NEARSHORE FISHING
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]eptember offers up many opportunities for anglers fishing the nearshore waters along the Crystal Coast. There will be a plethora of bait moving out of the inlets which will cause large Spanish and King Mackerel to feed aggressively along our nearshore live bottoms and around our inlet tidelines. Slow trolling 4 to 6in live menhaden or mullet will produce some amazing strikes on light tackle this month. I prefer to fish these baits on a rig consisting of 2- no. 4 gold trebles rigged on about 12 to 15 inches of 30lb seven strand wire. Our nearshore live bottoms and reefs will also be holding plenty of Summer Flounder and Seabass which anglers can target effectively using Bettâs 2oz. Flounder Fanatic Bucktails tipped with Berkleyâs 4â Gulp Shrimp.
TARGETING REDFISH INSHORE
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s Fall approaches, there are large numbers of shrimp and finger mullet working their way out of our coastal rivers and moving into the open sounds and closer to the inlets. Redfish will join together in pods of a few dozen to 500 or more along the surf, in our shallow sounds and bays, and in the coastal rivers to take advantage of all this bait. Early mornings as well as late afternoons are great times to avoid the heat and crowd to take advantage of these incredibly strong fighters. I guide my clients to Redfish averaging between 5 and 10lbs using a variety of artificial and Natural baits. Weâll find fish on grass flats, sand flats, mud flats, and around structure like oyster beds, docks, and rock piles. Regardless of which situation youâre fishing, itâs important to use baits that closely mimic the bait in the area. Speckled trout will begin showing up in our area this month and we will often catch a few while targeting our redfish.
The Crystal coast is âchock fullâ of shrimp, finger mullet, and menhaden and two companies have taken the time to perfect their baits to match the look and action our redfish crave. Berkleyâs Gulp baits are absolutely irresistible to all of our inshore species and I personally keep several tubs onboard during each guided trip. Regardless of which Gulp you prefer, youâll need a specialized jighead to hold the bait on correctly. Sebileâs flats jigheads and Berkleyâs Gulp Jigheads have multiple keepers that are designed to keep all soft baits firmly in place. You can search their tackle at www.sebile.com or www.berkley-fishing.com While youâre there, take a look at their Bonga minnow for your next topwater strike. I prefer the Black Gold Shiner pattern for Redfish. They use superior hooks and split rings that will hold up to the hardcore fight any redfish can offer.
Tight lines, see ya on the water,
-Capt. Jeff Cronk
Call: 910-325-8194
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