Biggest Inshore Fishing Breakthroughs In 2020…
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
The beauty of fishing is that you’re always learning.
Whether you’re a newbie who’s just now learning how to cast, or an experienced angler who’s tackling a new spot, fishing always presents a new challenge.
And that’s why we love it.
Now, 2020 was an unexpected year, but the good news is that we got to do a lot of fishing and learn a lot of new things.
Some lessons were brand new, while some lessons had to be relearned.
In this podcast, I’ve got the Salt Strong Fishing Coaches with me sharing their biggest breakthroughs, lessons, new tackle, and “a-ha” moments from this past year.
You can watch the video version of this podcast below, listen to the audio version by clicking the play button underneath it, or listen to it on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Biggest Inshore Fishing Breakthroughs Of 2020 [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
Biggest Inshore Fishing Breakthroughs Of 2020 [PODCAST]
Note: Don’t forget to subscribe to the Salt Strong podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Click here to join the Insider Club
Related Podcasts:
- HOW TO FIND 90% OF ALL FEEDING FISH IN YOUR AREA (90/10 FISHING RULE)
- THE GREAT FISHING LINE DEBATE (BRAID VS MONO VS FLUORO)
Here’s a timestamped table of contents from my conversation with Salt Strong Fishing Coaches Luke, Austin, and Tony about the biggest lessons they learned in 2020:
1:55 – How much fishing helps people thrive and bond with each other during hard times
3:15 – Why you can’t rely on your same old spots every trip
5:15 – The story behind the lack of fishing gear available in stores
7:20 – What we learned about leader line this year (mono vs. fluoro, fluoro leader vs. fluoro line, etc.)
- DOES MONO ACTUALLY FLOAT? (FLUOROCARBON VS. MONOFILAMENT CONTEST)
- BEST LEADER LINE FOR TOPWATER LURES (MONO VS. FLUORO)
- IS FLUOROCARBON LEADER MORE ABRASION RESISTANT THAN TRADITIONAL MONO LEADER?
19:08 – Why you need to keep it simple if you want to catch fish
21:40 – Why a good tackle tray is important
- HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF TACKLE TRAY (TO SAVE TIME & MONEY)
- HOW TO MAKE A DIY JIG BOX (FOR BUCKTAILS, FLAIR HAWKS & PRE-RIGGED JIGS)
24:40 – The best type of rods to use with lures vs. live bait
28:31 – What length rod to use
31:18 – How to catch sheepshead with artificial lures
34:57 – Rods vs. reels: which is more important and when
38:02 – The truth about getting skunked when fishing
41:58 – The mindset you need to have when fishing (this is more important than most people think)
44:11 – Luke’s favorite and least favorite brands of fishing line (based on his experiments)
49:54 – What to do if you’re having trouble catching fish
Conclusion
What a year!
Now that you know what we learned…
What did you learn?
What were your biggest breakthroughs from 2020?
Let us know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who needs to hear this episode, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
Related categories:
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).
Which Bull Bay Sniper rod are you using? I am leaning towards to the 10-20 7’6 model just for extra strength.
Just heard you say you’re getting the Plano Edge in…THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One thing to think about when designing a line visibility test is that I would imagine that fish might not necessarily see the world the way we humans do. There has been a lot of research in deer as to how they see camo for example, and it’s not the way we see. One of the makers of UV blockers have very interesting pics of what como’ed hunters REALLY look like to a deer.
Curious if that book y’all were referencing about the science of fishing when talking about scent tracks, has anything on how fish visually perceive the world around them.
Great content as always
Good observation, Mike. I think there may be significant differences in fish species rather than assuming all have similar eyesight, smell, sound, etc. As I’m sure you know as a hunter, turkey have sensational eyesight and can detect the slightest movement, but ability to smell is lousy. Deer have a great ability to detect scent but not great eyesight. What one observes in the animal world likely carries over to marine life.
Rob, absolutely right. I assume that a clear stream northern species of fish would likely have different array of rods/cones in their retinas and possibly lens shape as well versus a saltwater inshore species or an Amazonian species in their heavily tanin and sedimented stained environments. I’m a BIG turkey hunter and have experienced their keen eyesight on many occasions!
There is research most shallow water fish have receptors for UV light. Might be interesting to test for that if feasible. Some lines might light up like neon cords. A quick way of testing might be to use black light on land to see if any of the lines react?
Just recently joined the Insider Club. I’ve been following Salt Strong for some time. I’ve been an avid kayak fisherman for many years ( fishing mostly in New England), both fresh and salt water. Finally went to braid last year and WOW!!!, what a difference. I just needed someone to show me the “FG” knot (thank you Luke). I turned 75 this past summer and decided to go to a boat, as my upper body strength isn’t the same as in my younger days. So, I bought an Aquasource flats boat and hoping to have some fun in skinny water. I mostly fish Ozello, Homosassa River and Chrystal River. Being a “Snowbird, all my fishing down here is winter conditions. I almost strictly fish artificial and love your paddle tails. Keep the tip coming, as I am in unchartered waters. Thank you.
First, let me say I am a brand new member who lives in Wilmington, NC, and enjoy the content. Great video! You all talk a lot about fluorocarbon related to strength and admit there is testing to be done around visibility. Still, I hear no mention of hookup advantages over mono due to the reduced line stretch or vice versa with the delicate lip fish. Thoughts?
Fluoro does have a bit less stretch than traditional mono, so there would be a better hookup percentage if using fluoro as mainline (relative to traditional mono).
But for those of us who are using mono/fluoro only for leader line, the small difference in stretchability is not noticeable in just a ~2 ft strand of line, so it’s not a non-factor for deciding on one vs the other.
Braid. 16strand and splice.
What strength line are you splicing? That process seems extremely tough for most inshore braids (under 50 bls).
Greets.
Use Camo Flouro mainly to stop light piping.
Have you tried Ti wire for abrasion resitant terminal tackle?
Suspect I don’t use wire enough.
Rgds.
Malcolm Hayward.
I have not yet used TI wire. What is it known for above normal wire?
I see that Bull Bay rods are no longer in the tackle shop. Will they be coming back?
Hey Alan! We should have some new Bull Bay rods in the store by Feb 1
What advantage does the stealth sniper have over the sniper? the only difference i can find in them is the cork grips vs eva grips.(and color) Is this the only difference or is there a functional/sensitivity difference as well?
Interested in hearing more on the mono vs. flouro tests. I get the visibility tests, but not sure how well we can see line underwater is a good indication of how well a fish sees it.
Would be interested more in the catch numbers in the same conditions over a given period.
Very true that our ability to see doesn’t mean that fish are seeing the same thing… that’s why it’s so tough to prove how effective or ineffective fluoro actually is.
I was switching back and forth from mono to fluoro over the past couple years and didn’t see a noticeable difference in strikes… while I did see a noticeable difference in landing a hooked fish that was in favor of traditional mono, so I totally switched to mono about 6 months ago.