02-07-2007, 01:56 PM
The Saltwater Sportsman Seminar series is not only just a cool field trip, it's very informative about the local species. Were ever the seminar goes, it gathers the best of the local charter captains and focuses on the fish species that are native to that area. I got some really great tips that i'm about to share on a few species of fish. Some of the other fish they covered that I didn't give an over view on were Amberjack, Grouper, and Tuna. If anyone would like me to add info about either of those three species, just reply to this post and i'll add info as requested. I focused on the most common and accessable species. Well, here we go:
[black][size 4]Flounder:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
Over here on the east coast, our flat fish tend to be alot smaller than thier west coast cousins. They also tend to be a little more gun shy. It was pretty much a mutual agreement that 10lb test or less was best when it comes to targeting these sometimes finiky morsals. A wide bend hook is always prefered, as the size of just a small flounder is huge in comparison to his size. The same philosophy follows with flounder, "big bait, big fish." Hand sized croakers, menhaden, and spots are amoung the prefered baits for "door mats." The biggest issue is taking your time. Too many anglers tend to set the hook too soon, and get back a scaled fish with a few fang marks. Give the fish time to eat the bait. It might take 5 minutes, so don't rush it. The most common weight egg sinker used is a 3/4 ounce, though you may need more weight offshore in deeper water. Make sure when you cast on structure you throw INTO the current, as to drag your bait with the current. Alot of times flounder lay facing the on comming current, waiting for bait to roll over the ridge formed by the current at the base of structure. If you drag you bait against the current, chances are you might not get the fish. Some anglers also use bucktails with squid strips. Just slowly bumping the lure off the bottom, which can prove to be very effective when the bite is on.
[black][size 4]Spanish Mackerel:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]There are many tricks and tactics for Spanish, and most prove to be affective under the right conditions. I know I learned of a few knew things to try that I had not heard of before. First and foremost, the obvious things. #1 Clarkspoons or a Drone spoon are deadly on spanish. They love flash and they love irratic movement. On a 4 rod spread, 2 need to be down on a #1 Planer incase they are biting deep. I'd run half gold spoons and half silver or chrome. Another effective lure for spanish is deep diving lures like Yo Zuri Magnums or Rapalas; something around 6" or so. Also, don't forget to consider what type of bait is running at the time. If the spanish are feeding on silver sides, you may need to step down to a #0 spoon. An innovation that I wasn't aware of is the Boone Spanish Bird rig. It's based on the larger bird daisy chains for big game, but in a 4.5" size. Many of the charter captians mentioned it, so i'm guessing it's the trick. I've already ordered 2. They only cost 10 bucks a piece. I'm going to replace the last lure with a spoon to add shine and movement. There was a disagreement with the captains about the use of flourocarbon for a leader. Spanish are deffinately line shy, but flourocarbon would be chancey considering the teeth involved. I'm going to use flourocarbon and just attach a short 3 inch steel leader just above the spoon for good measure. Also, using spoons, make sure you have a high quality ball bearing swivel intergrated into your leader. If not, you're going to have more line twist than a chubby checker re-run. Spanish like hot water temps and tend to run along the beach. So, it makes them a great target species for those with a smaller boat. [/black]
[black][size 4]Spadefish:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]Spadefish are one of the prize catches of the atlantic, yet, so many don't know how to target this relatively easy fish to catch. It all starts with Jellyfish.(jelly balls) The ones i'm speaking of are the little round ones that have a reddish tint. No, they don't sting. LOL, everyone thinks they sting, but the only thing you have to worry about is your shirt getting stained from the red coloration of the fish. Take about 4 or 5 jelly balls and string them up on a large fish stringer. Lower them down to about 20 ft and wait until the spades start feeding on the jellyballs. Spades usually like water around 20 to 40 feet deep around structure, so this is another inshore species. Once the spades start feeding on the jellyballs, slowly start pulling them up towards the surface. You'll know when they are eatting the jellyballs! Once you get the line pulled up to where you can barely see them, begin the chunking. I like a medium action rod with 20 pound braid. These fish are no push over, I've seen 15 pound fish bust 30 pound tackle. I don't use any weight, and if I do, it's usually just a small split shot just to bet the bait down in the current. I rig up two snell hooks, the kind with the little barbs in the back(baitholder hooks) and put both hooks into a 2x2 chunk of jellyfish. One hook is fine if you're going to cut smaller pieces of bait. You may want spinning tackle for this, since there is hardly or no weight on the rig. They are not often line shy, but if they are hard to bite, use a strip of flourocarbon for leader. Once your line hits the water, hang on; you're in for a ride. [cool][/black]
[black][size 4]Cobia:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]Though cobia are a more difficult species to target in the carolinas, they do roam the waters off our coast. The good thing is the tactics are pretty much universal for any area. The first thing you need to know is bait preference. Cobia absolutely LOVE eels and crabs. I've also caught cobia on pinfish, whitefish, blue's, and just about anything else you can think of. Cobia are curious fish by nature anyhow, so don't be surprised if you see one cruizing around your stomping grounds. If you ever see a cobia swimming around, chunk him a long tube lure or anything that resembles an eel. Bucktails with long strips can be very effective as well. This wasn't covered, but I know cobia love bridges and oil rigs. Cobia migrate and the best time for them in the carolinas is between May and July. Many anglers targeting King mackerel score a cobia slow trolling with live menhaden. The best part of cobia fishing is the table fare. I strongly feel that they are one of the best eatting fish in the ocean. Oh, and a good tip, NEVER bring a large cobia into a boat if he is still green. They are extremely powerful and have been known to destroy the inside of a boat and break unknowing anglers ankles. This is no joke. [/black]
[black][size 4]King Mackerel:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]King mackerel can prove to be illusive if you don't have your stuff together. Diversity in your spread is the key here, as well as location. Kings prefer water temps between 68-76 degrees. When the water gets too warm inshore, they move offshore to the deeper waters. Kings prefer clear water with a green tint. Blue water isn't very good King water. From 20 miles out to inshore, Menhaden are the prefered bait. 20+ miles fresh dead or live cigar minnows are the best. You can jig up cigar minnows around any structure with a #6 Sabiki rig. Make sure you mark bait on your sonar before you start jigging. Red and white cedar plugs or larger sized spoons in the 3 1/2" range work well for smaller kings. You'll catch many more kings on artificial lures, but you'll get much larger fish on natural bait. Green skirts seem to work well when rigging up fresh dead bait. The key to trolling for kings is go SLOW. If you're pulling lures, sure you can speed it up a bit, maybe 3 knotts or so. But with live bait, you need to just put it in gear, as slow as the boat will go. Look for birds feeding, and also trolling the mud line between the dark and green water is deadly for big kings. Like spanish, make sure you have atleast one bait deep on a down rigger or planer, like a #4. [/black]
There was alot of info given during the seminar, way more than what i've written. I just focused on these particular species because they are the most readily availible species for anglers. You don't have to have a 35ft boat to target these species. These tips can be used no matter where you are, and also apply to other species as well. I hope you enjoyed reading these tips and I hope they help you catch more fish this season!
Bryan D.
[signature]
[black][size 4]Flounder:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
Over here on the east coast, our flat fish tend to be alot smaller than thier west coast cousins. They also tend to be a little more gun shy. It was pretty much a mutual agreement that 10lb test or less was best when it comes to targeting these sometimes finiky morsals. A wide bend hook is always prefered, as the size of just a small flounder is huge in comparison to his size. The same philosophy follows with flounder, "big bait, big fish." Hand sized croakers, menhaden, and spots are amoung the prefered baits for "door mats." The biggest issue is taking your time. Too many anglers tend to set the hook too soon, and get back a scaled fish with a few fang marks. Give the fish time to eat the bait. It might take 5 minutes, so don't rush it. The most common weight egg sinker used is a 3/4 ounce, though you may need more weight offshore in deeper water. Make sure when you cast on structure you throw INTO the current, as to drag your bait with the current. Alot of times flounder lay facing the on comming current, waiting for bait to roll over the ridge formed by the current at the base of structure. If you drag you bait against the current, chances are you might not get the fish. Some anglers also use bucktails with squid strips. Just slowly bumping the lure off the bottom, which can prove to be very effective when the bite is on.
[black][size 4]Spanish Mackerel:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]There are many tricks and tactics for Spanish, and most prove to be affective under the right conditions. I know I learned of a few knew things to try that I had not heard of before. First and foremost, the obvious things. #1 Clarkspoons or a Drone spoon are deadly on spanish. They love flash and they love irratic movement. On a 4 rod spread, 2 need to be down on a #1 Planer incase they are biting deep. I'd run half gold spoons and half silver or chrome. Another effective lure for spanish is deep diving lures like Yo Zuri Magnums or Rapalas; something around 6" or so. Also, don't forget to consider what type of bait is running at the time. If the spanish are feeding on silver sides, you may need to step down to a #0 spoon. An innovation that I wasn't aware of is the Boone Spanish Bird rig. It's based on the larger bird daisy chains for big game, but in a 4.5" size. Many of the charter captians mentioned it, so i'm guessing it's the trick. I've already ordered 2. They only cost 10 bucks a piece. I'm going to replace the last lure with a spoon to add shine and movement. There was a disagreement with the captains about the use of flourocarbon for a leader. Spanish are deffinately line shy, but flourocarbon would be chancey considering the teeth involved. I'm going to use flourocarbon and just attach a short 3 inch steel leader just above the spoon for good measure. Also, using spoons, make sure you have a high quality ball bearing swivel intergrated into your leader. If not, you're going to have more line twist than a chubby checker re-run. Spanish like hot water temps and tend to run along the beach. So, it makes them a great target species for those with a smaller boat. [/black]
[black][size 4]Spadefish:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]Spadefish are one of the prize catches of the atlantic, yet, so many don't know how to target this relatively easy fish to catch. It all starts with Jellyfish.(jelly balls) The ones i'm speaking of are the little round ones that have a reddish tint. No, they don't sting. LOL, everyone thinks they sting, but the only thing you have to worry about is your shirt getting stained from the red coloration of the fish. Take about 4 or 5 jelly balls and string them up on a large fish stringer. Lower them down to about 20 ft and wait until the spades start feeding on the jellyballs. Spades usually like water around 20 to 40 feet deep around structure, so this is another inshore species. Once the spades start feeding on the jellyballs, slowly start pulling them up towards the surface. You'll know when they are eatting the jellyballs! Once you get the line pulled up to where you can barely see them, begin the chunking. I like a medium action rod with 20 pound braid. These fish are no push over, I've seen 15 pound fish bust 30 pound tackle. I don't use any weight, and if I do, it's usually just a small split shot just to bet the bait down in the current. I rig up two snell hooks, the kind with the little barbs in the back(baitholder hooks) and put both hooks into a 2x2 chunk of jellyfish. One hook is fine if you're going to cut smaller pieces of bait. You may want spinning tackle for this, since there is hardly or no weight on the rig. They are not often line shy, but if they are hard to bite, use a strip of flourocarbon for leader. Once your line hits the water, hang on; you're in for a ride. [cool][/black]
[black][size 4]Cobia:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]Though cobia are a more difficult species to target in the carolinas, they do roam the waters off our coast. The good thing is the tactics are pretty much universal for any area. The first thing you need to know is bait preference. Cobia absolutely LOVE eels and crabs. I've also caught cobia on pinfish, whitefish, blue's, and just about anything else you can think of. Cobia are curious fish by nature anyhow, so don't be surprised if you see one cruizing around your stomping grounds. If you ever see a cobia swimming around, chunk him a long tube lure or anything that resembles an eel. Bucktails with long strips can be very effective as well. This wasn't covered, but I know cobia love bridges and oil rigs. Cobia migrate and the best time for them in the carolinas is between May and July. Many anglers targeting King mackerel score a cobia slow trolling with live menhaden. The best part of cobia fishing is the table fare. I strongly feel that they are one of the best eatting fish in the ocean. Oh, and a good tip, NEVER bring a large cobia into a boat if he is still green. They are extremely powerful and have been known to destroy the inside of a boat and break unknowing anglers ankles. This is no joke. [/black]
[black][size 4]King Mackerel:[/size][/black]
[size 4][/size]
[black]King mackerel can prove to be illusive if you don't have your stuff together. Diversity in your spread is the key here, as well as location. Kings prefer water temps between 68-76 degrees. When the water gets too warm inshore, they move offshore to the deeper waters. Kings prefer clear water with a green tint. Blue water isn't very good King water. From 20 miles out to inshore, Menhaden are the prefered bait. 20+ miles fresh dead or live cigar minnows are the best. You can jig up cigar minnows around any structure with a #6 Sabiki rig. Make sure you mark bait on your sonar before you start jigging. Red and white cedar plugs or larger sized spoons in the 3 1/2" range work well for smaller kings. You'll catch many more kings on artificial lures, but you'll get much larger fish on natural bait. Green skirts seem to work well when rigging up fresh dead bait. The key to trolling for kings is go SLOW. If you're pulling lures, sure you can speed it up a bit, maybe 3 knotts or so. But with live bait, you need to just put it in gear, as slow as the boat will go. Look for birds feeding, and also trolling the mud line between the dark and green water is deadly for big kings. Like spanish, make sure you have atleast one bait deep on a down rigger or planer, like a #4. [/black]
There was alot of info given during the seminar, way more than what i've written. I just focused on these particular species because they are the most readily availible species for anglers. You don't have to have a 35ft boat to target these species. These tips can be used no matter where you are, and also apply to other species as well. I hope you enjoyed reading these tips and I hope they help you catch more fish this season!
Bryan D.
[signature]
] 
] But, I wouldn't get in the ocean fishing in a tube for anything. [cool] So, i'll leave the saltwater tubing to you. I'd be glad to give'r a whirl in the freshwater though. I think another name for Cobia is a "Ling" or something like that. 