STA-SEAS NATURE COAST ADVENTURES

Step outside of your comfort zone. Let’s say you are a die-hard live bait, live-bait-only fisherman. How about just one hour of your next fishing trip, you try to use artificial? Maybe you are just scared of change or maybe it’s an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality? I actually have always shared the latter. I’ve always done very well fishing with only live bait, and there are some days that it’s like pulling teeth trying to talk myself into switching up. I decided to work artificial baits into my routine, roughly about two years ago, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision. I use so many different baits on any given day, because some days the fish just aren’t eating what you are throwing, even if it’s alive. I love throwing hard lures like Mirrodines and Yozuris. My favorites are the suspending twitch baits. These baits do just what the name implies. They are suspended in the water column, and with the jerk of your rod, they twitch. You can work them many different ways, and you can also set their depth by how slow or fast you are working it. Another lure I absolutely love is the old faithful spoon. Now it’s not just gold spoons anymore. There are spoons that look like pinfish; there are bright fluorescent pink, green, pretty much anything you can dream up. Don’t laugh either, because that fluorescent pink spoon lands me a beautiful redfish about one out of every four or five times I rig it up. Now, let’s talk soft plastics. Shopping for soft plastics at a bait store is like being a kid standing in front of Baskin Robbins, looking at 31 different flavors of ice cream, and being expected to choose just one or two. Soft plastics can drain your wallet quickly. Five or six bucks doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you buy 20 or 30 packs, it’s not pretty. Be selective. Try a few, and when you are having success with one, throw it in the bag with the keeper lures. Keep in mind, that sun, overcast, hot, cold, incoming tide, outgoing tide, cloudy, muddy or clear water, all play a part in which soft plastics to throw. Experiment; don’t waste time. Throw one for about five minutes (in a spot you know usually produces) and if it’s not working, use a different color and size. Throw that one for five minutes, and if you just can’t break away from live bait, then throw a live bait on, and set the rod in the holder. While you are waiting on the rod to bend, keep throwing artificial. You will broaden your horizons as a fisherman (or woman) and learn a lot along the way! Have fun, and as always stay safe.

Captain Stacy Horak
Cell 352-553-3604
Facebook:CaptainStacy Horak