Bay Fishing with Bait 101:
Calm Summer Mornings to
Windy Afternoons – Croaker & Piggy Perch
3rd of 5 Articles
This is the 3rd in the
series of articles written for the average bay fisherman who wants
to use bait. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in the bait
house on a summer morning and hear a customer ask “What are they
biting on?” after which a slow drawl from Ron would follow “Been
bite’n on croaker” and an excited “I’ll take a couple of dozen of
those!” would shoot out of beginner croaker fisherman’s mouth. I
can’t help but wonder what those 24 croaker will go through during
the day! Hopefully after reading this article the croaker and the
fisherman will have a more pleasant day! For example: a three
person charter I’ll take anywhere from 12-18 dozen baits and this
could be the difference between 4 fish or 40 fish!
Now some fishermen ask what
is best Piggy Perch or Croaker that can be a tricky question.
Croaker actually show up at the bait shop earlier (May) than Piggies
(June), so that is an easy choice in the beginning of the summer.
Wherein lies the problem, determining when and what size the Piggies
are when they become productive as fishing bait. I start using
piggies as early as possible and sometimes for more than a month
after they show up at the bait shop I’m still buying both. Because
of their size croaker are stronger swimmers for deeper water but the
Piggies doubled up in the shallower sand pockets can be awesome fish
catchers!
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Piggy Perch are and they do NOT |
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True Piggy Perch
Let’s get down to the rigs I
prefer when fishing these baits. I always use 20# fluorocarbon
leader tied to the main line, I do not use a swivel because I
believe it is in the way, snags more grass and is more visible. As
with most live bait or lures I use a loop knot at the terminal or
hook end.
Leader
– Easy, I use only 20# fluorocarbon! The leader length should be
about 18” give or take. It should be long enough to were the knot
does not have to go through the eye when casting which prevents
longer casts.
Hooks
– 3/0, 4/0, 5/0 6/0 Gamakatsu or VMC Kahle hooks depending on the
size of the bait.
Corks
– I predominantly use Cajun Thunders. On lighter wind days the old
Mansfield Mauler could be an option too. I even save old corks for
those days that the Redfish don’t want a lot of sound!
Cork Colors
– I always start with two primary colors, pink and chartreuse. Most
of the time you will find Redfish like one and not the other and the
same for Trout…however they may be hitting both or you can select
the color depending on when you are fishing an area more conducive
to the fish you expect to catch.
Knots
– I use a line to leader knot instead of a swivel. The only time I
use a swivel is when fishing the bait on the bottom using a weight
because at times I need a longer casts on the calm shallow flats. I
tie a loop knot at the Kahle hook for more realistic movement.
Accessories
- Beads are not as important in this type of fishing but can be
used. If you’re going to try beads the general rule of thumb is to
start with small beads and at least one rig without a bead. Really
make sure your buddy’s is fishing the bait properly before ruling
out any combination! Sometimes going to a larger bead when the
water is very muddy or stirred up makes a difference!
Now that the terminal gear
has been laid out it is time to talk about presentation! The cast
should be made in an arch and slow the bait down just before it hits
the water to make a softer presentation – then allow the bait to
swim to the bottom (allow 1 second for every 2 foot of water)
otherwise you’ll stress the bait by having to swim against the tight
line. Occasionally, especially with a third or forth cast of the
same bait you might have to flick your rod tip to wake the bait up
to swim down. You’ll probably notice a bird swooping down to get
the bait at this point! Darn Birds! Once that bait is down where
the fish are you’ll need to flick the rod tip about every 10-15
seconds, this does a combination of things 1) It gets the bait to
react so you can tell how lively it is 2) It pulls the bait away
from it’s prey thus enticing a strike 3) It will keep the bait from
burying in the grass or shell. The flicks are more of just whipping
the tip of your rod from a 10 O’clock to 12 O’clock position in a
manner that only moves the bait several inches at a time (when doing
this on the flats fishing sand pockets you don’t move the bait too
much or you grass him up and have to recast).
Hook Set
- This style of fishing
requires that you feed line to the fish in a manner that he doesn’t
detect tension on the line and the perfected Bass angler hook set
(Bill Dancing) will lose you a lot of fish! The proper way to hold
the rod and set the hook is to:
Spinning Rod
1)
Hold a spinning rod at 12
O’clock with a slight bow in the line while waiting on a strike.
2)
When you feel the thud of a
fish drop the rod tip as the fish is taking the line, remember to
keep the same slight bow in the line. If and when the fish stops
running with it you must immediately (I mean immediately!) flick the
rod tip back to the 12 O’clock position and be ready for it to come
back, which it usually will! Sometimes you have to do this 3 or 4
times before he really swallows the Croaker or Piggy and makes the
longer run.
3) Reel up to set the hook
and when
you feel the weight of the fish firmly lift the rod back to the 10
O’clock position.
4)
Keep good pressure on the
fish to get him up to the surface and into the net, Trout like to
shake their heads and regurgitate the bait and if you are fishing
the rigs there are a lot of snags if you let the fish stay deep.
Bait Caster
1)
Hold a bait casting rod and
reel at about 10 O’clock position with a slight bow in the line and
be ready to free spool during the run (works better for this type of
fishing).
2)
When you feel the thud of a
fish drop the rod tip as the fishing is taking the line keeping the
same slight bow in the line. If and when the fish stops running
with it you must immediately (I mean immediately!) flick the rod tip
back to the 10 O’clock position and be ready for it to come back,
which it usually will! Sometimes you have to do this 3 or 4 times
before he really swallows the Croaker or Piggy.
3) Reel up to set the
hook and
when you feel the weight of the fish firmly lift the rod back to the
10 O’clock position.
4)
Keep good pressure on the
fish to get him up to the surface and into the net, Trout like to
shake their heads and regurgitate the bait and if you are fishing
the rigs there are a lot of snags if you let the fish stay deep.
Locations
I use Croaker and Piggies
when fishing the bay oil rigs, deeper bay oyster reefs, outside bay
islands and channels with deep water access to grass in about 3-5
foot of water. I also use these baits on the flats in many
capacities such as fishing sand pockets or even right in the grass
itself. In the flats on a windy day putting a Piggy 12” – 20” under
a Cajun Thunder can be killer when nobody else has had a good bite,
keep the bait fresh, they don’t last long casting under a cork
(expensive but effective)! I even use a cork sometimes when I’m
anchored up fishing pot holes and grass just for something a little
different!
Special Techniques
Here are some special tips
to work these baits in the areas I mentioned, after time you’ll be
adding your own special touches that work for you or your fish,
whatever the case may be!
-
Double up your small
baits in the flats, it keeps them from burying in the grass. -
Cut the tail on the
bigger piggies in the flats so they don’t bury in the grass and
they put off a sent. -
When the bite is slow
try varying techniques double your bait (smaller), try piggies,
try croaker. -
Sometimes the Redfish
and Flounder love a Piggy/Croaker combo (usually smaller Piggy)! -
The Piggy doesn’t
have to be alive under the popping cork in the flats for
Redfish…but I like’em that way. -
I have caught some
great fish on piggies big enough to keep the cork under while
fishing in the deeper areas off the flats, especially on busy
days that may have pushed the fish off the flats. -
The Piggy or Croaker
have to be lively has hell in the deeper bay; they also must
swim toward the bottom! -
After a morning of
Trout fishing in the deeper bay come back to the flats to throw
some of your weaker and smaller baits into pot holes for some
Redfish action. This is good because they can’t bury in the
grass as easy! -
I never really use
croaker under a popping cork but I might try it one day! Use
your imagination!
In closing remember that
nothing about fishing is set in stone, pay attention, vary your
approach and find what works! If fishing gets slow after a couple
of good catches I find that the angler gets a little pumped and not
letting the fish run enough!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this
article and remember if you don’t eat it release it and try to
release all big Trout especially over 25”…get a picture it
will last longer, preserve some fish for our kids!
fishntexas.com with ‘The
Saltwater Cowboy’
361.563.TUNA(8862)cell
Email:
scott@fishntexas.com
Web Page:
www.fishntexas.com
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Number of View :228
Scott,
Thanks for sharing…interesting as usual.
gmt