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Learning Section
Flats Fishing Guide To
Artificial Lures
(786) 299-4813 or Email Me
One way you can always tell how seasoned an angler has become is observing his
choice of bait.  Most of us all started with a Zebco push button or something equivalent
using live shrimp and a bobber. Right?  Well then later you began to learn to tie knots
and you dropped the bobber routine and stepped up to a live pilchard or pinfish on a
light spinning rod. This technique works very well but believe me its not the best
solution to catching fish routinely.  There are many situations that you actually can not
present a live bait where the fish are lying or the grass and weeds become too much of
a factor in hiding your line. This is why every angler must once again take the initiative
to learn a new technique to polish his or her skills.  And trust me when you learn it you
will never go back to live bait ever again!  
The first thing you need to think about
when you pull up to your fishing spot
when choosing a lure is how you
would like to work the area.  For
example if you are sitting on a grass
flat in the everglades and the water
depth is less than 3 feet you want a
lure that is going to stay on the
surface or just underneath it.  So right
off the bat you have narrowed your
search down to what we call "Surface
Baits" and "Shallow Depth Lures"
If its early morning I will routinely grab
a Rapala Skitterwalk which you can
"Walk the Dog" on the surface in
hopes of waking a nice big Snook,
Redfish, or Tarpon.  The lure makes a
lot of noise which is key for early
morning top water action.  Colors are
not as important as is the action in this
scenario. When working this lure one
way to get the action right would be to
say a neat little nursery rime that I
learned from Captain Rick Murphy.
"Click-idy Clack Down The Railroad
Track, Click-idy Clack Down The
Railroad Track." Over and over again!
Ok, now if you decide not to use the top water
lure the next one you should think about is a
soft plastic bait.  There are thousands of colors
and styles to choose from and each has their
own advantage but I will try to simplify it as
much as I can.  When fishing in the
backcountry of South Florida we have some
pretty aggressive fish so we can use larger
baits than most areas.  Over the years I have
used every bait company known to man and
have now found one company "Bass Assassin"  
that makes everything that I ever need.  Now
back to choosing the right one.  Well its really
not rocket science if the water is dirty then I
want to use a color that the fish is going to be
able to see.  And if the water is really clear
than I will want to use a technique called
"Matching the Hatch"  Which is nothing more
than trying to mimic the baits that may be
present that they are use to seeing and
eating.  I will simply thread it "Weedless on a
wide gap worm hook" to keep it high in the
water column or put a small bullet weight
before the hook to make it drop in the water
column.  When working the bait the main thing
to remember is try to give it action and bounce
it up and down in the water column much like a
live shrimp pops his tail while moving in the
grass.  This is why I use the Bass Assassin "Eel
Assassins".  They have a flexible tail that is
about as long as the body which makes for lots
of pulsation through the water.  Snook
especially, will pick up on these vibrations
through their "Black Lateral Line" even though
they may not see it.  I have observed a snook
turn completely around to eat this bait many
times before in the Everglades which proves
they are keying in on vibrations probably more
so than sight and smell.
Ok lets talk now about a scenario where you
believe there are Redfish, Black Drum,
Snapper, and Sheepshead on the bottom of a
moving channel or creek.  The first thing you
have to think about is Why are the fish there?  
Well to answer your question they are there
most likely hiding under and structure or in a
hole waiting for a bait to pass by so they can
ambush them.  Also one very important thing
to remember is sitting fish will be facing into
the current. Always!  This is because of two
reasons. One, the current can come in their
mouth and out their gills with minimum effort
and two, if a bait school is traveling, it will be
headed down current so they are already
positioned to strike. So what I like to do is take
a jig head like the Bass Assassin Shaker
Jighead and put a 3" or 4" grub on it and cast
up  current and work it down the current
bouncing it on the bottom and reeling in the
slack line waiting to set the hook.
eel Assassins
Now lets talk about a different type of
scenario.  Lets say you pull up to a
deeper channel that is going to have
fish closer to the bottom of the water
column or on the edges under the
mangroves.  In this situation I may
choose a lure that I can cover a lot of
area in a relatively short period of
time.  The best lure for this is going to
be the Rapala X-Rap.  The lure should
be tied on using a Rapala Knot and
about 2-4 feet of Fluorocarbon leader.  
I generally use 30 or 40 pound for
Snook and 40 and up for Tarpon.  The
action you should use with this lure is
really personal preference.  I have
seen people straight reel it and others
slightly jigging it to increase the
action.  Either way it isn't very often a
fish is going to pass this lure by .
Silver Mullet Eel Assassins  
EA49387   Buy Here
Opening Night Eel Assassins
EA49385  Buy Here
Space Guppy Eel Assassins  
EA49389   Buy Here
4 Pack Shrimp Hook  
WSH58001   Buy Here