Florida Inshore Tips

[Bluegillslayer]

Hello, I am going on a trip to Crystal River Florida in a few weeks and is looking for some tips lure wise for inshore species like redfish and snook. So far I have popping corks, Berkley gulp minnows and shrimp, and a spoon and popper. Is their any other lures I should pick up? And how and where should I fish them? I have a medium heavy 7 foot Penn Fierce lll LE paired with 20 pound Berkley big game mono is this sufficient? Any help is appreciated.   

[BayouSlide]

On the Gulf Coast the Vudu plastic shrimp under a popping cork seem to be highly recommended.

[bulldog1935]

TSL grasswalker is a 4" neutral density soft jerk-bait, 1/4 oz, you rig on a swimbait hook. 

It dog-walks subsurface with just about any retrieve, and is the best mullet imitation made. 

It fishes slow really well. A couple of good solid sets, but let them eat it first. 

https://troutsupport.com/products/trout-support-lure

The red is choice for low-angle sunlight early and late. 

 

The best 3" soft bait is Z-man Minnow Z, rigged on 1/8 oz Texas-eye jighead

(this would be a cloudy day color with turbidity from high river discharge)

 

Small shrimp and glass minnows are major food in winter. 

You can fish a DOA shrimp below that popping cork. 

For bottom-bouncing redfish, Vudu shrimp is choice. 

Big flashy lures will take specs all winter for slashing into bait balls of glass minnows, but both snook and redfish are pickier, and want something finesse size for their winter glass minnows.  Of course, they'll both eat big mullet, but may not if they're cuing on glass minnows. If you see redfish loitering, they're probably sipping glass minnows - if they're grazing, shrimp. 

 

2" swim shad lures rigged tandem work well, and give you a little more weight to cast.  Tie them together with a long piece of leader and make the lengths uneven with a surgeon's loop. 

Glass minnows show up under dock lights at night, and are concentrated by tide and wind currents on structure during the day.  Glow in front and blue in the back is choice for dock fishing.  Especially snook will take the blue lure at night. 
 

Compared to striking bass, give salt fish more time to eat their food before you set the hook. Especially specs will climb up the back of bait, injuring it with their canines, and come back a 2nd and 3rd time - redfish take everything to the back of their throat and crush it. 

[soflabasser]

Make sure to bring a couple saltwater topwaters and jigs.

[WC53]

It’s a bit cold now.. lol.. so move slow and downsize. 20lb braid is plenty (I fish 10) water will probably be really clear so a 15 and 20 or 25 lb leader.  Popping corks are always good.

 

Light jigheads and some weedless if throwing through the grass. A gulp assortment and a spook jr and you are good.  All sorts of live bait options to, shrimp, mullet and crabs.

 

Depending how you are fishing, there can be hoards of little pin fish around, a sabiki rig nets redfish candy.

 

Tight lines.

[soflabasser]

Another good piece of advice is bring the appropriate leaders for the fish you plan on fishing for. For example you might need at least 30-60 pound monofilament leader if your goal is to catch a snook over 40 inches. Yes you can catch plenty of small snook on lighter leaders but you might not land a big snook since snook have a sharp gill plate that easily cuts through thin lines. There are times snook fishermen use 80-100 pound test mono leaders when fishing for +40 inch snook, these fishermen are expert snook fishermen so they know what is best. You will need even thicker leader for tarpon, especially if you want to catch a big tarpon. You will most likely need a wire leader for sharks, barracudas, mackerel, and other fish with sharp teeth.