"A 'Single' Advantage"

Throwing lures with a single hook, as opposed to several treble hooks, is a great choice to consider when snook fishing at night.  Using a single hook lure has advantages for the angler and the snook.  Anglers tend to find that a single hook "sets", and stays in, much better than treble hooks do.  Anglers also find that a single hook is much easier to remove from a snook's mouth than a large mouthful of treble hooks is.  On that same note, snook that are going to be released very often suffer less damage from one single hook than they do from treble hooks.

Flair Hawk style jigs are a great choice for snook fishing at night.  As is a DOA Baitbuster, like the one in this snook's mouth just before being released.  

"Feedin by Feel"

In dirty water, low visibility, windy conditions, or at night; many gamefish rely solely on feel(vibration) to feed. In these situations choose lures that create a lot of vibration. This makes them easier for the fish to find, and EAT! 

Pictured is a ambitious little bass that crushed a chatterbait with a Gambler Lures Little EZ as a trailer. The combo puts out a crazy amount of vibration, and this largemouth had no problem tracking it down.

Catch 88/365

"Lures and Loop Knots"

Almost all lures perform better when tied on with a loop knot. A loop knot allows them to move more freely, and get the most action possible out of the lure.

Tying a loop knot is simple, video demonstration to follow.

Catch 87/365 (Shameless Friday Pre-Concert Plug Edition)

"Be a Good Friend..."

Good friends don't let good friends listen to crappy music and drink bad beer. Be a good friend, take your buddies toAles For Anglers tomorrow, and help out Snook and Gamefish Foundation at the same time! 

Wait till the last minute for tickets, don't worry JUNO BAIT has a great last minute deal for you!

"Driftfishing 101"

Today's Catch 365 Tip comes from Capt. Eric.  Check out his good quick read on drift fishing Palm Beach County here:
http://www.freighttrainfishing.com/2/post/2014/03/drift-fishing.html

"The bottom structure off of Palm Beach County consists of large areas of patchy reef along with ledges that run south to north along the coast.  This large area of structure coupled with strong currents, make drift fishing a great way to cover water, and have a chance at catching a wide variety of fish."

"Start Early/Finish Late"

Most fish species bite best as the sun comes up, and again as the sun sets. If possible plan to be fishing during these prime times. 

Go for quality over quantity. A few hours early or late in the day are much better than a lot of hours in the middle of the day!

"Smaller Swimbaits"

A small (shad style) swimbait is an excellent lure for covering  large amounts of new or unfamiliar waters.  Rigged on a jighead (as pictured) a small swimbait can be buzzed just below the surface, swam steadily at varying water depths, or hopped along the bottom.  These options make this lure one of the most versatile in the tackle box.

Most lure companies make a small shad style bait; but the DOA CAL and Gambler Lures Little EZ are two great choices.  More info on soft plastic baits coming soon...

"Dull Knives, get an AccuSharp"

If dull fillet knives are a common problem in your tackle box or on your boat, make sure to add an AccuSharp to your fishing tools.  Inexpensive and easy to use, AccuSharp's are great for keeping your fillet knives sharp!

"Steer em' out"

Ever find yourself in this situation...a snook inhales your lure and promptly finds himself wrapped up in a pile of mangrove roots or numerous dock pilings?  As soon as a snook, and many other species, feels the hook it is going to the first structure it can find.  To keep them from getting to that structure try these tricks.






1.  Try gradually steering the fish away from the structure.  The harder you pull against a snook the harder it pulls back.  BUT, "leading" a fish in the direction you want it to go by steering him with the rod can change his direction in a hurry. It takes a little practice, but over time it is easy to actually lead (not unlike walking a dog on a leash) the fish right around structure into open water.

2.  If the snook wins and gets into, and wrapped up, in structure first try putting the reel into freespool and/or backing off the pressure completely.  With no pressure often times the fish will swim back out the exact way it came in.  If it doesn't, it can often be slowly and easily lead back around and out of a tangled situation.  Just remember the harder you pull, the harder the fish pulls back...so back off, ease up, and steer the fish out.   

Below is a little video of Capt. Eric (http://www.freighttrainfishing.com) using these tricks while fighting a snook at Jupiter Inlet.

"Soft Plastic Variety"

Soft plastic jerkbaits (like the DOA CAL Jerkbait Pictured) are a great inexpensive way to add a lot of variety to your tacklebox. By rigging them a few different ways a soft plastic jerkbait can be used to fish as a surface bait, mid-level lure, or for even bouncing along the bottom. (Upcoming Catch365 Video Tip on rigging soft plastic lures this week.)

Looking at a wall of lure colors can be a little bit perplexing and overwhelming. But, to start picking out lure colors is actually pretty simple. Start with a bag of pearl(white), rootbeer(or similar dark color), and a natural baitfish pattern (like DOA #419-Greenback). These colors will cover clear, murky, and dirty water situations (More on Lure color selection coming soon also).

Stay tuned for more info this week on rigging soft plastics, fishing methods, and picking out colors. As always feel free to come by JUNO BAIT for more info. Also, check out artificial lure expert Capt. Eric at The Freight Train Fishing Charters website for updates and tips on lure fishing (http://www.freighttrainfishing.com)

Thanks as always for reading,
Todd