"Daisy Chaining" Small boaters don't always have the space in a trolling spread to run a dredge or teaser. Pulling a daisy chain is a great alternative to a teaser when space is limited. A daisy chain is a line of small teasers, generally three to four, followed by a slightly larger hooked lure. Predators see what appears to be a small school of baitfish being chased by a unsuspecting easy meal...that slightly larger lure becomes the immediate target! Pictured are some Daisy Chains from Tormenter Tackle, swing by JUNO BAIT and check them out! "Tag and Release"
Recreational tagging programs, like the one run by The Billfish Foundation, are great for collecting scientific data; and for angling data as well. Here is a quick story about the recapture of a sailfish that Team FishCastings/Juno Bait caught a while back. Tag and release em'! "Wet Hands" When handling fish that are going to be released, try to always handle them with wet hands. This helps protect their slime coating and provides for better releases. Even better when possible; is to leave the fish in the water during a release. Pop the hooks out and send them on the way. Plus...when you learn how to get the right angles, fish release pictures in the water can look awesome (obviously, that is something I'm still working on!). "Managing Mesh Sizes" One of the most important factors when picking out a cast net is the mesh size (mesh size is the spacing between the individual strands of line that form the netting). It is important to consider two factors when picking out mesh size. 1. How fast do I want the net to sink? Why does this matter, doesn't the amount of lead determine the sink rate? Nope... Smaller mesh size creates more webbing and causes a net to sink much slower. Larger mesh creates less webbing and allows a net to sink quicker. 2. What kind of baitfish will be the primary target? To small of mesh and larger baitfish may blow through the mesh, or simply swim under a slow sinking net. Mesh to large and smaller baitfish may "gill off" creating a huge mess and a lot of wasted bait. Smaller mesh tends to catch more, but too small and it may catch baitfish too small or of no use. (Beginner Suggestion- Start with a 3/8" mesh cast net for a good all around net) Mesh size may be listed two ways "square" or "stretched". Square mesh size is the most common measurement, it is very simply the size of the mesh squares. Stretched mesh is the length of those squares when they are, you guessed it...stretched out. Common Cast Net Mesh Sizes and suggested uses are as follows. Of course these are suggestions, and may vary depending on the size of baitfish in a given area or season. 3/16" Square (3/8" Stretched)-Glass Minnow 1/4" Square (1/2" Stretched)-Minnow 3/8" Square (3/4" Stretched)-Small Pilchard/Finger Mullet 1/2" Square (1" Stretched)-Sardine 1.25" Square (2.5" Stretched)-Mullet "Mid-Day Munchies" When the inshore bite slows down during the heat of the day; slow down and give the fish something they can't refuse. Look for deeper channels and send a gulp shrimp, gulp jerk bait, or live shrimp on a jighead down and slowly creep it along the bottom. Move it slow and don't be afraid to let it sit on the bottom, a lazy redfish will come by and slurp it up off the bottom. "Old Faithful" Ask any seasoned pier fisherman from Juno Beach down to Miami what one lure they can't do with out, and a majority of them will most likely say....Crappie Jig. A crappie jig (yes the same little jigs they use for speckled perch in the rest of the country) is a dynamite lure for a whole host of species commonly caught on south Florida Piers. A white 1/8oz crappie jig is a perfect match for small glass minnows and baby pilchards. Fish it on very light spinning rod with light monofilament or braid and 30lb flurocarbon leader for best results. "Never Skip A Chance" Everyone has heard the saying (or some variation of) "You almost never regret the fishing trips you go on, you almost always regret the ones you skip." It's easy to get hung up on trying to pick just the right time, tide, weather, etc for the perfect fishing trip. Sometimes though, it's important to throw that all out the window and just go fish! Every trip doesn't have to be well planned, well thought out, or even a long trip. This afternoon Fisher and I went for a spur of the moment bike ride/fishing trip around Riverbend Park in Jupiter. We caught this nice bass, fished for a few minutes, threw rocks and sticks in the water, climbed on picnic tables, gobbled at a turkey, and had a great time...all in about two hours. Sometimes the simple quick trips end up being awesome ones, don't skip them! Thanks For Reading, Todd |
Details
Catch365
Check Back Daily For: Archives
January 2024
Categories
All
|