Just spied this awesome article on muddy-water redfishing from Saltwater Sportsman. Here's a good tip about an off-the-wall bait:
Crawl a Mudbug
Bait shrimp, even frozen ones, may not be available from midwinter to early spring, but large populations of crawfish will be, and like humans, redfish do eat crawfish!
Acquire the smaller bugs for redfish bait. Those between 3 and 3 12 inches long seem best. Buy them alive, put them in a small ice chest with a wet towel covering them, and keep them cool but not cold.
There's also a good tip about using skirted jigs tipped with shrimp. One new one I'd recommend is the C&H Alien jig.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Low Country Redfish Cup
The next stop on the Low Country Redfish Cup will be in Savannah at Hogan's Marina on Wilmington Island.
Round 2 : Savannah, GA
04/23/10: Captains Meeting 6:30 pm Hogans Marina
04/24/10: Launch at First Safe Light
Entry Fee is only $140.00 (cash only) per tournament.
One time 2010 Low country Redfish Cup Membership Fee of $50.00 per team is due at Tournament #1.
Round 2 : Savannah, GA
04/23/10: Captains Meeting 6:30 pm Hogans Marina
04/24/10: Launch at First Safe Light
Entry Fee is only $140.00 (cash only) per tournament.
One time 2010 Low country Redfish Cup Membership Fee of $50.00 per team is due at Tournament #1.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Choose the Right Fishing Line
Choosing the right fishing line can be a daunting task. But by comparing the costs and benefits of each one, it should be easier to narrow down your choices to suit your needs.
There are four main types of fishing line: monofilament, fluorocarbon, nylon braid and super-braid.
Monofilament line is the most familiar to the average angler. It is a semi-transparent line that has a good deal of stretch. This translates to shock absorbency, making it good for trolling or crankbait applications. Stretch, however, can cause missed hook sets when using floats or soft-plastic artificial baits. Trilene and Stren are the most popular brands.
While the cheapest option, this line tends to develop line memory, a stiffness which causes the line to take the shape of the spool. Monofilament line should be changed out every few months to prevent this.
Fluorocarbon, to the naked eye, is similar to monofilament. It is a stiffer line that is so translucent that many brands claim they are "invisible" underwater. It also is more abrasion resistant, so it will not fray in oyster shells or heavy cover.
Fluorocarbon is denser than monofilament, so it sinks faster. The downside is that it is more expensive, quickly develops line memory and has to be replaced frequently. Some lines, such as P-Line, are co-polymers that combine the best aspects of monofilament and braid.
Nylon braid, known by the name Dacron, is the oldest type of fishing line, but many anglers still use it. Nylon braid is used in conjunction with wax floatant to give the line buoyancy when using floats or bobbers. These lines tend to flatten out over time, and must be waxed periodically to keep them buoyant.
Nylon braid has less stretch than single-stand lines but is similar in diameter. When Dacron is stretched, though, it becomes vulnerable to sharp edges and teeth. Because of this, Dacron is primarily used as a spool backing for other lines.
Gel-spun super-braid is the newest type of line and is quickly becoming the most popular. It is a very high tensile strength, and a much lower diameter than other lines. A 30-pound test super-braid has the same diameter as 8 or 10 pound monofilament. This enables the angler to use more and heavier line on smaller reels. It also has almost no stretch, which allows for quick hook sets.
The lack of shock absorbency, though, means that trolling with braid can lead to pulled hooks. However, the thin diameter and high abrasion resistance make this line a good choice for heavy cover or around oyster beds. Super-braids, such as Power Pro, are suitable for most types of fishing, but they come at a cost higher than other types of fishing lines.
There are four main types of fishing line: monofilament, fluorocarbon, nylon braid and super-braid.
Monofilament line is the most familiar to the average angler. It is a semi-transparent line that has a good deal of stretch. This translates to shock absorbency, making it good for trolling or crankbait applications. Stretch, however, can cause missed hook sets when using floats or soft-plastic artificial baits. Trilene and Stren are the most popular brands.
While the cheapest option, this line tends to develop line memory, a stiffness which causes the line to take the shape of the spool. Monofilament line should be changed out every few months to prevent this.
Fluorocarbon, to the naked eye, is similar to monofilament. It is a stiffer line that is so translucent that many brands claim they are "invisible" underwater. It also is more abrasion resistant, so it will not fray in oyster shells or heavy cover.
Fluorocarbon is denser than monofilament, so it sinks faster. The downside is that it is more expensive, quickly develops line memory and has to be replaced frequently. Some lines, such as P-Line, are co-polymers that combine the best aspects of monofilament and braid.
Nylon braid, known by the name Dacron, is the oldest type of fishing line, but many anglers still use it. Nylon braid is used in conjunction with wax floatant to give the line buoyancy when using floats or bobbers. These lines tend to flatten out over time, and must be waxed periodically to keep them buoyant.
Nylon braid has less stretch than single-stand lines but is similar in diameter. When Dacron is stretched, though, it becomes vulnerable to sharp edges and teeth. Because of this, Dacron is primarily used as a spool backing for other lines.
Gel-spun super-braid is the newest type of line and is quickly becoming the most popular. It is a very high tensile strength, and a much lower diameter than other lines. A 30-pound test super-braid has the same diameter as 8 or 10 pound monofilament. This enables the angler to use more and heavier line on smaller reels. It also has almost no stretch, which allows for quick hook sets.
The lack of shock absorbency, though, means that trolling with braid can lead to pulled hooks. However, the thin diameter and high abrasion resistance make this line a good choice for heavy cover or around oyster beds. Super-braids, such as Power Pro, are suitable for most types of fishing, but they come at a cost higher than other types of fishing lines.
Don't Miss Georgia's Shad Run
If you mention "shad" to most anglers, what comes to mind is the small baitfish that is a popular forage food for black bass and stripers.
Gizzard and threadfin shad are small species that rarely reach more than a pound and are often netted for bait. American shad, however, are larger battlers that can be caught with fly or spin tackle and often reach 4 or 5 pounds.We also happen to have an amazing, but largely unrecognized, American shad fishery here in Georgia. The current state record is an 8-pound, 3-ounce monster from the Savannah River.
American shad live most of their lives offshore. However, once a year, the mature shad swim up rivers along the East Coast, beginning with the St. Johns river in January and gradually moving up the shoreline. South of Cape Hatteras, this run is much like a salmon run, where the adults spawn just one time before dying.In coastal Georgia and the Low Country, this run will last through March. The Ogeechee and Savannah rivers present some of the best fishing opportunities for shad.
Anglers using spinning tackle will use small jigs known as shad darts, as well as spoons.Though shad mainly eat plankton, they have a habit of striking at small fry and shrimp, which these lures imitate.To locate the shad, slowly troll parallel to the bank in 7-10 feet of water while dragging several darts and spoons.
If the current is strong, you may need a small diving planer or umbrella rig to get the lures down to a proper depth. Once a school is located, anchor up and vertical jig the shad darts on light 6-pound spinning tackle, similar to crappie fishing.
A fun alternative is to fly fish with small bead-eye streamers on a sinking tip line and get the fly to the proper depth.The best colors for lures and flies seem to be white, chartreuse and yellow.
Once hooked, an angler will almost instantly know if they have hooked a male or female.Females, fat with roe eggs, will not give much of a struggle. The males, however, are hard battlers whose acrobatics are so great that some even call them "freshwater tarpon."
Shad, especially served with the roe, are extremely delicious when prepared correctly.They do have many small bones, however, and some cooks will soak the fillets in buttermilk to soften them. Other locals use special filleting techniques to remove the bones, but these remain a well-guarded secret.
The daily recreational catch limit on American shad is eight in Georgia, but try to only keep a couple of the female roe shad, as these represent the future of the fishery.
Gizzard and threadfin shad are small species that rarely reach more than a pound and are often netted for bait. American shad, however, are larger battlers that can be caught with fly or spin tackle and often reach 4 or 5 pounds.We also happen to have an amazing, but largely unrecognized, American shad fishery here in Georgia. The current state record is an 8-pound, 3-ounce monster from the Savannah River.
American shad live most of their lives offshore. However, once a year, the mature shad swim up rivers along the East Coast, beginning with the St. Johns river in January and gradually moving up the shoreline. South of Cape Hatteras, this run is much like a salmon run, where the adults spawn just one time before dying.In coastal Georgia and the Low Country, this run will last through March. The Ogeechee and Savannah rivers present some of the best fishing opportunities for shad.
Anglers using spinning tackle will use small jigs known as shad darts, as well as spoons.Though shad mainly eat plankton, they have a habit of striking at small fry and shrimp, which these lures imitate.To locate the shad, slowly troll parallel to the bank in 7-10 feet of water while dragging several darts and spoons.
If the current is strong, you may need a small diving planer or umbrella rig to get the lures down to a proper depth. Once a school is located, anchor up and vertical jig the shad darts on light 6-pound spinning tackle, similar to crappie fishing.
A fun alternative is to fly fish with small bead-eye streamers on a sinking tip line and get the fly to the proper depth.The best colors for lures and flies seem to be white, chartreuse and yellow.
Once hooked, an angler will almost instantly know if they have hooked a male or female.Females, fat with roe eggs, will not give much of a struggle. The males, however, are hard battlers whose acrobatics are so great that some even call them "freshwater tarpon."
Shad, especially served with the roe, are extremely delicious when prepared correctly.They do have many small bones, however, and some cooks will soak the fillets in buttermilk to soften them. Other locals use special filleting techniques to remove the bones, but these remain a well-guarded secret.
The daily recreational catch limit on American shad is eight in Georgia, but try to only keep a couple of the female roe shad, as these represent the future of the fishery.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
St. Croix Mojo Bass Rod
We're back! After an extra long hiatus the Low Country Angler is back with a new focus on product reviews, while still providing tips, techniques, and fishing reports.
For quite some time I've kept an eye out for a good saltwater tackle review site on the internet. While the freshwater side has quite a few good ones, most notably my favorite TackleTour, saltwater tackle is particularly lacking in good, independent tackle review sites.
So Low Country Angler is reborn, with a passion for the latest and best in saltwater tackle. Ironically enough, though, the first review is for a rod that was made with freshwater in mind:
St. Croix Mojo Bass Rod
Whether you are aware of it or not, about a year ago the St. Croix Mojo Bass rod started a silent revolution in the freshwater tackle industry. This rod created a new market niche for high quality, high-modulus graphite, split-grip rods available for about $100. At a MSRP starting at $99.99, the Mojo Bass was the first rod to give casual anglers a taste of features previously only available in the high-end enthusiast market. Now all the major rod manufacturers are beginning to answer with their own versions of this rod. They are even beginning to show up in saltwater flavors, such as the recently released All-Star ASR Inshore series. Lets start, however, where it all began.
The Mojo Bass is available in 9 baitcasting models, but only 3 spinning models. It is a little disappointing to see such a light selection on the spinning side, but I'm sure St. Croix plans on expanding the product line. We may even see more saltwater-specific models down the road as well.
I have been putting the St. Croix Mojo to good use lately in the Wassaw Sound/Wilmington River area. I matched the rod up with a Daiwa Fuego 2500 reel, which matches well with the weight and balance of the rod. Most recently, I took a trip with Capt. Roger Straight of Backlash Charters and, on a day that the redfish remained elusive, tested the rod out on seatrout and flounder.
Review Rod:
- St. Croix Mojo Bass MBS70MF
- 7'0" Length
- Medium Power
- Fast Action
- 6-12 Pound Mono Line Weight
- Lure Weight 3/16-5/8 oz.
- Branded For Tubes and Grubs
- 5-Year Manufacturer's Defect Warranty
Rod Blank
The Mojo Bass rod, despite its branding, is highly suitable to inshore saltwater fishing applications. The biggest reason is its blank composition. The Mojo uses St. Croix's SCII graphite blank technology. This is the same blank used in most of St. Croix's saltwater series rods. Here's the skinny on SCII:
Superb, mid-modulus graphite fiber with a higher strain rate than fibers commonly used by others.
Featured in Premier®, Wild River®, Mojo Bass, Triumph®, Tidemaster®, Premier® Surf, Premier® Saltwater, Triumph® Saltwater and Imperial™ rods.
This is our most popular material that produces rods that are highly sensitive, lightweight and durable. Put another way, rods far superior to those common off-the-shelf varieties. A logical choice if you're an angler who appreciates fine performance without the high cost.
The blank is a very good blend of power and sensitivity and it becomes apparent that the rod's durability exceeds that of expensive high-modulus graphite rods. Using Gulp Alive! shrimp baits on jigs, I found the Mojo rod to be extremely adept at transmitting even the slightest bite and vibration. It also casted well when using a popping cork paired with live shrimp.
On the model I used, the tip had incredibly resilient rebound, which minimizes vibration during your cast, which translates to better distance and accuracy.
On the model I used, the tip had incredibly resilient rebound, which minimizes vibration during your cast, which translates to better distance and accuracy.
Rod Hardware
While it is hard to expect more from a sub-$100 rod, I would have liked to see some better quality guides and reel seat, as it is fitted with the standard Fuji New Concept hardware. Over the long run, New Concept guides tend to show wear in the ceramic insert rings when using braided line. However, I have yet to see any problems yet with the Mojo.
Package and Finish
The Mojo has been finished with some stylish colors and graphics. They all come with the slit-grip design, which has become the standard on most new rod models. This slit design helps to cut down on weight while maximizing sensitivity. The idea is that too much grip material can act as a shock absorber to dampen any vibration. The lack of foregrip on casting models isn’t really an issue, because most anglers should know by now that high-sticking using the foregrip is always a bad thing.
Conclusion
The Mojo packs a lot of high-end features at an entry-level price, and whether you are after largemouth bass on the reservoir or redfish on a mud flat, the Mojo is a great option. While some higher-quality hardware would have made this a must-have package, the price-point is hard to beat. If you want to go after bigger foes, such as stripers, cobia, or bull reds, you may want to look at the new Mojo Surf series:
Look for a write-up on this new series in the future!
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Save Money With Your Own Bait
Tough times have fishermen looking for different ways to save money. Combined with high gas prices and other costs, the rising price of live bait has put a pinch on many an angler's wallet. Artificial lures are one alternative to using live bait. They are durable and you can throw them in the tackle box to use another day. However, there are just some days when finicky fish won't accept anything but the real thing. Many anglers now are exploring ways to catch their own bait, saving money in the process.
Live shrimp is by far the most popular saltwater bait in coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Depending on the season, live shrimp can sometimes cost upwards of $20 a quart. A good cast net is a great investment for anyone looking to catch their own shrimp. Georgia law requires a cast net with a minimum mesh size of 3/8 inch if catching bait shrimp, up to two quarts. If catching more than two quarts, or if casting for food shrimp, a 5/8 inch mesh net is required. A large net is not necessary for bait-catching. A six to seven foot net is a perfect size for catching a couple of quarts of shrimp. If you are new to cast netting, practice makes perfect. Learning to use one can be difficult, but it is very rewarding.
A cast net is also one of the best tools for catching bait fish in both fresh and saltwater. A 1/2 inch mesh monofilament net is perfect for finger mullet, small pogys, or pilchards in saltwater, and shad, shiners, or herring in freshwater. A bigger 1 inch mesh may be needed for catching larger mullet or bigger "bunker" pogys. Offshore baits like cigar minnows and Spanish sardines are easily caught on a Japanese bait rig, called a Sabiki. This rig is a long string of small hooks with small pieces of fish skin or mylar attached. One end of the rig is tied to your fishing line, the other end is clipped to a one or two ounce sinker. Drop the rig down over artificial reefs and live bottom, and you'll quickly catch a number of fresh baits.
Traps can be used for some types of baitfish. A cylindrical minnow trap is a popular tool for catching mud minnows (locally known as polywogs) and killifish. These small baits are popular for inshore fishing and are a good alternative to live shrimp. Mud minnows are also very hardy baits, and can even be kept in freshwater aquariums for extended periods before use. The minnow trap is made of two mesh halves which clip together and are attached to a rope or line. Wet or dry cat food is a good bait for these traps, which should be set in a small tidal creek at low tide to make sure your trap doesn't end up high-and-dry. Minnow traps shouldn't be left out for long periods of time; a couple of hours is usually plenty to catch several dozen minnows. Otherwise, small crabs can invade the trap and kill off the minnows.
Experienced anglers know that good live bait is often necessary for a good day of fishing. If you find that live bait from a shop is too expensive, or if you simply don't have the time to drive to a bait shop, catching your own baits can be a simple, but fun, alternative.
Live shrimp is by far the most popular saltwater bait in coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Depending on the season, live shrimp can sometimes cost upwards of $20 a quart. A good cast net is a great investment for anyone looking to catch their own shrimp. Georgia law requires a cast net with a minimum mesh size of 3/8 inch if catching bait shrimp, up to two quarts. If catching more than two quarts, or if casting for food shrimp, a 5/8 inch mesh net is required. A large net is not necessary for bait-catching. A six to seven foot net is a perfect size for catching a couple of quarts of shrimp. If you are new to cast netting, practice makes perfect. Learning to use one can be difficult, but it is very rewarding.
A cast net is also one of the best tools for catching bait fish in both fresh and saltwater. A 1/2 inch mesh monofilament net is perfect for finger mullet, small pogys, or pilchards in saltwater, and shad, shiners, or herring in freshwater. A bigger 1 inch mesh may be needed for catching larger mullet or bigger "bunker" pogys. Offshore baits like cigar minnows and Spanish sardines are easily caught on a Japanese bait rig, called a Sabiki. This rig is a long string of small hooks with small pieces of fish skin or mylar attached. One end of the rig is tied to your fishing line, the other end is clipped to a one or two ounce sinker. Drop the rig down over artificial reefs and live bottom, and you'll quickly catch a number of fresh baits.
Traps can be used for some types of baitfish. A cylindrical minnow trap is a popular tool for catching mud minnows (locally known as polywogs) and killifish. These small baits are popular for inshore fishing and are a good alternative to live shrimp. Mud minnows are also very hardy baits, and can even be kept in freshwater aquariums for extended periods before use. The minnow trap is made of two mesh halves which clip together and are attached to a rope or line. Wet or dry cat food is a good bait for these traps, which should be set in a small tidal creek at low tide to make sure your trap doesn't end up high-and-dry. Minnow traps shouldn't be left out for long periods of time; a couple of hours is usually plenty to catch several dozen minnows. Otherwise, small crabs can invade the trap and kill off the minnows.
Experienced anglers know that good live bait is often necessary for a good day of fishing. If you find that live bait from a shop is too expensive, or if you simply don't have the time to drive to a bait shop, catching your own baits can be a simple, but fun, alternative.
