Catching Dinner Quick Challenge With Otis [Redfish & Seatrout]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
On a recent trip down to Placida with my wife and 2 month old baby, I went out on the water with a goal of catching some dinner.
The challenge was that I promised my wife that I’d be back in time for breakfast so I only had 1.5 hours to get enough fillets for dinner.
I had not fished this particular area for a few months, so my plan was to power fish with plugs so I could cover water quickly in order to make sure I came across some fish.
Check out the video below to see the adjustment that I had to make in order to complete the goal just in time to get back in time with dinner.
Lures Used
- Power Lure 1: Skinny Lipper
- Power Lure 2: Wake Mullet (coming out this month)
- Finesse Lure: Polk County Tweaker rigged on 3/0 Hoss Helix with 1/16th oz weight
- Scent: Saltwater Slam Scent on all lures
Rods, Reels, & Lines Used
- Main: 7’6″ Slot Machine Medium paired with Otis 2500 & 10 lb braid
- Backup: 7′ TFO C Medium paired with Coastal 150 & 20 lb braid
Note: If you are looking for a premium spinning setup, then look no further than the Slot Machine Combo because it offers the best savings and has extremely good performance.
Conclusion
Had I been faced with a challenge like this many years ago before I started getting confident with lures, I would have had very little confidence in catching dinner so quickly because I would first have to catch bait and then hope I had enough time afterwards to find some fish.
But with the convenience of having a few trusted lures ready for action, I was able to find a good zone by quickly covering water while power fishing with plugs.
And once a good zone was found with no bites on the plugs, the easy fix was just a quick lure change to a soft plastic twitch lure that can generate strikes from lethargic fish on a slower retrieve.
So where you’re out on the water working through your plan, make sure to be quick to make adjustments based on what the fish are (or aren’t) responding to. You’ll be able to get some fun action even if you have loud companion out there with you… just hopefully not as loud as Otis was this trip.
Feedback?
Please do not hesitate to leave a Comment below if you have any questions or feedback of any kind… we always love hearing from you.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Its great to see someone not fishing towards the shore and catching fish.
Great video!
Luke, I may have missed it somewhere, what is the deal with the names on the inside of the gunnel?
Thanks Paul! Those names are the members who joined at the Lifer level back in 2020 when we were raising money to buy the bay boat so we could get better filming done on the water (my prior skiff was too small to bring multiple people and it wasn’t able to let us make nearshore lessons).
Great video, thanks. Always appreciate the explanation of why you are doing what you are doing. Enjoyed meeting Otis yesterday!!
Thanks John. It was great seeing you at the event yesterday!
Ottis I met you yesterday just let Luke know that you rule and you are the star of the SHOW no doubt. Nice catchs Luke.
Haha! It was great seeing you at the party yesterday.
Not surprised the Tweaker came thru! Question, it looked like Luke tied it on using a loop knot. Have you all found this to be better than a knot like the uni? Possibly more action?
Thanks John! Yes, I have found loop knots to be better than snug knots like the uni for 2 reasons: 1) better lure action for getting more strikes and 2) slightly weaker so that I never loose my leader line after getting snagged on the bottom… any breakoffs happen at the loop knot (drag is set properly to ensure a hooked fish can’t break off from force).
My favorite loop knot is the 2 turn Non-Slip Loop Knot: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/non-slip-loop-knot/
Thank you very much Luke- I will try it! Hope the anniversary party was a success!
Excellent video Thanks for sharing your trip.
Thanks Richard!
Luke great morning on the water! How deep were you fishing early on when you caught the Redfish?
Thanks Scott! The redfish was holding on a grass flat that was only about 1.5 ft to 2 ft deep. And the trout were mostly on the outer edge of the flat where it started dropping down to about 3 ft.
Great job switching baits and catching the fish.
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Ron!
Great little dinner catch and for sure Otis enjoyed it to the fullest …. Thanks for the video and information, job well done Luke and Otis ……… !
Thanks Thomas!
Thanks Lou for sharing that sucessful short fishing trip.
Thanks for making time to post the nice comment Carl