Fishing the Coast

[Makitcnt4u]

I am going down to South Florida in Mid March. Â*Around the Naples area. Â*Trailering my new boat all the way down there. Â*I would like to know what live bait to use that works best? Â*I would think Shrimp. Â*How do you hook a shrimp? And what artificial baits I could use around there? Â*What do you recommend fishing for? Â*Do I need to get a saltwater reel or could I just wash off my freshwater reel after every time out. Â*I went snook fishing last year in the Everglades and caught a 33". Â*It was great. Â*I'm mostly in the ICW or backwaters fishing but last year I occasionally went into the open ocean. Â*Last year I just drove around and explored places now I want to get to fishing these places. Where could I find this stuff online?

[Bassin_Dude]

well there are plenty of areas around there that hold a variety of fish. u could fish lake for bass and within minutes u could be out by the ocean for a variety of saltwater fish. so u should have no problem on what u want to fish. i used to fish w/ shrimp all the time and still fish with it occasionally but at this time i cant remember how to hook them. if i remember ill let u know. ive been down to naples a number of times, its a great place to visit. if u go far off shore try sqiud also. im not sure what kind of artificials to use for saltwater

[Makitcnt4u]

Yeah last year I also went out in my friend's 24' Mako 27 miles out. we used squid and caught a bunch. I been going down there for 17 years. I've never used artificials in saltwater and was just wondering. I mostly want to stay in the baackwaters. Last year I went out 5 miles in my 12' aluminum boat. that was SCARY! What did you fish for down there?

[Bassin_Dude]

unfortunatly i didnt fish when i was down there but up around flagler we use live shrimp to fish for kobia. and sometimes we go up to mosqiuto lagoon to fish for reds

[Rob Mak]

when i go off shore i normally use ballyhoo's or mullets. we always caught them on a cast net. i like bottom fishing the gulf stream mostly grouper. also try dragging large crankbaits at 8-10mph on your way to your spots as dolphin and yellow fin will grab a crank bait readly also check to see if they are having a shad run-hickory or american -these fish are #1 when it comes to fun on light tackle. as all fishing is dictated by the currant season. differant fish will be at differant places at differant times. if you are in to it use small pogie or spots for black bass and or striper's. remember the first rule of blue water fishing :birds are the best fish finders on the planet.

zooker

[zooker___________.]

BPS has alot of salywater gear

[Makitcnt4u]

Yeah I've looked at them for most of my stuff. But I don't really know much about saltwater fishing.

Should I look for artificial reefs or old shipwrecks?

Where do I need to look to find fish?

[Bassin_Dude]

really both are pretty much the same. a artificial reef is a ship that has been cleaned then sunk. so pretty much they are the same. its up to u. use ur fish finder if u have one. sorry but i cant help u to much of where to find them. i only go out every now.

[Makitcnt4u]

Well I guess they look Like a 10 or 20 foot drop off from a flat bottom? Â*I know a place to go twenty miles out but don't want to go quite that far yet. Â*

Is there much variation in the bottom or is it just mainly flat most of the time?

The only fish I have caught down there are: Â*snook, grouper, a pufferfish, a squirrel fish or something like that, and a barracuda.

What else do you think I should try that is active there around March?

The only thing I have ever fished with down there is shrimp and baitfish.

[macgyver]

Good fishing, hope you hook a biggun . When I was down there last year doing a little surf fishing, the baits were squid and shrimp. With shrimp being the best producer. I would talk to your freind who is local I'm sure he can tell whats the bait to use if he lives down there, if not local tackle shops. As zooker stated, I've caught fish while trolling from place to place, usually with a variation of a BIG SPINNERBAIT. These were all PAID fishing trips, so the guides usually put us of some fish. Barracuda are fun to catch, Grouper MMM MMM good. Since you're taking your boat, make sure to try to get it saltwater ready, and wash it thoroughly(you probably already knew this) after use. Wash all of your equipment off, including baits/lines/reels/anything. Also, I would recommend lots of Reel Magic before and after. Saltwater will tear up your stuff, so wash everything with FRESH water after use in it.

Lizards

[Makitcnt4u]

Yeah when I went down there with my 12 foot aluminum boat the saltwater rusted out my old metal 6 gallon gas tanks so I learned that lesson the hardway. Every peice of metal on the boat besides the aluminum either rusted or corroded. saltwater is very hard on boats and trailers that are not galvanized or aluminum. I put a new light kit, wheels, hubs, bearings, winch on my trailer the lights sockets rusted out and the bulbs were rusted in place and were not working.

This new boat was made for the ocean and it has all stainless steel. My new yamaha also has stainless steel everywhere and all sorts of saltwater resistant alloys. m The trailer lights are now elevated on poles out of the water.

When I went out with my friend 10 then 20 miles out I marked the places we were fishing with my GPS.

I have also used squid out in the ocean and it worked great!

[fredhatch]

Squid,shiners,cutbait, shrimp-hook them behind head through back-this will give them the most tail action. Zaraspook's-white, silver, Ratltraps. If you go coastal inland reds and snook,trout will pretty much hit the same lures as for bass. In fact in my younger days reds were known as channelbass. 8)

[Makitcnt4u]

Do you hook the shrimp through the shell or all the way through it's body. I have some silver rat-l-traps but I will probably have to get saltwater ones. Won't I ?

Which works better live bait or artificial?

[fredhatch]

Change your hooks out that all. Live or artificial? Million dollar question- just like the guys who only use shiners for bass. You can do well on both all depends on who you ask. Yes hook it up through the meaty section of the shrimp. 8)

[Makitcnt4u]

But won't hooking it through the meaty section kill it fast?

Do you think it would be better to get a cheap saltwater reel or use my freshwater reels and wash them out? I don't want to ruin my freshwater reels because last time I went to saltwater it ruined everything.

What is the difference between a saltwater rod and a freshwater rod? Could I use my freshwater rods?

[Makitcnt4u]

Also I have a baitcasting reel with an aluminum frame and spool that has a stainless steel drive shaft. Would this work in saltwater?

[Bassin_Dude]

basicaly a saltwater rod has all stainless steel parts and aliuminum so that it wont corrod. there is probally more but thats what i can think of. depending on the type of freshwater reel u have u could use it or just go buy a reasonably priced rod and reel but not a really really cheap one because it will screw up more

[Makitcnt4u]

Do most of you saltwater fisherman fish the open ocean or the backwaters and which fish should I fish for in each one?

[Bassin_Dude]

it depends on the person some will fish off shore and some saltwater fisherman will fish in shore.

[DelawareBass-R]

the best way to hook a shrimp is along side the head, go from like where the legs are and go sideways with the shrimp and hook it through the shell, they will stay alive that way. best bait is live shrimp for all the species. I would suggest pitching the shrimp under the mangroves for reds and snook. Another cheaper idea instead of buying live shrimp all the time is DOA shrimp, work almost just as well. Chartruese doa's work well down there. I was just down in charlotte harbor and i caught many snook and redfish on a 1/4 chart. jig with a chart/gold flake sea shad by bass assassin.

[DelawareBass-R]

i forgot to say that if you use your freshwater stuff i would use spinning gear because it doesnt seem to corrode as bad as baitcasters, and make sure you rinse them good with freshwater. soinning reels will be fine if you rinse them but i ruined 2 baitcasters from saltwater and i rinsed them along with my spinning. as for the rod they work fine too just rinse them as well. I prefer a 7' med. rod to cuz you need some backbone to keep them out of the mangroves. i like a med/light for jigging. also make sure your reel has a good drag cuz saltatwater fish pull alot more than a bass does.

[Makitcnt4u]

I need a new reel anyway. what would you recommend for saltwater?

[Rob Mak]

in a word PENN reels are probly the best for the money. i have used penn's for a long time.



zooker

[DelawareBass-R]

definately the PENN, get the gold ones cuz they are made for saltwater. the freshwater reels they have(silver) are garbage IMO. otherwise i use mitchell 308s or shimanos. make sure they hold a decent amount of line.

[Makitcnt4u]

thanks guys. I will go look at them today