"Size Versus Color"

Sometimes it's the color, and sometimes it's the size of the bait/lure that the fish are keyed in on.  If you can determine which is the more important factor early on, it can make a fair trip into a great trip.  Here is a quick example:

During an Everglades camping trip a few years back, my friend Steve and I wore out the snook on size 8 X-Raps in any color we threw (Truth be told the snook wore out our lures!).  The (at the time) new small x-rap was the perfect match to the small baits the snook were keyed in on, but the color made almost no difference. Throwing a larger X-Rap in the same color produced no bites.  The snook wanted small baits, and didn't care about the color. 

"Starting Points"  

Sometimes picking a place to start along a fishy looking mangrove shoreline can be tough to do.  When in doubt, or trying to eliminate some spots,  a "point" is are a good place to start.  Any slight change in shoreline that juts out creating a point is a natural ambush spot for predators to use.  The "point" pictured in the distance had a small school of redfish on it, and was usually good for a couple bites when we pulled the Little EZ past it.

"Timing the Tides"

Snook, more so than many other inshore gamefish, feed heavily based on the tide.  Lazy by nature; snook use the tide to their advantage, letting baitfish and shrimp sweep right over their heads where they become easy targets.  However, finding just the right part of the tide is a bit more complex.  Too much current can be a problem, as can too little current.  The end result (for most places) isn a 30-45 minute window of primetime feeding conditions.  Learn how to find that window, and your snook catches will skyrocket! (Hint...Your going to have to sit through a lot of tide changes, watch a lot of boring hours tick away, and give away a lot of hours of sleep to really get those windows nailed down!)

"A Fine Line"

When filling a spinning reel it really is a "fine line" (no pun intended), between too much and too little line.  Too much line leads to tangles, wind knots, and aggravation. While too little line causes shorter casts, slower retrieve, and less capacity.  Using the manufactures suggestion is a good starting point (Example 200 yards-10lb), but not always exactly the right answer.  Try to find that "sweet spot" when filling your reels to get the most performance out of them!

Scientific Fact of the day!

Good advice written on this Release Reel... 
Said it before, say it again..."Only adjust preset knob when in freespool!"