The surf zone is a wild arena. Completely different environments span the Northeast to the Carolinas all the way to Florida. Texas and California are distinct too. But anglers who prowl the beaches know some surf rigs can be ubiquitously applied. Still, the many different options available might confuse those who don’t understand their applications. And surf spots in different states sometimes have different names for the same rigs. As a diehard New Jersey surf caster, I want to help you pick the best rigs for your favorite species. The hi-lo rig, pill float rig, fishfinder rig, chunk rig, and mullet rig are some my favorites for stripers, redfish and pompano, even sharks.

The Hi-Lo Surf Rig

Quick Summary: Why have one hook when you can have two? Joking aside, there’s more to the logic of a hi-lo rig (dropper loop rig) than just having another hook. The hi-lo rig, sometimes spelled high-low rig, is meant to cover the waters just off the sea floor, anywhere bottom fish are feeding. Even one foot can make a difference to get bites when targeting true bottom feeders or to convince wary fish to swim up and eat a bait. Bait with worms, clams, shrimp, crabs or small chunk baits. (You can also use the rig when fishing bridges or piers — just space out the hooks accordingly.)

Design: Use a 75-pound barrel swivel and 30-inch section of leader. Tie the two dropper loops 16 inches apart in the leader. Pick appropriate size hooks scaled to the fish species you’re targeting, then thread the hooks on to the dropper loops. Tie a loop knot to the opposite end of the leader that you tied the swivel. A loop knot allows you to easily attach and remove a weight for different conditions. In the surf, pyramid sinkers work the best to hold bottom.

Species: Surf stripers, snapper, grouper, black sea bass, rockfish, tautog

The Fishfinder Slide Rig

Quick Summary: The fishfinder rig is meant to allow feeding fish to pick up a natural bait without feeling any unnatural resistance. The lack of tension helps prevent a gamefish from spitting out the offering. Try this setup when using live baits such as bunker (menhaden), mullet, eels, pilchards, sandworms or bloodworms. You can also use chunk baits or fresh clams as well. Besides the surf, good spots to use fishfinder rigs include inlets or creeks when the tide is running. Anglers should free-spool the line and allow a fish to take it unhindered in the current for a natural presentation.

Design: Utilize a fishfinder slide with sinker clip to attach a pyramid or bank-style sinker, or you can substitute an egg sinker for the slide clip. I prefer to use a 75-pound barrel swivel to prevent the sliding weight from reaching the hook. To the swivel, tie on 20 to 30 inches of leader and a snelled hook.

Species: Fluke, southern flounder, striped Bass, red drum, cobia, sheepshead

The Pill Float Rig

Quick Summary: Use this rig to keep the baits floating off the bottom to prevent crabs from stealing your baits. Sandfleas, worm bits and clam bits are great natural baits. Artificial offerings such as Fishbites, Fishgum and Gulp Saltwater Surf Bytes work too. Targets are generally smaller fish species up to 4 pounds. Or use the rig to procure live baits such as grunts and pinfish for the livewell. One other spot this rig excels: fun fishing along bridges and piers.

Design: A hi-lo rig design, except with small Styrofoam pill shaped floats in front of the size number 4 to 8 bait-holder hooks.

Species: Pompano, whiting (northern kingfish), white perch, grunts, pinfish

The Chunk Rig

Quick Summary: Tie on the chunk rig when targeting larger gamefish and you want to throw big baits. Use chunk baits such as menhaden, bluefish, cut mullet, pinfish, grunts or herring. A long leader allows bigger fish to pick up the bait and swim off. Then, an angler can and should reel tight for an effective hook-set. This is a great all-around rig when casting from the shoreline targeting different species. Just about everything eats chunk baits, except maybe those few crab-crunchers.

Design: Tie on a three-way swivel, with a sinker clip attached to one eye to handle a pyramid weight. The other eye receives a 30-inch piece of 40- to 80-pound mono leader. A snelled circle hook, scaled accordingly from 5/0 to 12/0, ensures solid hook sets.

Species: Sharks, striped bass, bluefish, drum, snook

The Mullet Rig

Quick Summary: Specifically designed to throw fresh or frozen mullet, this rig allows the whole bait to be fished in a natural manner. The mullet floats just above the sandy seafloor in an enticing display to attract feeding gamefish. Also, the float keeps your bait off bottom where crabs can pick it apart.

Design: For this rig, I use an oval Styrofoam float built-in with a 4-inch length of wire, ending with a dual-barb hook. To bait this rig, remove the hook first. Thread the mullet on the wire from the mouth down through the body out the anal vent. Then, reattach the hook back to the metal leader. Make sure one barb is pierced into the side of the tail. Tie your floating mullet to a length of leader that connects to a three-way swivel. Connect your swivel to the main line. The third leg gets a sinker clip and weight.

Species: Striped Bass, bluefish, red drum, sharks

The post Top Bait Rigs for Surf Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Anglers targeting big kingfish and Spanish mackerel by slow-trolling live baits use specialized techniques to entice wary fish to strike. One popular and proven tactic involves presenting two live baits on a single terminal rig, which creates a larger profile and more action. These double-pogy rigs can be tied in two basic designs. And while the pogy, or menhaden, is commonly used, this system works well with a variety of other baitfish. Both rig designs use extra-strong hooks and swivels, and employ haywire twists to make connections between lengths of single-strand wire. Skirts or colored beads can be added for color and flash.

King Mackerel Double Pogy Rig

Here’s the list of the materials needed:

• American Fishing Wire pre-cut lengths of camo brown 58-pound-test (12-inch) and 38-pound-test (36-inch)
• VMC 4X strong treble hooks, black nickel, size 4
• Owner Flyliner live-bait hooks, black chrome, size 1/0
• Spro Power Swivel, (single barrel swivel), size 7
• Spro Power Swivel Combo (three-way swivel), size 5
• Skirts or colored beads if desired. I like chartreuse and mylar.
• DuBro E/Z Twist tool for making haywire twist

This rig is built like a single-bait, two-hook rig but you add a second treble hook. Easy to build and tougher to tangle, the three-hook rig can also be used with small Spanish mackerel, large blue runners, ladyfish or ribbonfish — if you run short of terminal rigs built specifically for those baits.

STEP 1: Haywire-twist a treble hook onto each end of a 12-inch section of 58-pound-test wire. Leave approximately 6 inches of wire between the hooks.

STEP 2: Connect another 12-inch length of 58-pound-test wire to the eye of one of those treble hooks and finish the opposite end of the wire with a live-bait hook — again leaving about 6 inches between the hooks.

STEP 3: Haywire-twist one end of a 36-inch length of 38-pound-test wire to the live-bait hook and finish the opposite end with a single barrel swivel.

STEP 4: Below, a finished rig before adding live baits. But now it’s time to fish! Attach one bait to the live-bait hook by passing the point through the nostrils. Attach the second bait to the middle treble hook by passing a point of the treble through the nostrils. The last treble swings freely.

The Four-Hook Kingfish Rig

This rig is a combination of two single-bait rigs attached to the mainline with a three-way swivel. The four-hook rig allows each bait more freedom of movement, somewhat eliminating a tiring tug-of-war between baitfish, but it does so at an increased risk of tangling.

Haywire-twist a treble hook and a live-bait hook onto a 12-inch section of 58-pound-test wire, leaving approximately 6 inches between the hooks. Connect one end of a 36-inch length of 38-pound-test wire to the live-bait hook and the opposite end to one eye of a three-way swivel. Repeat this process with another treble and live-bait hook, but this time, remove 6 inches of the 36-inch length of wire before connecting it to the second eye of the three-way swivel.

Attach baits to the two live-bait hooks by passing the points through their nostrils. Attach the trebles to the bait by passing one point through the skin just behind the dorsal fin. If the treble hooks swing freely, that increases the chances of tangling when the two baits swim together.

Although I always try to pick baits of equal size and friskiness, it’s common for one baitfish to tire before the other, rendering the rig less effective and making it necessary to change out baits more often. However, this extra effort pays off when a smoker king skyrockets behind your boat with your handmade double-pogy rig in its mouth.

The post The Best Kingfish Live-Bait Rig appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When anglers think of pursuing saltwater fishing in Alaska, they’re usually inundated with dreams of wrestling a barn-door halibut — which sometimes get so big that anglers might use a .410 to dispatch the large behemoths. But that’s not the only species the cold waters of Northern California all the way to the Gulf of Alaska can provide.

Often thought of as the “younger brother” to targeting halibut in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), the rockfish offers an engaging, high-success-rate option for anglers looking to round out a trip. Also, consider the distressed halibut populations and increased limits anglers have seen in Alaska. If other fish species aren’t available to target, that could really hamper the legendary lodge trips Alaska is so famous for.

From deep-water holes along underwater ridges to the rocky reefs along the coast, rockfish offer a diverse and exciting fishing experience for anglers who target them. We spoke with experts in the field to learn more about the top five species of rockfish you’ll likely encounter in these waters — along with habitat, tackle and techniques for catching them.

Top Rockfish Species to Catch

We caught up with biologists and captains in the region to talk about the top species to catch (there’s more than 34 in Alaska alone). We classified them into two categories — “pelagic” and “non-pelagic.”

Pelagic Rockfish Species

These species tend to dwell off the bottom, congregating around rock pinnacles like walls, ridges, and even in kelp forests near rocky bottoms, but generally higher in the water column. They’re targeted with smaller jigs for the most part, along with spinners and flies on occasion.

Black Rockfish

Agreed upon by all our experts as easily the most-targeted and cooperative rockfish species, these fish school big time around rocky structure (as the name suggests). They are incredibly eager to bite once you find a school. We caught up with Cap. Brent Foster of Brookings Fishing Charters in Oregon. Foster specializes in lingcod and rockfish charters off the Oregon coast, and boasts that 80% of trips are black rockfish, with some really big ones.

“It’s not uncommon to have a 4- or 5-pound black on every trip.” That’s a trophy size fish, and great fun on the light tackle spinning gear. Brent fishes some of the smaller reefs off the lighthouse area of Oregon, often in less than 100 feet of water.

“We do a lot of light tackle here, not running big sticks like other guys do since we’re fishing in 100 feet of water or less with spinning rods and braided line,” Foster said. “Flutter Jigs and smaller paddle tail swimbaits up to 4 ounces excel; sometimes we have to go a bit heavier due to drift.”

Quillback Rockfish

Known for their distinctive spiky dorsal fins, quillbacks are another common pelagic rockfish that grow to good size, making them a favorite among anglers. While available farther north in Alaska, the quillback are a subject of controversy as they’ve been added to the list of banned harvest fish in Oregon. (Other species on the no-take list include copper and China rockfish.) As always, anglers should check limits and regulations of species when fishing in state or federal waters.

What are Non-Pelagic Rockfish?

These rockfish are found most often on or near the bottom and tend to prefer rocky bottoms (hence the name “rockfish”). More often than not, they’re hooked as bycatch when jigging or bait fishing for halibut.

Yelloweye Rockfish

Yelloweye rockfish are the quintessential Alaskan fish. Among the largest of the rockfish species, a big yelloweye jigged up from depth makes a fine photo fit for a postcard. (It’s one of my biggest bucketlist rockfish since moving to the last frontier several years ago.) They’re common and fairly easy to find in and around Kodiak waters all the way down to Prince William Sound.

Tiger Rockfish and China Rockfish

Okay, technically two species, but these are favorites of Capt. Brian McKay of Alaska Outdoors Addiction. While on the smaller side of the rockfish spectrum, they’re beautiful fish, often caught at depths of 100 to 300 feet (and sometimes as deep as 800 to 1,000 feet). They readily hit jigs on light tackle. Tigers are also a favorite of biologist Adam St. Saviour, a researcher with the state of Alaska, as they’re a rare species to catch compared to others. We’ll talk later with St. Saviour about conservation.

Shortraker Rockfish

Gaining notoriety after the 48-pound state record was caught last July in Alaska, shortraker rockfish are known for hanging out deep. Captain Ray Nix, of Crazy Ray’s Adventures, deep-drops herring or octopus on circle hooks with halibut sticks at least 800 feet down to target these fish. By all accounts, it’s quite a chore to crank them up, but worth the experience for a once-in-a-lifetime catch. Electric reels are the preferred tackle method in this scenario.

Fly Fishing for Rockfish

Captain Brian McKay developed a method for clients who want to take rockfish on the fly off the coast of Kodiak Island, Alaska. He suggests switching things up by having one angler “man the jig” with a hookless lure to entice the fish higher in the water column and whip them into a feeding frenzy. Once the fish are jigged up higher, they will cooperate with any big streamers in your fly box, including a super-sized Russian river or popsicle style.

Rockfish Conservation

Catching up with Adam St. Saviour, a research biologist for the Southcentral Region with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, we’d be remiss if we didn’t cover one major conservation aspect of fishing for rockfish. Rockfish are susceptible to overfishing and bad management practice. They’re also prone to barotrauma during their release, which can kill the fish.

In Alaska, it is imperative for anglers to carry a deep-water release mechanism for rockfish in the boat. These devices are designed to return a rockfish back near the bottom where it was hooked, or to a specified depth, to assist the fish in recompression and up chances of post-release survival. Anglers can find more information about deep-water releases from the organization Return ‘Em Right.

About the Author: Cody McLaughlin is an outdoor writer, conservationist and hunting advocate based in Alaska. He recently launched Trout Stream Studios as an executive producer for podcasts and livestreams in the hunting and veterans’ affairs spaces – including for the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s The Sportsmen’s Voice Podcast, the popular Blood Origins Podcast, and the Veterans’ Affairs Administration’s National Center for PTSD. He serves currently on the board of the Alaska Outdoor Council and is a former board member and lead spokesman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance.

The post Targeting Rockfish in the Pacific Northwest appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

During the winter months, mama croakers spew their eggs into high-salinity offshore waters, where they’re fertilized by daddy croakers, and then, in the afterglow, both mama and daddy head off to find something to eat, leaving the youngsters to fend for themselves. Maybe it’s parental malpractice, but Mother Nature shrugs. She couldn’t care less.

Along the Louisiana coast, the larval and post-larval croakers are pushed by the tides into shallow waters, where they use seagrasses and detritus to hide from predators and feast on rotifers, copepods and even the very detritus that serves as their home.

Eventually, though, the fish outgrow the marshes, and begin to migrate in the spring. That’s when they face a murderer’s row of speckled trout — and unwittingly provide anglers with some of the best fishing action of the year.

Croaker Chaos

For the growing croakers, big spring tides are both a blessing and a curse. Riding the conveyor belt of the tides is how juvenile croakers make their way into the bigger bays, but these strong currents also slam the fish into ledge walls that disorient them and make them easy prey for specks. This, in turn, makes the trout easy prey for anglers.

It happens every spring in South Louisiana, and is most consistent in brackish marshes, where juvenile croakers proliferate. Anglers who want to maximize their productivity simply ride around looking for what locals call “boiling water.” Boiling-water areas show upwellings on the surface, where hard currents hit ledge walls and are forced upward. These are most commonly found in winding bayous with 10 to 20 feet of depth. Not every ledge wall will hold fish, but a high percentage of them do, and an angler who hits enough of them will certainly find a bite that has him posting pictures on social media.

Best baits, far and away, are 3½-inch soft-plastic paddle tails that most accurately mimic the size and action of the migrating croakers. Louisiana anglers fish those on ⅜-ounce jigheads, and will sometimes add a ¼-ounce jighead-and-paddletail combo fished as a double rig when currents are particularly swift. Figuring out how fish orient at each ledge wall is part of the fun, and shrewd anglers will frequently change their angles to find feeding specks. Hooked fish regularly upchuck juvenile croakers onto the boat decks of successful anglers. Often these fish are so recently ingested, they can be thrown overboard, where they swim down, probably to be eaten by another trout.

Spring Seatrout Success

Depending on water temperature, the bite will begin around the first of March and stretch almost to the summer solstice. By then, most of the mature specks have moved offshore to spawn, leaving behind only the undersized immature fish, along with a host of pests, like hardheads and gafftops.

But during the run, the specks are shockingly large for Louisiana marsh fish. An 18-inch average is about the norm, and several fish in the schools will stretch between 20 and 24 inches. In comparison, anglers fishing marsh lakes and expansive bays during this same time of year will typically be plagued by undersized and barely legal fish.

Though specks are the primary beneficiaries of the croaker migration, other species also notice and take advantage of the easy meals. Redfish are ever present, and the pattern delivers far more bites from black drum, flounder and largemouth bass than unfamiliar anglers might expect. Given the onslaught, it defies belief that any croaker survives to reach offshore waters and complete the spawn cycle, but clearly a whole bunch do. Despite getting no help from their parents.

The post The Best Spring Seatrout Bait appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Mug – (verb) to hold up, knock-off, loot, plunder, hijack, swindle. 

If you’ve fished the beach long enough, you know what mugging is. Loosely defined, it’s the direct, uncomfortable encroachment of the area you are fishing by another angler, usually occurring after that said angler sees you hook up. Or it could happen when said angler thinks there’s enough room to fish the same exact spot as you. However you look at it, you know what it feels like when it happens and it can lead to expletive-laden verbal exchanges, fistfights, and even missed fishing time. And no one wants to destroy a fishing outing. So how do you know if you’ve been mugged or if you’re doing the mugging? Here are a few quick guidelines to follow to keep you on the straight and narrow.

First Come, First Served

The Golden Rule. If you are the first one to get to a spot, then that spot is yours to fish. No other angler has the right to mug you. Get up earlier if you want to put a claim on a spot.

If the Bait Fisherman Was There First

An angler is the first to the beach and sets up two sandspiked clamming rods in a hole. Other anglers should not fish anywhere between the deadstick rods but should stay and fish on the outermost sides of the rods. Some mornings I walk up to the beach to what I want to consider “my hole” to start plugging, only to see a deadsticker there. I feel trespassed, but he was there first, and it’s his hole to fish, plain and simple. I move on. Which leads me to the 30/50-yard rule.

The 30/50 Yard Rule

If a deadsticker is set up in a hole, and I want to plug, it is not considered mugging to walk 30 yards down either direction from his outermost rods and start making casts. However, if you are also bait fishing, it’s best to go down to the next hole to set up camp and stay at least 50 yards away. When anglers are plugging, a comfortable distance between anglers actively fishing is usually 30 to 50 yards.

Boat Versus Surf Fishermen

The concrete rule. No boat should fish so near the shore to be in the surfcaster’s average casting distance without expecting repercussions. Surf fishermen should get first dibs on surf fish — beach anglers are limited in the water they can cover, while boaters are not. If a boat fishes bunker schools or boiling striped bass close enough to read the writing on a surfcaster’s hat, the boater is too close. A boater shouldn’t be surprised by possibly getting hit by errant plugs, heavy metal jigs or weighted bunker snags. Surfcasters need not give way to a boater fishing inside the breakers.

Blitz Fishing Conditions

This one can get really dicey in the heat of the moment, so it’s best to keep your actions ultra-simple. Don’t cut in. An angler walks up to the beach to see striped bass and bluefish busting the surface. If the pack of anglers is tight, don’t walk down and begin casting between two anglers already spaced evenly apart. You’ll encroach their already established personal space and screw up the whole dynamic. Walk to either end of the pack, anticipating the school’s movement and begin casting. The school moves, then the other anglers pick up and frog hop to the forward-progressing end of the line to begin casting again. Don’t cut in between anglers. It will only lead to crossed lines, potential hooks in the face, and missed fishing time.

A Baitfish Frenzy

In crazed excitement, when adult bunker schools come in close enough to cast to, it can get competitive from the beach. Always stay on the outskirts of the snagging crew. Say there are five guys all snagging bunker, but the school has begun to move south fast. You are on the tail end of the snagging crew. Don’t pick up and muscle your way in between anglers 2 and 3, or 3 and 4, but instead frog hop the entire bunch of anglers and intercept the school ahead to start snagging again. This rule applies only if the pack of anglers is fairly tight. If not, see the 30/50-yard rule (above) in respect to re-entering the snagging crew in the middle.

Beach Buggies Versus Walk-On Surf Anglers

Beach buggies have the decided advantage when chasing blitzes and scoping out spots. Still, anglers with beach vehicles shouldn’t mug other peoples’ spots. This is how it goes sometimes: Too many beach buggy anglers sit in the comfortable heat of the truck with binoculars without making casts. Once a walk-on has a bent rod, many times the buggy will scream on over, run out of the truck, and start casting right next to the guy hooked up. Bad move. It’s not bad to want to fish where the fish seem to be, but buggy anglers shouldn’t do drive-by muggings. A nice gesture would be to ask the walking angler if he minds you casting nearby. Common courtesy wins out.

Respect Other Anglers

When surf fishing, whether it’s in Jersey, North Carolina or Montauk, all that really matters is common sense and a little respect. Sure, there will be days when it’s a ghost town and you have the beach all to yourself, but there will also be days when it is jam-packed. React accordingly. The saying goes, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, or something like that. If it feels like you are mugging somebody, chances are you are. Whether you’re a local living year-round in a beachside community, a part-timer who owns a house or rents to enjoy a few months out of the year, or a day tripper driving from inland towns to enjoy the beaches, we are all fishermen. All of us have the same rights, respects and responsibilities to share the beach equally.

The post QUICK GUIDE: Surf Fishing Etiquette appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

I’m clearly a glutton for punishment. For most anglers, fishing trips involve making a milk run of spots that have delivered for them in the past, and hoping that at least one of them will hold feeding fish on that day. It’s an efficient strategy that certainly increases the chances for success. But to me, it’s as boring as reading a book on String Theory.

The joy for me in the sport of angling is not in reeling in a fish but rather in overcoming the challenge of figuring out the fish. Each bite is just confirmation that the fish were doing what my analysis determined they should be. Once the fish is hooked, I’d just as soon hand the rod to someone else to reel it in.

Because of that, I rarely fish the same spot twice, preferring to hit new areas that require me to read the water and make exploratory casts to determine if my hypotheses were correct. Since my home state of Louisiana has 2.5 million acres of coastal wetlands, the options are almost endless for anglers like me who want to channel their inner Vasco da Gama.

As such, most of my fishing trips actually begin at my desk staring at Google Earth on my Mac. I look for areas rich in hydrographic features that should deliver based on expected conditions on the day I’m fishing.

To me, one of the most predictable occurs during or immediately following an atmospheric feature that most south Louisiana anglers despise — a west wind. Breezes with a compass reading anywhere from about 225 to 315 cause water in Louisiana’s marshes to flee like tourists the day after Mardi Gras. Lakes, bays and lagoons that may have produced fish the day before a westerly wind will be as fishless and nearly as dry as the Mojave.

Since those are the areas that most anglers fish, west winds are as popular in south Louisiana as bland gumbo. But those fish have to go somewhere, and to me, a west wind merely serves to concentrate them and make them easier to catch. That’s particularly true with speckled trout and redfish, although the strategies I employ to find them differ slightly. 

If I’m hoping to get a speckled-trout fix, I scan the satellite images and make note of medium-sized bayous that drain marsh lakes or lagoons. From September through May, specks will stuff their faces in these water bodies. They will retreat to the nearest deep water when forced to by Mother Nature. Although major bayous with depths to 20 feet are certainly worth checking, the sweet spots for me are bayous with 6 to 10 feet of depth. Invariably, once on sight, I’ll make my first cast at the first bend of each of those bayous.

If I’m craving the hard hits and strong pulls of redfish, my game plan varies slightly. What I look for in my map study are small bayous that connect two marsh ponds. Redfish seem to always want to be as shallow as possible, often hunting for snacks in water no deeper than the height of their bodies. So when ponds get dry or too shallow to swim, the fish stack up in absurd numbers in these small bayous that measure only 2 to 3 feet deep.

Often the challenge is getting to these tiny waterways in the low-water conditions, an obstacle that’s overcome with the use of a mud motor or with nerves of steel while running an outboard over glorified mud puddles. The latter is the method I employ, so a push pole is standard gear on my boat. It’s saved me from spending the night in the marsh more times than my wife will ever know.

Admittedly, not every medium-sized bayou that drains a marsh lake will hold speckled trout, and not every small bayou between two ponds will be crowded with redfish. So I find several before I ever pull my boat out of the garage, and I’ll hit them all in a day’s fishing. Ground truthing my hypotheses is what makes this sport fun.

The post West Winds Are the Best Winds appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Yellowfin tuna attack in packs, like wolves descending on a flock of lambs. Often, these 50-pound footballs launch completely out of the water to crash bait from above.

On the hook, they fight like bulldogs with a headstrong run capable of pegging anglers to their limits. On the table, the meat tastes delicate, whether seared like a steak or sliced up cold and raw.

Among the top locations to catch this most-popular gamefish has to be Hatteras Island, North Carolina. Captains troll ballyhoo, cast topwater plugs, dangle baits from a kite or jig vertically. Fishing out of the famed Oregon Inlet, on the east side of Hatteras island, or the fabled Hatteras Inlet on the south side of the island, anglers find ample opportunities to catch the yellowfin tuna of a lifetime.

On the Line in Oregon Inlet

The combination of warm-water eddies and deep structure attracts tuna to the waters off Oregon Inlet from October through June. While blackfin, bigeye and bluefin tuna visit the area, yellowfin tuna remain the star attraction.

The charter fleet fishing out of Oregon Inlet developed the tactics that anglers all over the world use to score yellowfin. Based out of Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, Capt. Charles Haywood chases tuna on his 55-foot custom boat, Rigged Up.

Haywood has fished Oregon Inlet since childhood, starting as a mate for some of the most iconic anglers on the water and later becoming the owner operator of his own boat. After decades chasing yellowfin, Haywood and the rest of the tuna fleet have developed foolproof tuna tactics.

“We can catch yellowfin tuna all winter,” Haywood says. Later, the spring season heats up from early May to late June. While every angler prays for calm weather, Haywood says the best tuna days are a little rough. “Not hell-bent, but a 12- to 18-knot wind seems to get the fish moving,” he says. On a stiff northeast swell, he spots schools of yellowfin swimming downsea.

Getting to The Point

Haywood looks for yellowfin where the edge of the Gulf Stream crosses the continental shelf, anywhere from 30 to 50 miles offshore. Ground zero is a cut in the shelf called The Point. The warmer, clearer water of the Gulf Stream meets the cooler, dirtier water of the Labrador Current in a noticeable seam. As the currents ebb and flow, the seam moves north and south along the edge of the shelf. When the warm water crosses over a hill, cliff or canyon in the edge of the abyss, yellowfin tuna stage to feed.

“This time of year, yellowfin will hold inside or outside the stream,” he says. Haywood has caught yellowfin in water from 68 to 78 degrees; he says 70 to 74 degrees is ideal.

Haywood relies on his fish finder to mark tuna and bait as the boat moves from one piece of structure to another. Once he finds fish on a hill or canyon, he works the area until he dials in specific locations and determines the best direction to approach them.

The Perfect Spread

To catch yellowfin, Haywood trolls skirted ballyhoo at 6.5 to 7.2 knots. He starts with a large ballyhoo rigged beneath a Sea Witch skirt. Haywood keeps a complete palette of skirt colors, from black-and-red to bright pinks and whites. He changes colors to meet weather and water conditions.

He pulls the ballyhoo using 50-pound-class tackle and spools up with 130-pound braided backing. To the backing, he adds a 100-yard topshot of 80-pound mono and crimps a 25-foot leader of 180-pound fluorocarbon between the topshot and the lure.

An effective tuna spread consists of a dozen baits fished from a web of lines. Haywood makes use of long riggers to long-short riggers, short-short riggers, two or three shotguns and flat lines splashing just a few feet from the transom.

Haywood recommends changing each lure’s position until it swims correctly: riding down the boat wake and popping out of the water every minute. Sometimes the fish favor long baits swimming deeper and other times, the tuna attack short baits splashing on the surface. With the right spread, a pack of yellowfin will attack every bait until every rod bends double.

After the first bite, Haywood keeps trolling, hoping to hook multiple fish. By the time he slows the boat to let the anglers work on the fish, he has moved away from the structure. With the swift Gulf Stream sweeping him away from the honey hole, Haywood turns his boat into the current while the anglers fight their fish.

When the spring bite turns hot, anglers descend from every direction to get in on the action. Chartering a professional captain can help you learn the ropes.

Haywood also encourages visitors to network with local captains to monitor weather conditions and navigation hazards. The channel markers don’t mark the channel, and a big winter swell can make the outer bar almost impassable. “We may be tough on the outboarders,” he laughs, “but the inlet is always changing. Don’t be afraid to ask for local knowledge.”

Chasing Action in Hatteras Inlet

Although it lies only 60 miles south of Oregon Inlet, Hatteras Inlet is a world away. While the fleet fishing out of Oregon Inlet enjoys steady action on yellowfin tuna, anglers fishing out of Hatteras Inlet chase tuna that ride eddies of cooler water spinning along the Gulf Stream.

Capt. Rom Whitaker has chased yellowfin out of Hatteras Inlet for 40 years. “Ten years ago, tuna fishing was excellent,” he recalls. Then, local anglers suffered a dry spell — until last year.

Whitaker says the behavior of the Gulf Stream eddies changed. “We had less current and more eddies,” he says — perfect conditions for yellowfin tuna.

The Gulf Stream current can rush faster than 5 knots up the coast, and that deep, blue water is too warm and turbulent for tuna. Instead, Whitaker looks for an eddy of cooler, slower, green water spinning up from the south.

“The water in the eddy can be 3 degrees cooler,” he says. “As the eddy moves up the coast, the current will change from southwest to nothing to a backing tide out of the northeast.”

For this reason, Whitaker starts each day studying satellite sea-surface-temperature images. While on the water, he monitors changes in the eddy with his Sirius XM satellite service. He also talks to captains who fish out of Morehead City to the south, asking about water temperature, current and other details for clues to where the tuna are holding—on the edge, in the center, or at the top or bottom.

Once he determines the most likely area, he looks for where the water crosses underwater structure. “The tuna ride the eddy like a train,” he says. The fish might stop at canyons and rock piles, but they continue to move with the water. “One day they might be south at the 800 line, then the next day they’ll be at the triple zeros, and the third day, they’ll stop behind the Rockpile,” he says, referring to Loran-C locations.

Shifting Tactics With the Seasons

Whitaker says the Hatteras yellowfin season runs from April until early July. As the months progress, his tactics change. He prefers trolling Sea Witches and ballyhoo. If that doesn’t work, he might try dropping a spoon on a planer, or adding a spreader bar into the mix. “I like the spreader bar in the middle of the spread,” he says.

If Whitaker marks fish on his fish finder, but can’t get a bite, he drops 200-gram vertical jigs. If he sees yellowfin jumping out of the water, he grabs a spinning rod rigged with a topwater popper. But his favorite way to catch tuna is with the kite, he says.

When the tuna feed on flying fish, they turn up their noses at trolled baits. Dangling a rubber flying fish from a kite can be just the thing to entice the tuna to bite. Whitaker uses 30-pound tackle spooled with 65-pound braided line. He attaches the mainline to a 4-foot section of 200-pound monofilament holding the lure. He can run two lures off one kite, trolling fast enough to keep the kite in the air and the lures bouncing off the wave tops.

Read Next: More Yellowfin Tuna Tips

“It’s a very visual bite,” he says, describing how tuna launch into the air to snare a flying bait. Yellowfin seem to prefer their prey hanging three feet off the surface. With a lot of line in the air, it’s important to quickly retrieve slack. Sharp hooks snare the fish until the angler can catch up using the reel.

On a typical day tuna fishing, anglers might have to employ several tactics before hitting the mark. Expect to switch from trolling ballyhoo, to casting plugs, jigging metal and flying a kite. But if you can find the right water over the right structure, you’ll find some of the world’s best yellowfin tuna fishing.

FAQ

The post Spring Into the Yellowfin Tuna Fishing Scene appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Hefty sheepshead, what some call “heads,” can be picky creatures. Once you understand what they’re looking for, you’ll quickly dial in the approach that leads to heavyweight opportunities. The right habitat and food sources make the magic happen. Luckily for anglers, the formula occurs with regularity.

Where to Find Sheepshead

Throughout their range, sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) do a lot of their feeding around docks, piers, seawalls, bridges, rock piles, and reefs of natural or manmade origin. Basically, anywhere a hard surface provides growing opportunities for barnacles and hidey holes for crabs and marine invertebrates — that’s sheepshead country.

Take it one step further and find better quality fish in tucked-away, less-trafficked spots. This could be old docks in the back of a lengthy canal or winding bayou, a small rock pile or rubble reef off the beaten path, or one of the many limestone outcroppings peppered along Florida’s Big Bend region. Remember, if anyone can find it, everyone will fish it. Big sheepshead favor the more secluded stuff.

A tip from Tampa Bay sheepshead pro Capt. Chris Wiggins: “Find a large, older dock with lots of structure near a mangrove edge close to deep water,” he says. “That’s money.” Fortress-like habitat with food sources and depth for safety make prime sheepshead real estate.

Such spots produce throughout the year, but anglers fishing late fall through winter in the Gulf Coast fisheries will often find sheepshead gathering in spawning aggregations. This increases your likelihood of running into sizable sheepshead. Still, investing greater effort into finding out-of-the-way spots improves your chances of locating the bigger fish.

The Best Baits for Sheepshead

Every predator in the sea will eat a shrimp, and big sheepshead are no exception. But with prominent front teeth made for nibbling, these fish will pick a hook clean of the soft bait. Fresh shrimp often delivers good eating-size fish, but you have to get pretty lucky to nab a jumbo on this bait.

Locally collected oysters or mussels make a great option, as the tougher meat holds well to a hook. Also, use a hammer to crush the freshly shucked shells into a smelly grit, then toss handfuls into the target zone and watch the black-and-white forms dash through the intoxicating chum. Toss a piece of hooked shellfish into the fracas and hold on.

Without question, fiddler crabs top the sheepshead bait list. Don’t let the males’ oversized claw intimidate you; it’s more for territorial jousting and impressing the girls, so just fold that big pincher against the crab and you’ll be fine. Poke a 1/0 light-wire hook through the outermost point of the crab’s shell. You only need a secure holding spot, so don’t pierce the crab’s internal organs.

That Tricky Sheepshead Bite

The old saying, “You have to set the hook before a sheepshead bites,” accurately describe the challenge of snaring these notorious nibblers. Consider that the first bite seeks to crack shells or immobilize crustaceans, while the second means to ingest the meal.

Often, the game is over before it starts, as anglers see their rod tip bounce once and then nothing. Plan on donating a few baits, but once you dial in your rhythm it’s game on.

The right tackle and rigging greatly help your sheepshead fishing. Most sheepshead slayers use medium-heavy spinning gear with braided main line and a stealthy fluorocarbon leader, which provides quick response and fish-whipping power.

Rigging options include a knocker rig (slip sinker placed directly on the leader), split shot rig (for light current), or a standard fish finder. If the fish seen to shy away from terminal tackle, or if you’re fishing in excessively snag-prone areas like rock and rubble reefs, a light jig head brings the weight and hook into a smaller profile.

Fishing for Sheepshead in Current

Given the sheepshead’s nibbling ways, it’s easy to assume they’d prefer a slow to slack tide. In truth, they’ll eat throughout the cycle, but don’t discount periods of swifter flow. I once watched a dozen or more sheepshead repetitively rise to attack small tide-borne crabs drifting past pilings of Tampa Bay’s Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier.

Anywhere you need to hold a bait during swift water movement, the usual sheepshead rigging may be hard to manage without risking snags. Take a page from the freshwater bass angler’s playbook and use a drop-shot rig. Tie your line to the hook with a Palomar knot and leave a long tag end, which you’ll pass through the hook eye. This makes the hook stand perpendicular to the line and allows you to hang a sinker from the tag line’s terminal end.

For simplicity, the VMC SpinShot offers a handy alternative by mounting a hook on a wire stem with line ties at both ends. Affix your main line to the top and then rig a fluorocarbon leader with a depth-appropriate weight to the bottom. This keeps your crab where it needs be, but elevation off the bottom minimizes snagging.

However you catch your sheepshead, handle with care. Those fins, especially the dorsal, are built with stout spines that’ll leave a memorable poke. On the other hand, the effort to find, hook and land these fish cab lead to a delicious meal. Often called “poor man’s lobster,” the sheepshead’s flaky white meat is one of the best you’ll find in coastal waters. Stay frosty and don’t miss that bite.

The post Fishing Tips for Big Sheepshead appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Three years ago, when my wife and I bought a condo a long baseball throw from the white sand of the Florida Panhandle, I knew as much about surf fishing as a grandmother from Appalachia. I had done it a few times in my fishing career, but always as a tag-along with others who had more experience. They did the hard work of finding areas that provided a good chance for success.

To the neophyte, the surf is the surf. It’s just endless miles of waves crashing on an indistinct shoreline, and the fish could be absolutely anywhere. Anglers with little or no experience might tote a rod to the water’s edge and walk the shoreline, making more casts than a desperate guy at a singles’ bar, just hoping for the best.

But my experience with other methods of fishing told me that wouldn’t be the most efficient technique. Ironically, what helped develop my strategy for effective surf-fishing was drift-fishing in water with the salt content of a glass of milk. Multiple times every year, whenever South Louisiana goes a couple weeks without any measurable rainfall, I tag along with Independence resident Joe Lavigne, 74, who skulls a thin-metal flat boat down a local river. 

A lifetime of experience has taught Lavigne where fish hold in moving water, and on every trip, he calls his shot multiple times, accurately predicting which casts will produce bites from pugnacious spotted bass. I may never be as skilled as him, but still, I’ve learned a lot in two decades of fishing with Lavigne. I’ve gotten pretty good at identifying fishy areas — where troughs are immediately adjacent to shallow water.

Figuring the same axiom had to hold true in the surf, I set out early in the morning after the first night at our new condo, intent on reading the water to determine where the anomalies existed. I imagined I’d return with a stringer of fish slung across my back, and hail my wife with a hearty “Good Morning,” just as she was taking her first sip of coffee.

But as Mike Tyson famously quipped, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. What socked me in the jaw that morning was the fact that, in the low light, I couldn’t tell where the bars were. An experienced surf angler could have probably seen subtle differences in how the waves were breaking, but to me, they looked entirely random.

So I just walked the beach making casts, and lucked into one undersized redfish. No one likes failure when fishing, but I absolutely despise it. It gnaws at me and lives at the forefront of my mind until I’m able to turn myself from a zero to a hero. Fortunately, I wouldn’t have to wait long for that to happen.

To me, the beach is just a cool place to stand while you’re fishing, but my wife would spend all day every day there if she could. So in the interest of marital harmony, I hauled some beach chairs and an umbrella to the sand under a high midday sun, intent to put the misery of my early morning failure behind me.

And that’s when I found what I had been looking for. The wind was light and blowing offshore, which allowed any sediment in the water to settle out, and the tide had fallen since my early morning venture. Combined with both those factors, the early afternoon sun pierced the veil between me and nirvana, illuminating a boomerang-shaped sandbar 200 yards east that kissed the edge of the beach. I walked over, and through my polarized lenses, could clearly see a deep trough adjacent to the bar.

I wanted to sprint back to the condo, grab my rod and spend the rest of the day fishing, but then I remembered that whole marital harmony thing, and besides, I figured the fishing would be better in the morning on the rising tide.

I made a note of the exact location of the bar, and then I returned the next morning.

Throwing a shrimp-colored soft-plastic paddle tail on a 1/4-ounce jighead, I caught a flounder on literally my first cast, and then proceeded to catch nine more. The season was closed in Florida, so stuffed flounder would not be one of the first meals at our new condo, but I couldn’t have cared less. The validation of figuring something out in a new fishing environment meant far more than any feast. 

Since then, I’ve used that exact strategy to have consistent success in the surf. Whenever we visit our condo, my first afternoon is spent walking the beach, searching for bars that have a perpendicular element, relative to the shoreline.

When I find them, I’m confident they will produce fish in the morning. In the fall, it’s flounder. In the winter, it’s redfish. In the spring, it’s speckled trout. And in the summer, it could be any of the above. I still wouldn’t consider myself a surf-fishing expert, but man, it’s been a fun journey trying to get to that level.

The post Find Fish in the Surf appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Spotted seatrout. Speckled trout. Specks. No matter the name, this inshore species is one of the most popular game fish on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The IGFA all-tackle world record, caught on May 11, 1995, by Craig Carson at Fort Pierce, Florida, weighed a massive 17 pounds, 7 ounces. Behemoths like that are rare, but many light-tackle anglers dream of catching a true trophy pushing double-digits sometime during their lifetime. So we asked three experts to tell us what they do and look for when targeting that specific bucket list prize.

Catching Gator Florida Seatrout

“Growing up fishing the Indian River Lagoon, I got pretty spoiled. It wasn’t unusual to catch a dozen fish over 10 pounds every season,” says Capt. Ed Zyak. “This is where the world record was caught. There are still big fish left, just not in the numbers as before. It really depends on where you are, though. On Florida’s southwest coast, a 7-pounder is a really good fish. But I still get really excited breaking that 10-pound mark.”

Zyak looks for out of the way places near Ft. Pierce that don’t get a lot of traffic, preferably on a new moon. Small shallow spots adjacent to deeper water, like the backside of a bar, are the focus of his attention. He prefers to get out of the boat to wade on the last of the falling and first of the incoming tides, which concentrates the bait. Zyak watches for telltale signs like minnows stacked up, the presence of big mullet, birds feeding and water funneling through the zone.

“Figuring out water flow is important,” Zyak says. “I’ll often kick up a little sand to gauge the current. You have to adjust the presentation according to the conditions, but typically I’ll cast a jerk bait or shrimp up-tide and let it sweep parallel to the bait, using a twitch-and-short-pause retrieve. The strikes usually come on the pause. I’ll stand still and pick a spot apart for an hour. The seatrout settle down and forget you’re even there, especially with long casts. That requires confidence and patience. You’re not trying to catch 30 fish, you’re looking for one or two chances at a trophy and that means a slow, methodical approach.”

Florida Seatrout Fishing Gear

Here’s what Capt. Ed Zyak, of Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, recommends:

• Favorite Months: April & May
• Rods: 7.5’ Medium spin rod with extra fast action
• Reels: 4000 class spin
• Line: 10-pound braided line, 30- to 40-pound test fluorocarbon leader
• Lures: 3-inch shad or paddles tails; 1/4-ounce artificial shrimp; Shimano Coltsniper topwater plugs
• Bait: Live pilchards
• Tip: “Patience and silence are the keys. Slow down, pay attention to the conditions and pick a spot apart.”

Giant Gulf Coast Spotted Seatrout

“I didn’t actually weigh any of my three biggest fish,” explains Capt. Richard Rutland. “I measured and released them as quickly as possible. If it takes two hands to pick one up, that’s a big seatrout for the central Gulf. They’re usually pushing 30 inches and up to nine pounds.”

Rutland often finds big cooperative fish in early December. He targets the tidal rivers off Mobile Bay where the deeper channels offer sanctuary from the cold. As the sun warms the adjacent flats, the trout will come up to warm and feed in the shallows. In deeper water he cranks the reel slowly and steadily with an occasional twitch to add action to the lure.

April and May are the big spawning months and Rutland prefers to fish right before or after the full moon when large females are active. His three warm-water zones are grass flats, oyster bars/shells and sand bars along the beach.

“I’m always wading whenever I can,” he says. “It’s much quieter and stealthy, so you have a better chance. I’m also more aggressive with my presentation when it’s warm. I’ll whack, whack the lure, let it flutter and then repeat at a faster pace to trigger reactionary strikes.”

Rutland says the weaker tides aren’t as much a factor in his region, as long as the fish have enough water to feel comfortable. If he’s in the boat with clients, he aligns with the wind and current to drift and reach prime zones with long casts.

Rutland’s go-to lure is a soft-plastic jerk bait made by PureFlats. The Slick has a long tail rigged with an Owner swimbait hook plain or slightly weighed. Natural colors top the list, but he will switch to brighter patterns for contrast in cloudy water. For live bait, it’s croakers, finger mullet or small menhaden free-lined on a 2/0 kahle hook.

“You have to be very, very patient to target big fish,” he adds. “You might only get four or five bites all day long. Catching one is a waiting game.”

Gulf Coast Seatrout Fishing Gear

Capt. Richard Rutland, of Dauphin Island and Mobile Bay, Alabama, recommends:

• Favorite Months: Second week of December, April & May
• Rods: 7.5’ baitcaster with soft tip and action
• Reels: 3000 class baitcasting reel
• Line: 30-pound braided line with 15- to 20-pound fluorocarbon leader
• Lures: Pure Flats The Slick jerk bait with Owner 4/0 Beast worm hook
• Bait: Live croaker, finger mullet
• Tip: “It’s always about distance and not alerting the fish. I try to cast as far as I can to cover more water and discern feeding patterns.”

Trophy Texas Seatrout Fishing

“Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay are hyper-saline systems that grow huge fish,” says Capt. Joe Farah. “But those fish are also very aware of their surroundings, so any boat noise or pressure wave puts them on alert. So whether you’re wading or drifting you have to stalk quietly and not give away your presence.”

Farah keys in on specific types of habitat when targeting large trout. He concentrates on small areas, usually 300 yards in size or less, quick access to deep water for escape, mud and sand, seagrasses and shell.

“I always watch for baitfish and birds. Terns, laughing gulls and heron will be after finger mullet. Pelicans will focus on shad, while sand pipers are looking for clams and eels. Find all those and you’ve got a big trout buffet.”

Farah prefers to cast into the wind, since resting trout will be facing the wind and current. That approach keeps him in the fish’s blind spot and brings the lure into their vision, where they can assess and kill the prey.

In February and March he typically throws a 5.5 jerk bait with 1/16-oz. jig head in tequila sunrise, dark black and red for fish warming in the shallow grass. In November, as the water starts to cool, there’s a late spawn and he switches to a rainbow trout-colored swim bait with 1/8-oz. jig to mimic the shad. He adds large topwater plugs to the mix in the spring and fall.

“You have to make every cast count. That’s why I use plugs in bright colors to track and detect any swipes or blow-ups. But I work them extremely slow, with short pauses to let them sit and roll in the waves to mimic an injured, dying bait. It often takes three minutes to retrieve a lure. The idea is putting a victim in the hunting zone. A trophy trout is extremely smart and wary. If something doesn’t look right, Old Google Eyes is going to say, ‘Nope, not this one.’”

Texas Seatrout Fishing Gear

Capt. Joe Farah, of Baffin Bay and Laguna Madre, Texas, recommends:

• Favorite Months: February, April, May, November
• Rods: 7’ medium fast spin
• Reels: 3000 class spin
• Line: 15-pound braid with 30-pound-test monofilament leaders for stretch
• Lures: MirrOlures or Heddons in bright colors for visibility; 4-inch swim bait in rainbow trout, jerk shads in natural colors with 1/16- to 3/8-oz. short shank jigheads
• Bait: Live shrimp under popping cork in the spring, summer months live croaker and piggy perch
• Tip: “Trophy trout fishing is like hunting. You don’t catch big ones catching numbers. You have to concentrate on spots that only hold big fish.”

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