When I think of those 'Dog Days of Summer', I think August-September and I think Shrimp, Trout, rivers and bass! The dog days of August bring the season to fish live shrimp if you are looking to put fish in the box for the table. Weakfish to Reds, live shrimp are a best bet to any bite and will even take the most finicky of Snook during shrimp season.

Shrimp are running in the rivers and though smallish, now, their numbers and size will increase every day. By the middle of this month, along many of Florida's rivers, there will be so many shrimp the fish will have a natural "all you can eat" buffet and most other baits will not attract them. Therefore, if you are going to bring along a tackle box, leave the lures at home, pack it up with leaders, lines, hooks, and shot because shrimp is what is for dinner.

Taking advantage of this situation is to catch a couple of dozen of these crustaceans and present them as naturally as possible, such as free lined or under a Cajun cork rig.

"I don't use any weight, just a light bait hook, preferring those of the circle variety in angling for morality.  The survival rate of a foul hooked fish is not good and using a circle hook lessens the chance of fouls or gut hook up, just quick, clean releases from the lip; that is the way I like it! "Hooking shrimp through the horn lets them swim naturally and they stay on the hook longer during a bite."

The "horn" is a jagged ridge that runs along the shrimp's head. Shrimp hooked in the tail or threaded through the bodywork well also but are not of a natural action and their presentation is radical at best but hey, sometimes that is what it takes to get on a bite so try it. That is why I have more than one rod with me when I go fishing each different for a variation in style or method that is called presentation.

Casting a shrimp on an unweighted hook is certainly the simplest approach. There are times when conditions will call for a little weight or jig head, and some anglers like to put a float on the line. It is all personal preference, but the more natural the presentation, the more likely a strike.

Remembering, your shrimp is competing with lots of others, so giving it a little something different just might be the ticket. My son, Edwin likes to place a piece of twisted aluminum foil about half an inch long above the hook giving it flashy pizzazz according to him, whatever floats your boat, I like the old fashion noise of a pop' in cork over 24 inches of forty pound fluorocarbon and a number one Eagle Claw circle hook.

Three times the flavor, three times the fun, sounds like a Wriggles gum commercial except we are Fishin with shrimp, during shrimp season and that means you too can catch and eat the shrimp. The best experiences in catching live shrimp for the grill are either with a dip net while wading the skinnies of the grass or the lazy mans way; find a bridge, jetty, outcropping or seawall placing a light out over the water and on a out going tide, wait. Upon either sight scoop up or cast out your net modified with duct tape or lawn chair webbing around the base of the skirt to make the net blossom out as it sinks.

Once you have your shrimp, use a live well or bait bucket to keep them lively. One trick is to put them on ice immediately, and their metabolism will slow way down, but stay alive. They perk up once back in the water.

With your shrimp in the well, look for docks, especially older docks, in locations where the tide is moving well. Drift your live shrimp, or shrimp and float, under the dock and hang on. If angling on the river, like our Myakka, remember during high tides on the upper reaches of the river around Snook Haven you can hook er up with bass and Florida channel cats, while on the falling tide trout, redfish, flounder, ladyfish, croaker and jacks become the prey of the day.

Due to the quirks of Florida law, you need a saltwater fishing license to take shrimp and a freshwater license to catch bass, so it is best to just purchase a combination license to be safe on all sides regardless if you posses fish or not.  "FISH ON!"

Jerk Bait Fishing Tips And Techniques

Jerk baits are very fun and productive artificial bass fishing lures. Jerk baits are basically plastic minnow or shad shaped "worms", designed to float and sink slowly, they appear to be an injured bait to the lunkers when worked properly.

First you must have a good, stiff, medium/heavy fishing rod to ensure a good hook set when the bass takes the bait.

A good quality braided fishing line is best since it doesn't stretch like monofilament fishing line does.

As far as fishing reels go, everyone has their own preference when working a jerk bait. I prefer a baitcasting fishing reel, it takes most people about 10 minutes to learn how to use one properly and at least 10 years to get good enough with one to hit your target everytime without getting a backlash, but worth it.

Rigging Your Jerk Bait

These plastic fishing lures are weedless when rigged properly. I prefer a 1/0 worm hook for jerk bait 5" and smaller, a 2/0 worm hook for 6" and larger jerk baits. First determine what is the top and bottom, front and back of the jerk bait, grasp it firmly near the front and insert the point of the hook into the head of the lure. You want to push the hook about 1/4" or just slightly more into the bait, then allow the point to exit at the bottom of the lure and pull the head up onto the worm hook shank so that the line appears to be protruding straight from the head of the jerk bait.

Most jerk baits have a small slit that the hook point and barb rests inside of the "belly" making it weedless, others you just simply pierce the bottom of the lure slightly so that the point is inside the plastic lure. This makes it weedless as well, the rest of the hook remains exposed and acts as a ballast to keep the lure upright.

Choosing The Best Color And Size

The whole color thing with bass fishing has always seemed kind of backwards to me, but what do I know, I am human. I have figured out what they like anyways, that seems to be the important part in this discussion. The main rule of thumb when bass fishing and trying to decide what color to use I have found, goes like this: The brighter the sky and clearer the water, the brighter the color of your lure, the darker the sky and darker the water, the darker you will want your lure. I know, sounds backwards to me too, but trust me, that is how it is.

Every manufacturer of jerk bait seems to have plenty of good colors to choose from, I prefer for all around use, a 5" jerk bait that carries the color name of "Arkansas Shiner" for most ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and canals here in Southwest Florida.

Techniques

Just as the name implies; jerk the bait as you reel it in the imitate a wounded fish or worm. Just a flick of the wrist timed between turning the reel inward will create an erratic pattern that will excite the bass into striking.

If you would like to weed-out the smaller fry, I suggest a larger caliber jerk bait, they seem to draw out the big boys!

For a large variety of fishing and boating electronics and gear please visit us at eFishBox.com

Every big game fisherman wants a Fin Nor Rod

Fin Nor has a rod for nearly every type of fishing. The Fin Nor Powerlite comes in spinning, casting and standup style rods. With weight ratings from 20lb to 50lb to cover a wide variety of fish species and personal preferences.

The Fin Nor Powerlite is a new model for 2008 and features a new blank construction method that combines overlapping layers of strong, flexible fiberglass and a light weight high modulus graphite to make a thinner, lighter, yet stronger fishing rod.

Powerlite Spinning Rods use the new Fuji HB guides; triple wrapped for long lasting strength. The Fin Nor casting and standup rods feature the Fuji HB Sin guides also triple wrapped. All Fin Nor Powerlite Rods use the concept guide spacing method for a smooth line flow.

The use of the new Fuji Guides promotes use of heavy monofilaments and braided line without the worry of guide wear. The reel seats are the strong Fuji DPSH and offer the best performance and security for all reel choices and rod actions.

NEW Gulp Alive Bait

We have always used live bait, believing nothing could possibly be as good and certainly not better. But we continually heard about the New Gulp Alive being better than real live bait, so we just had to give it a try. And we are glad we did. Here's why.

Gulp Alive Test

The first test was in a tidal swamp in South Carolina were we have consistently been able to catch nice big red fish on live shrimp or mud minnows. Not to mention the occasional door mat sized flounder.

The plan was to first locate some fish with the mud minnows; only because they are easiest to get (live that is) and so we had lots of them.

Once the tide started flowing pretty fast my son got hit with the first Red, about a 9 pounder on a mud minnow. I immediately brought my untouched mud minnow back in and switched to a 3" Gulp Alive New Penny shrimp bait and threw in were he was back with his mud minnow. What's to test if your not in the same hole?

Wham! the next one was mine, only an 8 pounder but a great fight on my light tackle. My son continued to wait with his mud minnow. I decided to switch my still good 3" shrimp for a 3" Gulp Alive Porgy in Pearl White cause the water was pretty murky.

Wham again, excuse the repeated expression, the next one was mine again and this time he exceeded 10 lbs. By the way, with three fish caught we still didn't have a keeper. They were all too long for the limit. Bit I still had my first Gulp bait on the hook.

We stayed on that spot for an hour or more until the tide and the action slowed down. All in all we had caught 14 red fish, 7 a piece. Seems they like the mud minnows as well as the gulp. Only difference was I still had all but one of the baits I started with and my son went through a dozen and a half of mud minnows.

So now we are really close to high tide and it seems the reds had all moved back into the grassy areas they so love at high tide. We picked up anchor and moved inland to a deep creek were we have had plenty of luck when the tide starts moving out.

Realizing we still had 4 dozen live shrimp I asked my son if he wanted to try the Gulp Alive, thinking I could out fish him in the still backwater with a nice live wiggly shrimp. He fell for my ploy and snatched up the Gulp Alive 3" Shrimp bucket and had one in the water before I could get a live one out of the well.

So, he caught the first red, but that was cheating so it doesn't count. I soon got my live bait in the water next to were he caught the first fish and got my share of action on the live shrimp.

By the way, we did finally catch 4 fish small enough to keep and fed the family that evening.

As we ate dinner we compared the live baits with the Gulp Alive baits and realized the only real difference is that you can always get Gulp Alive and you can re-use it several times, or until something swallows it. The live baits are good for that day only and only for a short time then they are gone. We figured the next day to fish the Gulp only. So, next day we didn't spend a dime on bait; we still had all but one Gulp so that was plenty.

Fast forward 2 months. Son Eric came to Florida to do test number two on Florida Red Fish and Snook. It's now winter and the the fish are way up in the creeks with black bottoms that stay pretty warm. This makes it a bit more difficult to find them but with Gulp Alive in our arsenal we were soon catching some small reds and snook. We caught 27 fish that day with only one keeper red.

The amazing thing was they kept hitting the Gulp Alive as well as the live shrimp. We kinda lost track of who caught how many but agreed it seemed pretty equal. We were then convinced that in the long run, Gulp Alive out fishes live baits as you can keep recharging them in the "magic juice" and re-use them till something eats em'. So Gulp Alive wins; try em' you'll like em'.

For more informational articles on fishing and fishing tackle please visit our, Articles Page at eFishBox.com.

By Ted Koppel

Striper fishing in rivers can be quite a thrill when using fishing lures such as a crankbait. The crankbait is also one of the most productive fishing lures when river fishing for big striped bass. Here are a few fishing tips that may help you increase your bounty the next time you are on your favorite river while striper fishing.

Knockin' On Wood

   All bass fishermen know that a crankbait catches more fish when they are bumped against and off of woody cover. This approach works well for striped bass too. River stripers will use submerged logs and trees as a current break and prime predatorial ambush points. Whether a lipless or a long diving lip crankbait, both will bump off of submerged wood with ease and both can produce some jolting strikes from large river stripers. So with this said, be sure you are knockin' on wood a lot when striper fishing the rivers.

          Crank Them Fast

   In crystal clear river water especially; fish crankbaits with a very fast retrieval rate. The longer the stripers have to eyeball your lure, the more chance you have of them rejecting it. Don't give them the opportunity to see that the bait is a fake; keep it looking real with a fast retrieve. More strikes are usually produced with a fast moving crankbait rather than a slow one, even in colder waters. So, with this said, crank 'em fast for the big stripers in rivers.

Jerk On It

   Generally speaking, most crankbaits have a good built-in, repetitive wiggling action. While this is fine for murkier water rivers, it isn't quite enough when fishing clearer water rivers. Stripers are less prone to rejecting the lure if it appears as if it is trying to escape as the striper approaches it. When fishing a clear water river, periodically jerk the tip of your rod with a sharp jolt to increase the speed of your crankbait. This gives the lure a more realistic and erratic action that makes it appear to be a natural bait attempting to elude a predator. If you can spot a striper staring down your crankbait, rip your lure through the water with a quick sweep of your rod, this will make the crankbait dart wildly just as a fleeing baitfish would and often time results in an instant strike. So, jerk on it when striper fishing clear water rivers.

Tight-Line Your Crankbait

   Often times the current will be too swift to allow adequate casting coverage in most rivers that hold big stripers. Try this little trick, anchor off in the heavy current and try casting your crankbait upstream while tight-lining it as it sweeps down river. You just want to keep the slack out of the line with tension on the lure and allow the bait to drift just under the surface of the heavy currents. This will usually produce many strikes of large stripers, if it doesn't, lift your anchor, drift downstream about 30 - 40 yards and keep tight-lining your lure, this is one way to overcome the swift currents of some rivers. So, swift currents may require tight-lining your crankbait when looking for your monster striper.

   With these striper fishing in the rivers tips, you should catch more fish so, grab a friend to share them with and as always, remember to get out and go fishing when you can, because it's Goooood Fer Ya!

As the ocean water temperatures rise, so do your odds of hooking a monster snook off of the beach while surfcasting! With the proper bait and fishing tackle you can turn an ordinary day at the beach into an extraordinary day catching snook in the surf.

Where to find them

   Cruising the coastlines in search of their next meal, Snook can be coaxed to the sandy beach for a photo opportunity with good saltwater spinning reel on a surfcasting rod coupled with a large pinfish on a hook. These very aggressive, strong running, behemoths are a handful for anyone wanting to test their endurance.

Proper tackle to use

   At least a 9' surfcasting rod will be required to get your bait slung out to the proper depth of water. Your fishing reel should be a good quality-spinning reel spooled with no less than 200 yards of at least 20# test fishing line.

   About 3' to 4' of 50# fluorocarbon should be used as a leader. Tie a good-sized barrel swivel to your main line after you slip on a decent sized egg sinker. The size of your sinker should be adjusted to the length of cast you are trying to achieve as well as the condition of the surf, more turbulent waters warrant heavier weight. Next, you will want to attach the leader material to the other end of the swivel. At the end of the leader, attach a 4/0 circle hook. You are almost ready to get a close up of a possibly, 50" plus Snook!

Technique and Bait for Linesiders

   Snook, or Linesiders, some like to call them due to the lateral line that runs down the middle of their bodies, are scavengers more often than not. They can be caught with dead pieces of other fish such as Ladyfish heads. The larger ones will not want to exert much energy, so more often than not; they will scoop up scraps of fish rather than hunt down live prey. You still won't get as many bites with dead bait as you will with good lively bait, but the advantage to this method is that it will most likely be a large Snook that takes the dead bait.

   Snook will readily take all kinds of baitfish along the beach. Shrimp, white bait, sardines, and glass minnows are some of their favorites, but, if you really want a big Snook, I prefer the largest pinfish I can find. I like to be able to lay one in my hand and it's body covers all of my hand, that's what has landed me the biggest Snook I have ever seen, a 52 incher!

   Pinfish can be acquired by casting a baitnet around a lot of docks and boat ramps, but the larger ones seem to be in the faster moving, deeper water in inland passes. To get these I use a light saltwater rod and reel with a very small hook or a sibaki rigg. They love shrimp but will often pick it right off the hook, to defeat that I like to use cut bait or squid because it stays on the hook better. You will definitely need a good portable aerator/livewell to keep your pinfish alive.

   Now that you have your bait together, you are ready for that large Snook. Run your circle hook in the tail from the underside of the pinfish, this allows him to flutter above the bottom constantly trying to pull upwards. This action turns big Snook on in a big way, they see that poor little ole pinfish in distress and take advantage of him by swallowing him whole. Sling him out there and hang on, if you prefer, a sand spike may be used to hold your fishing rod since you are using a circle hook. Just watch for the rod to bend over and the fight is on!

   So what are you waiting for? Your giant Snook is cruising the beaches waiting for you to fight him to the shore! Grab a few friends, head to the beach, and as always, get out and go fishing when you can, cause it is Gooooood Fer Ya!

For more great fishing tips, tricks and stories visit our fishing forum at My Tackle Space. A free blog and forum for fishermen of all walks of life. Join now and have your very own fishing page!


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Springtime in Southwest Florida, a time to dust off the fishing equipment, lube up the fishing reels, spit shine the fishing lures and get ready for some deep sea fishing , inland. River fishing for Tarpon is a great way to test your tackle, light to medium fishing tackle is all you need to have plenty of fun hooking into, and if you are lucky, landing, a huge Tarpon in the freshwater rivers of Southwest Florida. A small boat such as a Jon boat is ideal and much more fun because you get a free ride when you hook into one of these monsters while river fishing.

Tarpon look for warmer water in the spring and sometimes get land locked

This time of year the Tarpon are coming up into our rivers several miles inland seeking food and warmer waters. The Gulf waters haven't reached the temperatures that allow this cold blooded fish the warmth needed to increase their metabolism and allow them to digest the large amounts of food that they require. That drives the large fish way up into freshwater, sometimes smaller Tarpon will even become "land locked". This happens during heavy rainfall when the lakes and ponds become so full that they drain into the river by way of small ditch or stream. The smaller Tarpon will fight their way up these fast flowing ditches and streams to get to the ponds and lakes. Once the pond has drained off the excess water and the stream gets smaller or non existent, the Tarpon are trapped, or "land locked".

Locating Tarpon in the river

During periods of low wind when the water is calm and you can see the bait breaking the surface there are probably Lady Fish, Jacks or some other medium size prey fish chasing them. Approach the bait pod quietly and throw a silver spoon across the pod and retrieve it quickly. A few tries should net you some of the smaller prey to use as Tarpon bait. Now, get out the heavy equipment, bait up a heavy circle hook, throw into the bait pod and let it sink. Chances are the Tarpon are beneath the prey fish that are chasing the bait.

Another method is to troll a Bomber, or simular lure, from your Cannon Downriggers at or near the bottom while watching your fishfinder for large marks. Do your trolling around the deeper water that has birds working the bait pods.

Bait and lures for Tarpon

Tarpon will bite on several different artificial lures such as spoons and shallow diving plugs while wandering about the rivers. The best bait though is live bait, they will scoop up anything from shrimp, crab, shiners, small catfish, or believe it or not, Tilapia. Tilapia are abundant in most freshwater in Southern Florida. They were introduced to the area as an aquatic vegetation control experiment and are now flourishing in anything from a ditch to a lake or river. They are not considered a game fish here, therefore, they can be used as bait. Be careful transporting them from one location to another, I believe that requires a special permit.

Get out your favorite medium tackle

Get your favorite fishing pole with your favorite fishing reel and your favorite fishing line, tie on about a four foot piece of good quality 50 pound or better, fluorocarbon line for a leader. Then tie a 4/0 circle hook to that, add the live bait of your choice to the hook and "free line" the bait from upstream under branches hanging over the water or fallen trees that are visible above the water.

Circle hook setting technique

Be careful not to set the hook when he hits it, the circle hook does all that for you. Just keep tension on the line and when he starts pullin, you start cranking him in. If you hook a large enough one you will be surprised by the speed in which you can achieve without a motor running on a small boat.

Now that you have him hooked you will want to do your best to keep him away from those nasty snags in the water such as the very ones you pulled him from to start. If you have decent fishing gear and have eaten your whole bowl of high protein cereal that morning, you can do it. Just hang on and enjoy the ride! Tarpon aren't known as a good eating fish anyway, so it really doesn't matter if you land one or not, the pure thrill of fighting one of these monsters while river fishing is plenty for most folks.

To find the fishing electronics you need for Tarpon visit us at eFishBox.com.

When choosing fishing tackle there are a number of variables to consider first.Where will you fish? Will it be in a rural pond, deep inland lake, shallow inland lake, salt water ocean or salty backwater. No matter where you fish you will enjoy it more with tackle meant fit to the location, species and size of fish you will be pursuing.

We will attempt to offer enough tips in this short article to help you decide what you need before you open the catalogue.

Lets start with fishing an inland pond or small lake from shore. You may be fishing for crappie, blue gill, perch, small trout or even carp. They will be easy to handle on a light or ultra light rod and reel. I prefer a spinning reel as casting without the hassle of backlashes makes for a happier fisherman. You might also want to consider a spin-cast reel. This is the type with line covered and a button for releasing the line when casting. These are the best for children just learning to cast. The rod should be 6' to 7' long and light to ultra light.

The line should be clear mono-filament up to 4lb or braided up to 15lb with a 6lb 6' fluorocarbon leader.

Terminal tackle should be sized to fit the fish, making it as small as possible to keep the bait or lure looking natural. I prefer circle hooks as they make it easier and faster to dehook the fish for release or storage. If practicing catch and release a dehooker will help to release faster and makes it un -necessary to touch the fish, which disturbs the slime layer.

The most popular bait for pond and small lake fishing is earth worms. I prefer fishing them on an 1/8oz jig with most of the worm hanging down from the jig to keep a natural look.

These fish are often referred to as "pan fish" and for a good reason. There is nothing tastier than a frying pan full of perch or blue gill lightly battered or breaded and fried up crisp.

Then there are larger lake fish like walleye, salmon, steelhead, pike, and lake trout that require a different selection of fishing gear. (but when out on the big lake keep your small tackle handy in-case you happen upon some lake perch)

The above fish can all be caught using the same rod and reel when drifting or at anchor. Trolling is a little different as you as you control the depth of your lure with the amount of line you let out. For this we use a conventional reel of the 30 size with a line counter. If you're not going to troll, just a conventional reel size 20 to 30 is sufficient. We like to use a 7' medium rod to allow lots of bend in the rod to help control the fish on the way in. Keeping a bend in the rod keeps the line taunt.

When fishing at anchor I prefer live bait, either worms, minnows or crayfish on a jig head anywhere from 1/4oz to 3/4oz depending on the depth and bottom current. The deeper or stronger the current the heavier jig you need. We use 8lb to 12lb mono-filament line with a 6' 20lb fluorocarbon leader and a 50lb barrel swivel to prevent line twist.

If you are going to troll you will need a little heavier line. We use 16lb to 20lb mono-filament or 10lb to 12lb stainless steel line with a 50lb ball bearing swivel. Steel line is heavier and smaller in diameter allowing more depth with less line out. This is were you will need the line counter reels so if you are going to do both still and troll fishing get the line counters and use them for both.

Another great tool to use is the Cannon® Electric Downrigger. Downriggers put your lure at the depth you select from what you see on the fish finder, assuming you have one.

There are literally hundreds of lures to choose from. My favorite for walleye is the Bomber Long A for deep fish or a wiggle wart when they are on top. For salmon I like King Spoons in various colors to match the day and water clarity. Dark colors for cloudy water and bright colors for clear water and sunny days.For steelhead and lake trout anything fast and shiny will work but I like King Spoons best. I have also caught a lot of walleye trolling worms on a worm harness of differing colors.

Another great fresh water fishing is for large mouth bass. This is a subject that deserves more space than we have here, so I will write another article on that in the near future. But in the mean time all you really need is a light spinning rod reel combo, 6lb mono line and 10lb fluorocarbon leader with an 1/8oz jig head and some soft wiggly baits or a rattling lure about 3" long to get started.

Yea, I know, there is still pond fishing for carp, ice fishing and fly fishing, but I just don't know it all. So I will leave you a link or two to some other sites were you can learn more. But don't go now, finish the article and come back up here.

Fly fishing guide book

Learn how to fish

Extreme bass catching secrets

Now for some salty backwater fishing, my favorite of all. I have fished many of the backwaters from North Carolina all the way around to Texas and could use the same rod and reel everywhere I went. Although each area has their differences, they all hold red fish and red fish are the most sought after fish in the backwaters. Most of the rest can be caught on the same tackle anyhow.

I use a good medium heavy, one piece carbon rod 6' to 6'6" long with a light handle and a saltwater spinning reel of about size 10. Anything heavier and you will wear out your arm before the noon hour. You want to buy a pretty good reel for this type fishing as you will be fighting 15lb fish with a 10 lb rig. I like a reel with at least 5 ball bearings and a front drag.

We use 15lb braided line because it's only the size of 6lb mono and just as light, plus it is almost impossible to get cut off in the weeds or mangrove roots. To that we tie directly, a 6' leader of 20lb fluorocarbon leader, then the hook, jig or lure of your chose. The less terminal tackle the better to keep things natural.

My favorite bait is live shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook below a weighted popping cork, however, a recent test I did proved that Gulp Alive Shrimp are just as effective and they are re-usable as you can re-juice them.

Grouper digging is also a very popular sport in the near shore areas of warm salt water. The tackle used here is much heavier and more expensive but can be used for most any medium heavy saltwater fishing. There are several methods of fishing Grouper and for that matter other salt water fish also.

The most favored way of Grouper fishing is to anchor over hard bottom and drop live or cut bait to the fish with a bottom rig. A bottom rig consist of a leader with an egg sinker and a large hook, about 4/0 depending on how large the fish are you are targeting. I like a short stout rod 5'6" long and heavy. This gives me quick stiff lift to keep the Grouper from getting in his hole. I use a 50 size conventional reel with lever drag wound with 30lb mono and again, a 6' fluorocarbon leader of 80lb. I use 100lb barrel swivels to attach the terminal tackle. This same set up can be used for a slow drift.

The same rod reel and line combination can be used to troll for Grouper, which, by the way is a good way to locate hard bottom structure and bait pods. We use the stout rods to troll Magnum Lures to 40' depth and then add downriggers with the same reels but 7' heavy rods and troll squid on a skirted sport lure just off the bottom. Grouper love squid! If you have room to troll a couple more lines an Old Salty Diver Number 2 with a drone spoon 6' behind it will cover the mid water range. All with the same rod and reel.

With these rods and reels you can fish anything from tuna and wahoo to black drum and grouper. But don't leave your backwater rig at home. You'll need it to catch bait or to cast into a school of mackerel or pompano busting the surface. We also like to keep a couple of 30lb spinning rigs handy for the larger fish like barracuda, cobia, permit and shark that often show up when you are anchored.

The last method we have room to talk about here is surf fishing. What you need to know to buy gear is that you have to be able to reach the trenches were the game lie in wait for your bait. They can be quite a ways out from the beach so you want a medium heavy spinning rod from 10' to 12' long with a size 30 spinning reel wound with 30lb braid and again a 6' leader of 30lb fluorocarbon and your terminal rig needs to include a pyramid shaped sinker to hold your bait against the current. Don't forget to get a spiked rod holder to stick in the sand as those rigs get too heavy to hold all day and a rig left to lay in the sand is bound to leave with any fish that gets a hold of it. I know! A good link to a surf fishing site is at MyTackleSpace.com Surfin Sapo's Page.

Hope this article was helpful in your planning what tackle you need. If it was, let us know, if it wasn't, let us know. But in any case please visit eFishBox.Com for your fishing electronics needs or for more information. We post how to articles on the site also.

Please leave a comment below. We need feedback to improve future articles.

By Ted Koppel

Offshore downrigging for grouper can prove to be very rewarding with the proper saltwater fishing tackle. Fishing from a boat outfitted with downriggers is a great way to produce some delicious grouper for the dinner table or just a fun day on the water.

Where to find them

   Trolling with downriggers can also help to locate the exact spot these bottom feeders are hanging out in. You will want to be looking for deep holes, rocky bottom, structure such as sunken wrecks or reefs, and places where there are natural underground springs that produce cooler water. A good fish finder/ depth recorder with color helps in locating these areas as well because they can help distinguish between soft and hard bottoms.

Tackle choices

   You will need a good heavy action rod with a nice level wind reel spooled with 50 - 60# test line or a heavy duty spinning reel spooled with 40 - 50# test fishing line. Some people prefer line that is segmented with different colors that let them know just how much line they have out. This type of line comes in handy for this type of fishing but is not always necessary because a good downrigger has a counter to let you know how deep you are.

Bait and lure types

   There are many good types of bait for grouper, frozen white bait, squid, or sardines make excellent bait for grouper if live bait is not obtainable. Live baits that work well are, pinfish, blue runners, cigar minnows, and Spanish sardines. You will want a good 7/0 to 8/0 hook when using these baits tied to about an 80# test monofilament or fluorocarbon leader with a swivel.

   Artificial lures such as spoons, skirted bait, and plugs can be very effective when trolling for grouper. I like to tie a squid to a skirted hook with bronze wire; the Grouper love em’. Be sure that the lure does not constantly scrape the bottom; this will dull hooks and hang you up when trolling with downriggers.

Best downriggers

   Cannon makes some of the best downriggers in my opinion. Their electric downriggers produce an electrical field around the rigger ball that actually attracts fish. Most models have a positive ion control that allows you to adjust the voltage, regulating this fish attracting electrical field. A 10 to 12 pound downrigger weight should be sufficient for grouper fishing deeper water.

Technique

Let out about 10’ of line with your lure or bait attached. Keeping the bait within 10’ of ball insures it is within the electrical field produced by the Cannon downrigger. Put the line trough the release clip, release your bail and lower the downrigger keeping a thumb on your line to make it taunt. When you feel it reach the bottom bring it back up a couple of feet; this is where you should troll or drift your bait at variable speeds until you find the fish. Close the bail on you reel and crank down on the line enough to cause a bend in the rod so that it snaps up when the fish hits and releases it. Two downriggers placed at the back corners of the boat will allow you to use two separate fishing rods that can be fished at different depths and lengths, increasing your chances of finding the fish.

   With a little practice and experimentation, you should be able to bring in your fair share of grouper using a downrigger whether you use live bait or lures. So, get out and go fishin when you can, cause it is gooooood fer ya!

For more great fishing tips, tricks and stories visit our fishing forum at MyTackleSpace. A free blog and forum for fishermen of all walks of life. Join now and have your very own fishing page!

 

For great prices and and a wide selection of fishing and boating products please visit eFishBox.com

 By Ted Koppel    

Attracting the fish to you

   You will want to invest in a light of some sort to attract the baitfish, which in turn attract the Snook. Most veteran Snook anglers that night fish from piers prefer a gas lantern that is custom rigged with a highly reflective hood that they attach to the top of the lantern before hanging it over the side of the pier. Others have batteries on carts with electric lights that may be submerged in the water, either one seems to draw the baitfish and Snook.

   The Snook will sometimes appear to be stacked under your light like cord wood, just lying in wait for the next baitfish to make the wrong move. Most of the time, the ones you can see are not the ones that are going to hit your bait or lure. The ones most likely to hit are lurking in the shadows just outside of the light.

Where to look

   A pier with deep water that is moving very swiftly is a key factor when doing this type of fishing. Check the tide times to determine when it will be moving. Your local tackle shop should have charts available to their customers on a monthly basis.

 Once you have located a good pier you will want to get there while it is still daylight to catch bait out of the shallows from the very same water that you will be fishing. Lures work also, but if you want to increase the size and amount of Snook you catch, use live bait from the same area you will be fishing.

What bait to use

   Pinfish make great Snook bait, the bigger the pinfish, the bigger the Snook. White bait netted in shallows and on flats are Snook candy too. Be sure to bring a dip net so that you may catch shrimp that are passing under the light as well as glass minnows or anything else you see a Snook chasing that you can dip up. Greenbacks can often be netted by the dozen; take care when handling these fragile baitfish, the loss of a single scale can kill them. Keep all bait in a large, well aerated container or a flow through style bait bucket that can be hung over the pier.

Your fishing tackle choice

   You will want good quality saltwater fishing tackle that will be able to withstand the rigorous fight that Snook so often put up. Light tackle is not an option for this type of fishing; people have been known to bring their offshore fishing rods to the pier for these fish!

   Good quality fishing line that resists abrasion is a must. Once hooked, the Snook will instinctively make a mad dash under the pier where the barnacles on the pilings can shred your line. Your best bet is to have a stout set up with large fishing line to get his head out of water, they can't fight much when their head is not in the water.

   A good fluorocarbon leader is a must; these fish have gill plates like razors. Your best bet is to freeline your bait on about a 4/0 hook when using larger baitfish. A good quality 2/0 hook seems to be better for live shrimp and smaller baitfish. Snook are finicky and the larger ones avoid most hooked baits, this means stealthy tactics for the angler trying to land one is in order.

Technique

   Once you have the bait on the hook and ready, lower it into the water near the light. If using a gas lantern above water, exercise caution while doing this because the heat these lights produce are enough to burn through or even worst, weaken the fishing line. Depending on the current and side of pier let your bait slowly descend while drifting into the shadows under the pier or away from it. The Snook will usually be in both places, if drifting bait under the pier, keep in mind that you must pull him out, quickly!

   A good landing net comes in handy for the big ones; it's not real easy to get the big boys on the pier without one. Due to the stringent size regulations you will want to be able to release fish that are too small or too large. Check to make sure they are in season and what sizes are legal to take if you plan to eat them.

   When some time has passed without any bites while fishing for Snook with a light, pull the light up, place your bait where the light was and hang on! This triggers the Snook into a feeding frenzy because the baitfish that were safely hiding in the light are now at a disadvantage and the Snook take full advantage to fill their belly’s.

For more great fishing tips, tricks and stories visit our fishing forum at My Tackle Space. A free blog and forum for fishermen of all walks of life. Join now and have your very own fishing page!

For great prices and and a wide selection of fishing and boating electronics please visit eFishBox.com

By Ted Koppel

By Ted Koppel