Artificial Lures: 6 Marsh Must Haves
People who know and fish with me know I am a lure junky. There are parts of my garage where if you’re not careful, you will be highly likely to have a nice new piercing via a few rusty treble hooks. Hundreds of lures, pinned to Styrofoam, adorn our garage walls. Having been lucky enough to have fished nearly all of the marshes in the Gulf of Mexico and southeastern United States, I have thrown (and lost) every lure known to man. For a lot of folks, “plugging” the marsh was a cross-over of sorts from bass fishing. Believe me; every lure in your largemouth bass box will work in the marsh. Redfish, tarpon, speckled trout, flounder, triple tail, striped bass, bluefish, barracuda, grouper, snappers and just about every salt or brackish water critter swimming will not only bite, but attack artificial lures. Although I still try all the “new and improved”, I find myself going back to these 6 great baits.
The gold spoon has arguably caught more redfish and trout than any other lure thrown. Its weedless capabilities, coupled with the many depths it can cover makes this a great choice. Another great quality of the spoon is that it is quite easy to work. A simple, steady retrieve is all that is required. Spoons typically come in weights from 1/8 to ½ ounce and all will cast a mile, making it a great bait for covering water. Two of the more popular varieties are the Johnson Silver Minnow and those made by Aqua Dream Living.
It would be impossible to leave out the jig and plastic combination. Although the angler needs to impart a little action into these lures, once the right retrieve is obtained, a lot of fish can be caught quite quickly. I typically employ very small and slow hops with slight pauses (if you think you are going too slow, go slower). The shapes and colors of plastics are virtually unlimited so some trial and error will be required. In the last few years great strides have been made in “scented” plastics and they are without a doubt very effective. One of the most popular is Gulp!, and it needs to be in your arsenal. Also, baits with swimming or paddle tails have become very popular and these baits can be reeled steady like a spoon. Many manufacturers are marketing them as swim baits, and they can be rigged weedless with an extra wide-gap worm hook, both weighted and un-weighted. On the subject of scents, many manufacturers are making scents that can be applied to both hard and soft baits, and are also very effective.
While a popping cork is not necessarily a lure, when a soft plastic shrimp or other plastic is placed about 2-3 ft. below the cork and “popped”, frequently, it can draw fish in very quickly. One of my favorite ways to rig a popping cork is with a 26” leader attached to a D.O.A 3’ shrimp. While this is not the most “sexy” rig in the marsh, it works.
For those folks who like top water baits, the marsh is the place to try them. It doesn’t matter if they are chuggers, poppers, prop baits or an old reliable walk-the-dog lure such as the venerable Zara Spook, they all will draw explosive strikes. The theory of low light for top waters holds true, but many anglers will throw them all day long, looking for that big blow-up. Make no mistake, in the marsh, some of the bigger fish are caught on top waters.
Although a little trickier to master, suspending or sinking plugs will trick even the most finicky of fish when presented right. Lip divers such as the Bomber Long A and lipless sinking and suspending plugs made by Mirrolure are a few that come to mind. As a rule, a couple of sharp twitches and a pause gets the job done. As with any artificial lure, it’s best to let the fish tell you what they want. Mix up your retrieves until you get bit, and then try to emulate that retrieve.
Pack these 6 tools in your box, and you will master the monsters of the marsh!
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Capt. Tim Cutting
Coastal Georgia Inshore Charters
St Simons Island, Georgia
912-230-1814
www.fishthegeorgiacoast.com