can
definitely be discouraging
especially when you know the fish
are biting.
The biggest problem associated
 with
wind is that it dirties the water.
Trout especially, because they are
primarily sight feeders, are harder
to catch in muddy water. There are
species,
though
that rely more on their
other senses to feed and don’t seem
to be nearly as hard to catch in off
colored water. Both redfish and
Sheepshead inhabit the same areas as
spring trout and can sure make
normally slow fishing day a lot of
fun. I like to suspend live bait or
GULP! shrimp under a cork and fish
very shallow focusing on oyster
covered bottom. These fish even more
so than trout seem to really move
with bait, so keep an eye out for
flipping shrimp and mullet when you
select a spot.
|
| For the week of
March 20, 2008 |
 During
the spring, a killer bait for speckled
trout is a shrimp or shrimp imitation
fished beneath a
popping cork.
It is very natural presentation of the
shrimp and appeals very well to trout as
they suspend over hard bottom during
their spawn. Both the GULP! and D.O.A.
shrimp work very well for me and I have
found a neat way to rig the soft shrimp.
I have been using a 1/16 oz. flutter
style hook. This hook has a weight
crimped to the shank which allows the
bait sink like a shrimp rather than dive
head first. The other thing that this
hook does is keeps the bait on the hook
particularly after it has caught some
fish where a straight hook will allow it
to slide with he cast. The picture shows
the bait slid down the hook for
presentation purposes. Obviously you'd
want the weight all of the way inside
the bait!
|
| For the week of
March 13, 2008 |
 Talk
about a dream come true! Man, try
driving up to a early spring shallow
water spot on a scout trip and seeing
this slick! Speckled trout create
"slicks" when they eat something and
have to expel the water they ingest when
they force the food down. The water has
their digestive fluids mixed with it and
creates the slick. You can also smell
the slick- some people say that it
smells like watermelon- it definitely
has a fruity smell. Keep an eye out for
these types of slicks- especially over
shell bottom in the spring. They are a
very good signs of feeding speckled
trout.
|
| For the week of
March 6, 2008 |
Alright, so they’re not glamour fish,
but catch a few big Sheepshead this time
of the year and you’ll learn a new
respect for them. The sheeps spawn
during the early spring around structure
at the mouths of bays. Of course, Mobile
Bay is loaded with structure at the edge
of the Gulf and is therefore a perfect
place to catch them. I like to try to
get a calm day and fish very close to
the structure as the Sheepshead won’t
venture far from it. Live or good fresh
dead work very well and a simple
Carolina rig is the setup. Use
enough weight to hold your rig near the
structure and be sure to cover the
entire water column. They make great
table fare and there is no size or creel
on them. One word of advice is to keep
just enough to eat- they are difficult
to clean and the bigger ones- over 5
#’s- are the only ones that yield enough
meat to make it worthwhile cleaning.
Chief’s Bait in the D.I. Marina,
Southern Bama and Rough Water Bait in
Bayou la Batre all said that they will
have live shrimp this weekend.
|
| For the week of
February 28, 2008 |
 Keep
and eye on the water temperature. Of late,
the water temperature has started to scare
that 62 degree mark. When it does, the
speckled trout will transition into a spring
pattern. With that we'll be able to catch
trout all day in shallow water- which is a
favorite way of mine to catch them. Top
water baits on low light, and live shrimp or
imitations of them work best for spring
trout. The recent cold fronts will delay the
transition, however a few warm days in a
row, coupled with the longer daylight hours
will bring the water temps right back up. It
takes about a week of consistent
62+ water temps to do it, but
once they transition- it is on!
|
| For the week of
February 21, 2008 |
This weekend promises to be
one of the toughest of the year if you are
trout fisherman. We'll not only go post-full
moon, we go into a neap tide and go post
front. There are still places to catch fish
as many species spawning activity is not
affected by the moon phase. One place in
particular that I like is the structure at
the mouth of Mobile Bay. There are numerous
structures that hold a wide variety of fish.
Fresh dead bait fished on or near the bottom
will get you redfish, white trout, ground
mullet and sheepshed. The most important
thing to remember though is that the bait
must be fresh
|
| For the week of
February 14, 2008 |
|
The 2008 Alabama Marine Information Calendars are
now available. These are such a valuable tool as they have a
wealth of information that you can use to not only plan your
trips but information that is useful on the water.
Things like size and creels, state records, fish
i.d.s and reef and ramp locations. There is also a new page that
offers some of the data gathered by the AMR dockside surveys on
trout. I won't reveal it all and spoil the ending- but it is
very interesting! They are at all of the local tackle stores and
the AMR offices on Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores- oh, and by
the way they are free!
Click here to view the tidal chart on line. |
The 2008 Alabama Marine Information Calendar |
Some neat new data on trout landings. |
...and of course the tides.
Click here to view the tidal chart on line. |
| For the week of January 31, 2008 |
|
Here are pictures from a tackle show
that I was at this weekend. At this show, many manufacturers of
outdoors products introduce their new items. Here are a
few that I really liked.
This is Berkely's new digital scale.
I really like it because it has a readout windows on both sides
of the scale. It also has a culling system and reads to 1/8 oz.-
most only read to ounces or 1/10 pounds. Available at
http://www.berkley-fishing.com
Humminbird added this new 1173cSI to
their line. It has a 11"screen and all of the features of their
other machines including the side-imaging sonar. It's like
looking a big screen T.V. after watching a 19" screen T.V.
Available at
www.humminbird.com
This is
probably one of the coolest products that I saw. It is a belt
that has a glove velcroesd to it. With one quick motion you can
grab a fish and hold him without getting slimy. I used it this
weekend and it was also nice not getting my hands wet in the 40
degree weather that I was fishing in.
 The
belt also has a retractable stainless pliers and is adjustable.
It comes in a right and left hand models with large or extra
large gloves. Southern Bama is stocking some and it is
also available at
www.jusgrabitglove.com
You knew that I
'd have a crankbait on this list. This one, believe it or not is
weedless. I saw the rep pull it across a carpeted floor and it
didn't hang up. Oh wow- This is going to be a redfish killer! It
is from Lee Sisson lures and available at
www.yakimabait.com
 I
have owned several different pairs of wading boots and they have
all had the same problem- they get sand and shells in them- this
one won't. It is completely sealed and has a Velcro strap
at the ankle to keep that stuff out. You could even wear it on
the boat.
They
also make a full boot with a sting ray guard attached. It is
available at
www.foreverlast.com
 You've
probably seen this being advertised with Guy Harvey. It's a cool
tool to de-hook a fish. They make several sizes for the varying
size catch. It's one of these simple tools that make it easier
and more effective to catch and release a fish. It is called an
"Arc Dehooker".
Especially during the spring and
fall I fish under a cork quite a bit. I particularly like to use
the egg shaped poppers, but after a day of hard use the steel
insert is usually beaten into the Styrofoam cork and the cork
doesn't make a good sound when you pop it. Bass Assassin has
solved this problem. This cork has a split it in and you can
turn the cork over to expose new steel inserts to the brass
beads. They also supply an extra cork with new inserts. In
essence you get four corks for the price of one. It is
available at Southern Bama Bait and Tackle or
www.bassassassin.com |
| For the week of
January 17, 2008 |
Not long ago we talked about
fishing slow during the colder months. It
has gotten as cold as it ever gets- water
temp-wise- around here so I thought that
that tip would be worth repeating. Fish like
this 4 1/2 #'r still eat when they're cold,
but they aren't going to chase a fast moving
prey for two reasons. 1.) they themselves
have slowed down and 2.) the prey has
slowed.
With those thoughts in mind, try to
concentrate on not over-working your bait.
Be sure that you stay in touch with the
bottom if you are jigging and slow down
those mullet imitations if you are using
surface or sub-surface mullet imitations,
being sure to work a good, long pause into
your presentation.
|
| For the week of
January 10, 2008 |
 Sierra
Waine’s redfish measured 40” and weighed
30#’s. She caught it on a light spinning
reel with 14# test line- a thrill that
she’ll remember for a lifetime. This week’s
tip is inspired by her catch and release of
this magnificent fish that fought her for 45
minutes. These fish are very old, but do
well when handled properly and released.
They are the spawning fish as well so by
catching, properly handling and releasing
them, more of us can enjoy the thrill that
Sierra did.
|
Click here the 2007 Tip of the Week |
