- November 23, 2024
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It’s time to clean the dust off those top-water plugs that have been sitting in your tackle box all winter.
But before you use them, make sure all the split rings and hooks are in good shape. Any defective hooks or split rings can easily be changed with split ring pliers. The pliers can be purchased for a couple of dollars through any of the major catalog suppliers, such as Cables or Bass Pro Shops. They also carry replacement hooks and split rings. This small investment is a lot cheaper than buying new lures whenever something goes wrong. I even carry some replacement parts on the boat should something go wrong with one of my favorite lures.
Now that you have your tackle in order, it’s time to take it out and start using it.
I’ll usually start my day around the crack of dawn, casting a top-water lure or a sub-surface lure until around 9 a.m. If it’s a cloudy day, I’ll use it throughout the day. (Sub-surface lures will swim just below the surface.)
Also of note: When you buy an artificial lure, read the instructions on the box. It will give you ways to work the lure to make it more effective to entice a fish into eating it. I can tell you — and almost all fishermen will agree with me — that there is nothing more exciting in the world of fishing than watching a fish come up and explode on a top-water bait. Second to that is watching a fish come out of nowhere to eat a sub-surface lure.
Other good times to fish these two lures are just before dusk and right at dusk.
Some of my favorite top-water lures are the MirrOlure Top Dog Jr., High Rollers Rip Roller, and the Zarra Spook Puppy. When it comes to sub-surface lures, my favorite is the MirrOlure 17MR and the 7M series of lures. The 17MR and the 7M also work great during the middle of the day.
When it comes to fly fishing, I also like to start the day with a floating fly line and a top-water fly or a lightly weighted fly (sub-surface).
While fishing the other morning, I was casting a white sub-surface fly that you could see 50 feet from the boat and follow it under the surface. It was very exciting to watch trout appear from nowhere to eat the fly and also to watch others come up to it, look at it, and just swim away.
We’ve been having some great weather, so get out and wet a line.
BIG CATCH?
Are you out on Flagler County waters catching fish? What bait are you using? Where are you catching the fish? We want to hear from you!
When you snag a big catch, email a picture of you and the fish to [email protected]. Include your name, the fish type and size, where it was caught, and the bait used.
Bruce Hedetniemi caught this 26-inch redfish in the Pellicer Flats, using Berkley Gulp.
