Do not pack up your fishing gear and fly south for the winter yet! We still have quite a few more weeks of quality fishing left in the season, and you need to take full advantage of this time. Fewer boaters will be on the water, so you can scout out new fishing holes and move in, out, and on the water more freely. The mullet minnows are still around and will be found in warmer shallow water but are starting to migrate south, so finding live bait is going to be a challenge, as the days get shorter and cooler. Tackle shops that carry live shrimp and mud minnows easily resolve this problem. Another solution to this problem is to use artificial lures that resemble a mullet or shrimp.
Personally, my favorite bait for speckled trout at this time of year is live shrimp. I use two methods when fishing with live and artificial shrimp. The first way: take a 30-36 inch length of 15-20 pound test fluorocarbon and tie a weighted popping cork. Tie a 1/0 or 2/0 mosquito hook on the other end and cast away. Pop the cork every 10-15 seconds to attract nearby lunkers and wait for a bite. You can also substitute a 2X, #6 or #8 treble hook if you are missing hook sets. I have found the Mosquito hook is more productive, but you must maintain constant drag while fighting the fish. Also pay close attention to your hook barbs, and consistency of your fluorocarbon. A hook barb will be the first thing to rust and break off, so at minimal change hooks on your rigs every fishing trip. You do not want to lose any fish after investing the time and effort to get a bite.
The second way when using live shrimp is to use a jig head to target the fish closer to the bottom. Tie your 24-30 inch 15-20lb fluorocarbon directly to your mainline (no swivel) using a double Uni-knot. Then tie your 3/8 – 1/2 ounce jig head. Now, hook your shrimp halfway up the tail, cast, and wait for a bite.
The locations you need to focus on are the inlets around mudflats or jetties, shell beds, rock walls, docks in the harbor and ICW, and grass islands in the river.
Until next time, keep your hooks sharp and your senses sharper and I will see you at the weigh station.