Inshore Fishing Report Sep 7, 2004

By | September 7, 2004

Prior to the winds and rains of Frances there were two strong afternoon storms which dumped large amounts of fresh water into coastal waters. The storms occurred near low tide, mudding water and lower salinity to the point shrimp in a baitwell could not survive. Just a little earlier in the week the bite was good! On Wednesday we landed six redfish on the fly and lost two due to break offs. Needless to say fishing will be off until storms pass and weather subsides. For those brave of heart redfish can be found well back in the grass during inclement weather. Casting is difficult and usually these fish will be only inches of water. What to do?

Rigging
After most trip I’ll rig or re rig my tackle. Rainy days can be an excellent time to check your tackle. If you’re like me you likely fish a lot of jigs. The leaders on jigs will take a beating. I’ll run my finger down the leader. It’s not unusual for the leader to look perfectly good only for the last couple of inches to feel rough. It’s time to change that leader. Leaders that aren’t the same length or greater of the fish you’re targeting then change them. Float rigs typically have a weak spot where the lead sinker attaches to the main line. The bead under your float or the float chafes your line. Inspect your knots as well as the main fishing line. Re tie anything suspect. Remove any tangles from fishing lines.

I’m often asked about oiling reels. In short a little goes a long way. Over oiling can slow reels and cause dirt and grit to stick to reels. On the hand reels in a salt water environment take a beating and giving a little TLC is needful. Use a premium reel oil such as something like Quantum’s “hotsauce” highly touted by Capt. Rick Reynolds. When applying oil to the outside of a reel I’ll place a small amount on screw heads. The thought is to create a barrier against salt deposits. Next I’ll place a small amount on any moving part. Steve Williams at River Supply says don’t overlook the roller bearing on the bail. A small amount of oil might kept your bearing from freezing and requiring a visit to Steve. Any excess oil should be wiped off. I don’t oil my reels after every trip but getting into habit of oiling each reel will keep handles from sticking and reels operating a little smoother a little longer. When temperatures begin to drop apply less oil to moving parts.

Hope this is some help! Will get to regular format shortly. Good Fishing! Capt. Jack McGowan