Outdoors

Captain's Corner

By DOUG HEMMER
Published September 26, 2007

Last trip: The winds were strong and the sky overcast, perfect conditions for artificial lures. The wind allowed us to drift the edges of the mangroves. The overcast skies would increase the strikes when using a topwater plug. We picked the side of the island that had schools of mullet visible on the surface. Using a slow, walk the dog retrieve, we caught trout, mangrove snapper and redfish. When we got a strike the anchor was dropped and the area fan-cast.

Tackle: Topwater plugs will help you catch fish you can't see. Large plugs with a loud rattle help catch the bigger fish. If those plugs spook the fish, use smaller ones with no rattle. The retrieve will depend how the fish react. A steady twitch of the rod tip will make the plug move right and left. If the fish short-strike the lure, move the plug faster or slower. Sometimes they want the plug to move straight and fast. Other times they strike best when the plug is stopped. Keep changing the retrieve until the fish respond. When the sun comes out switch to a lure that runs under the surface.

[Last modified September 25, 2007, 23:17:07]