Coastal Tidal Region Lure Bundle Mini-Course [Coach Richard’s Bundle]

Hey if you ended up purchased this bundle for fishing in Coastal Tidal Regions, then congrats! You have all the lures you need to succeed.

I have a detailed overview of everything that’s included with this bundle and why, followed by a mini course for retrieval techniques and my favorite ways to fish the lures I specifically selected for this area.

Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below!

Bundle Overview:

SMALL PADDLETAILS: SLAM SHADY 2.0 and GOLD DIGGER 2.0 

This is the best all-purpose paddletail on the market given that it’s color works great in all water colors throughout all seasons, and it’s profile enables it to work great when rigged on a jig head for deep water as well as on a weighted hook for effectively covering the shallows. Also, this lure’s body style even allows it to look great even without it’s tail so you can pull the tail off if the baitfish and shrimp are very small and or if you need to decrease the amount of vibration the lure is putting off.

The Gold Digger 2.0 is a great color to use in Coastal Marsh Regions due to low water clarity.  The dark profile with gold flake really helps your lure stand out. This is one of my favorite colors in murky water, but also is a great color in low light conditions. Additionally this is a favorite in the winter months due to most of the bait being darker such as mud minnows or aquatic worms.

JERK SHAD: ALABAMA LEPRECHAUN AND SLAM SHADY

When fishing in calm, clear, and shallow water, the best lure is often going to be a soft plastic jerk shad rigged on a weighted hook because it has great action in the water and very little vibration to make sure that it won’t spook off finicky fish.

These lures mimic both scared shrimp as well as small baitfish, and having an erratic retrieve often gets reaction strikes from inshore gamefish.

I will use these lures all season long and some of my favorite areas to use them are mudflats and grass lines with a weedless hook, then deeper areas around points and even docks using a jig-head.

I like using the Alabama Leprechaun in deeper water due to a darker profile with gold flake, and the Slam Shady on the flats or in the shallows.

SHRIMP PROFILE [BIG]: POWER PRAWN USA

There are some situations when shrimp are running and the inshore fish get totally fixated on them, so it’s important to have some ready for action. The Power Prawn USA lure has risen to the top of the list for a big shrimp lure because it is super easy to rig and use while having an awesome strike-generating glide in the water.

This lure is 4.3 inches long, and has a great strike-generating action in the water. Best of all, it works great in all depth ranges since it’s super easy to rig on a wide variety of weighted hooks and jig heads.

All you’ll need are some packs of these shrimp lures along with whichever sized jig heads or weedless hook rigs based on the depth zones that you’ll be fishing and you’ll be catching a ton of quality fish when shrimp are the target prey.

My favorite time of year to throw these lures is in the late Summer and Fall when the shrimp size tends to be a bit bigger along the Coastal Marsh Regions.

SHRIMP PROFILE (SMALL): POWER PRAWN USA JUNIOR

These shrimp are my #1 choice of all for fishing around structure because it’ll catch a huge variety of fish (big and small) with very little effort… just a basic bouncing motion along the bottom will catch a ton of fish.

Just like the larger Power Prawn USA, this Junior edition can be rigged on weedless hooks too making them a great choice for fishing heavy structure for redfish, speckled trout, flounder and a wide variety of saltwater species in our area.

These are some of my favorite presentations to throw in the winter months when most fish have a slower metabolism. This is an easy meal and often gets strikes when most others don’t. Also this is a great choice in our region during the springtime when shrimp are much smaller and early in their lifecycle.

JIG HEADS (FOR SOFT PLASTICS)

When fishing in more than a few feet of water, it’s crucial to be able to get your lure down to the strike zone, so having jig heads of various weights is a must for inshore fishermen. The best overall jig heads that we’ve found so far for soft plastic lures up to 5 inches in length are the Trout Eye jig heads from Zman because they work well for most soft plastic brands and their big eyes seem to help draw strikes. I’ve included a 1/4 oz to this bundle to help you get to the bottom in deeper water or high current areas.

Weedless Hooks (FOR SOFT PLASTICS)

Weedless hooks are a very necessary item for an inshore angler, especially when fishing around structure such as oysters or around grass lines, two areas fish in our region frequent often. They allow you to fish in 3-4ft water depths and shallower very effectively. My favorite weighted hooks are the Hoss Helix Hooks in a 1/8th oz. They have a very wide gap and super sharp and strong hook coupled with a screw lock to hold your soft plastic effectively.

POPPING CORK (FOR SOFT PLASTICS)

The popping cork is a staple here in the murky waters we fish. It emits a fish calling pop and splash that drives gamefish crazy.  This simple but effective addition works well in the Spring, Summer and Fall months whenever there are baitfish or shrimp present. This 4 Horseman Popping Cork is a high quality cork that will last you a long time and also can be used with all of the soft plastics I have included with this bundle.

BUNDLE OVERVIEW AND LURE RIGGING TUTORIAL

Note: Lure rigging details details start at the 5:45 mark.

Lure Retrieval Techniques

Please use the Comments section below if you have any questions. I’ll be happy to add any tutorials to this page that you feel would be useful.

Tight Lines!