Epic Big Seatrout Bite Captured On Film [Exploration Trip]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Want to see an on-the-water report from an epic trout bite that I had on my most recent exploration trip?
Here’s what you’ll see in this new fishing report video:
Epic Big Seatrout Bite Captured On Film
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Trip Details:
- Craft – 17 ft Maverick HPX-V
- Weather – Clear skies
- Wind – 10+ MPH from the ENE
- Tides – Beginning of Incoming to mid/high tide
- Time – Fished from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
- Water Clarity – Clear
- Water Depth – 1 to 2 feet
Equipment Used:
1st Setup (Power Fishing):
- Lure: Slam Shady Bomber rigged on 4/0 Owner TwistLock
- Scent: Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Scent
- Rod: Salt Strong Custom Prototype
- Reel: Daiwa Legalis 2500
- Line: 10 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 20 lb Andy Monofilament
2nd Setup (Finesse Fishing):
- Lure 1: Alabama Leprechaun rigged on 3/0 Owner TwistLock
- Lure 2: Prototype shrimp lure rigged on prototype weighted hook
- Scent: Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Scent
- Rod: St. Croix Avid Inshore 7’6″ Medium Power
- Reel: Daiwa Legalis 2500
- Line: 10 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 20 lb Andy Monofilament
Equipment Used:
1st Setup
- Rod: Salt Strong Custom Prototype
- Reel: Salt Strong Custom Prototype
- Line: 10 lb Daiwa J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 20 lb Ande Monofilament
- Lure: Slam Shady Bomber rigged on 4/0 Owner TwistLock
- Scent: Dr. Juice Inshore Slam Scent
Quickly Finding Fish In New Areas
When you get out to where you want to fish, it is important to start with a defined fishing plan in which you incorporate the latest feeding trends to the tides and weather that you’ll be facing while fishing.
Make sure to refer to the weekly game plan lessons for knowing what the latest feeding trends have been along with tips on the types of spots to fish and when the best bites will most likely be.
It is typically a good idea to begin the day with power fishing so you can cover as much ground as possible to start pin pointing exactly where the fish are holding.
Also, it is a smart idea to match your lure size to the size of the bait in the water, so always keep an eye out for what type of food is in the area.
And once you find the 90/10 zones, then it’s smart to slow down and methodically cover that high probability zone like I did this trip after finding the last spot.
Lure Selection Based On Conditions
For whichever lure you choose to fish with, be sure to cover all zones in front of you.
The Slam Shady Bomber will cast far and punch into the wind when needed.
If the water gets calm and starts to become clearer, it is a good idea to switch up presentations from a paddletail to a jerk bait.
A jerk bait or jerk shad will give you a more finesse-type presentation in calmer water.
The ideal lure for these conditions in my opinion is the Alabama Leprechaun rigged on 3/0 Owner TwistLock.
It is a 5-inch jerk shad lure with a split-tail that has extremely good action in the water when rigged on the 3/0 weighted hooks.
Moreover, the Alabama Leprechaun is designed to mimic the behavior of a scared baitfish or a fleeing shrimp.
This covers both bases if the fish are feeding on shrimp or on injured baitfish.
Importance Of Rod Selection
When using jerk baits, it is important to think about your rod choice and how it can affect the hook set.
Rods with a softer or more flimsy tip will hinder your hook set and you could lose more fish this way (as shown in this video).
The rod that you choose has a direct impact on your casting performance and hook sets.
If you are using medium-light power rods (and some Mediums like the St. Croix Avid), just know that your hookup ratio will not be as good as it would be if using a rod with more power.
The way that rods are labeled and weighted varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it can be super confusing to know which one is best.
So we made this Fishing Equipment Cheat Sheet lessons to help you know how to properly evaluate rods and match them with reels.
How To Not Spook Fish In Calm Shallows
If you are fishing in clear and calm water, it is important to be quiet in the shallows.
Fish thrashing and making noise when you reel them in is not of high concern.
What you want to be super careful of is to not make any quick shifts in your boat or loud steps… that vibration of a big object moving in the water is sure to put any nearby fish on alert of danger.
How To Care For Big Trout
You always want to hold your big trout over the side of the boat since they are slippery and they’re prone to thrash around when being held.
Trout are fragile fish and if you are releasing these fish, you want them to be able to swim off without any harm.
Do not hold the trout over the boat for longer than it takes to snap a quick photo because they will shake and can fall and hit the deck.
Be sure to remove the hook and keep the trout out over the water as much as possible.
Do NOT use rags to touch the fish because the coating on their skin will rub off.
Conclusion
Trout fishing can have nonstop action and constant strikes if you pre-plan your trips and cover ground in promising areas that may hold lots of bait and fish.
Rod selection, lure choice, as well as conditions all play a role in how the trout will behave and react to your presentations.
Pay attention to your surroundings and keep up with the current trends to put yourself in the best spot to catch unlimited trout!
If you have any more questions on fishing for trout, please let me know down in the comments!
And if you know an angler who wants to learn more about seatrout fishing, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Great video. I sure miss the fishing in the Bay Area. Lived there for 20 or so yrs now in Virginia and on the fish when I have the time. Thanks Salt Strong I have learned a lot.
Right on Luke!! Good stuff brother.. luv to see more vids like that.
Luke
In the beginning of the video, what was the big bridge straight of off the bow?
Awesome inshore day
That was just fun to watch!
This was an enjoyable and informative video. Thank you for posting, it shows how changing up the lures can effect your catch ratio.
A point of clarification please. When I started fishing for trout several years ago everyone kept advising me to not do to hard of a hook set. They said that trout have very soft cottony mouths. Once I adjusted my hook set I was pulling in nearly every one. Do you agree with that advice? It’s hard to tell if andby how much you adjust your hookset.
With exposed hook point lures, I agree with that statement. But with weedless soft plastics, a good hookset is required regardless of the species because the hook will often have to penetrate soft plastic before it even touches the fish’s mouth.
Went out yesterday!!! Beautiful day on the water, bait everywhere – but could not get any fish to commit. Used the bomber, Slam shady 2.0 – around multitude of bait schools. Should have tried the leprechaun. Nice video and nice trout
The leprechaun is generally best with the water is clear and calm.
This post “epic big seatrout” has exactly the information I submitted in your questionnaire after the video. Excellent. Or may be its always been part of your postings and I don’t see it because I normally don’t get past the video. My fault. I will start reading past the video. Thanks.
Glad to see that you enjoyed this video and the writeup!
Last week I had a cormorant bugging me like you, then jumped in my boat and was walking all around me.
Wow! I can’t believe one actually jumped into your boat.
Pretty Work!!!
Thanks Ron!