Veteran captain Jim Bradley, long known as an innovator, has created a simple rig that can hook two fish at once.
By MIKE SCARANTINO
Published October 4, 2003
On an extremely stormy day I learned a new twist on trout fishing with live bait.
The innovator goes by the nickname "Big Daddy" and has for decades. His given name is Jim Bradley. He is a "Boss Hog" kind of a fishing captain and he has earned the right to be that way after nearly six decades as a Florida waterman.
As a commercial and recreational boat captain, he has drawn his life from the good graces of the Gulf of Mexico. Over the span of his experiences he has learned one immutable rule when fishing the gulf: Adapt or fail. Through the changing conditions he has seen, his ability to adapt has led him to numerous innovations.
Capt. Jim Bradley is firstly a pioneer of fishing shallow water for grouper. As a young angler on Indian Rocks Beach, he found fishing shallow rock piles could be productive certain times of year. Along the Hernando coastline, he perfected his methods of catching large grouper in shallow water.
His reputation is such that if he fishes for grouper with clients, they often have their limits and are back on the dock by midday. Bradley doesn't believe in catching fish that can't be utilized. "If you sting the fish on a particular spot, often enough they will get smart and be more wary of the hook," he said. "I'd rather have clients catch the ones we can keep and get off the spot when the bite slows, letting the fish settle back to their normal routine."
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The area west of the mouth of the Weeki Wachee River is a desert of sand, small rock outcroppings and small limestone ledges. Bradley knows how to coax the fish and get them to bite even in harsh conditions.
As good as he is fishing for grouper, Bradley also has pioneered a trout fishing method that is highly productive in water from a few feet deep to 10 feet.
Imagine fishing with two live bait on a single rig without getting all tangled and snarled. Then imagine having the opportunity to catch two fish at the same time. It seems improbable, but it is possible.
The rig is a simple one that anyone can master, if he can catch live bait and tie a few simple knots. Scaled sardines are the live bait of choice when employing this method.
Only a few tidbits of terminal tackle complete this rig. Needed are a three-way swivel, a few short lengths of leader material and some nickel-colored hooks.
The bitter end of the running line is tied to the top of the three-way barrel swivel using any easy-to-tie knot. Equal lengths of leader material are tied to each of the remaining swivel loops. A hook is tied onto the bitter end of each leader and the rig is complete.
When fished in shallow water, this rig can be freelined with no extra weight needed to find the bottom. Having two hooks to catch onto underwater obstructions happens often enough without weight being added.
If during colder times the trout have moved to deeper haunts such as the grass flats surrounding Marker 10 just off the nature coast, adding a small slip sinker will get the baits down to where the fish are.
As any good fishing captain knows, tide is everything here on the eastern side of the gulf. Capt. Bradley plays the tides right.
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The day we fished he had us find bait while waiting for the tide to turn to an incoming one. Once the bait was in the well and the rods were rigged, we fished the lee side of cuts between craggy rock piles. Sea trout and other fish wait in ambush for forage being swept through the cuts by the tide. It worked like clockwork in spite of the horrific weather.
When fishing grassy areas, the baits have to be twitched every now and then to free them from the tangled turtle grass. Once free, they swim away from each other and in circles, creating a frenzy of two. This action is what attracts the trout and keeps the baits from tangling. It is advisable to hook the live baits through their pectoral fins for the best action.
When fished in deep water using a light slip sinker, it is best to keep the bail open and a finger lightly on the line to feel for any strikes. Doing this allows the bait to swim more freely above, but in proximity to the bottom.
Trout are opportunistic feeders, if one sees another feeding it spurs a feeding frenzy. Having two baits ready makes this method highly productive.
