3 Inshore Fishing Hacks I Use To Find Fish In Any State
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
I use these THREE inshore fishing hacks to catch fish in each new state I visit!
It can be challenging to find fish wherever you may be, especially if you are in a brand new state.
Here are a few tricks I use to find fish and FAST!!!
Inshore Fishing Hacks [VIDEO]
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We’re all familiar with TRENDS.
Seasonal trends will fluctuate throughout the year and are not necessarily the trends we are talking about.
Trends dictate so much when it comes to choosing where to fish in a new area.
#1 – Know Your Skill Set
Whenever you are inshore fishing, you can typically fit yourself into a category.
That can be in the form of marsh fishing, dock fishing, flats fishing, or inlets and jetties.
If fishing in any of these areas is a strength to you, then that is the first type of spot you want to look for in a new area.
You don’t have to learn these new techniques to fish in a new area, but you want to focus on what you are confident in.
That can help lead you to tight lines.
Personally, I focus my fishing around marshes and flats so when I get to a new state, that is what I try to find first.
Even though there may be specific intricacies related to an area, I am going to look for what I feel confident in.
Confidence is king.
#2 – Ask A Community
You may also find that you are in an area that has nothing remotely close to what you have fished in the past.
This is when it is important to have a community of friends out there with whom you can ask questions.
When a Professional Redfish Tournament Angler is going to go fish in a tournament in a state they aren’t from, they’ve got people to call so they can find out exactly what the current trends are.
This is why we built the Insider Community.
A community or forum that comes together around fishing and helps others stay in tune with the current trends will put you on more fish in areas you’ve never fished before.
Furthermore, another thing you can do in a new area is to visit a local bait shop and talk with the anglers inside.
Bait shops want you to catch fish so you come back to buy more tackle and gear and are usually one of the best places to find reliable information about the local fishing.
This is also the best place to find out what works in a given area and if you need to pick up additional tackle that is necessary for catching fish in that area.
The Salt Strong Insider Community is now over 30,000 members strong and is dedicated to helping other anglers find and catch fish while also saving time and money.
Our fishing coaches are in there daily answering questions and engaging with members to provide the best intel and insight they can from spending just about every single day on the water.
#3 – Confidence Lures
When you are fishing in a brand new spot in a new state, you should use lures you are confident in and know how to retrieve.
This is not the time to start trying new things and testing out new lures.
You should have at least 1 confidence bait if not a few that you can cast and retrieve in any situation.
You need to know how to work that lure and what the expectations are of its retrieve.
My preferences are to have a lure that can swim in each part of the water column.
I take a lure that covers the surface, another lure to cover the middle water column, and then a lure designed to be worked at the bottom.
This ensures you have everything covered when you’re out on the water.
My Confidence Lures
Moonwalker Topwater Lure
There are tons of topwater lure options out there but I really like the versatility of the Moonwalker.
I know I can work this lure with success in flat calm or intense chop in a variety of different ways.
It is also a good idea to have confidence in a topwater lure in general, whichever lure that might be.
2.0 Series Paddletails
The 2.0 Series Paddletails are 3.5-inch paddletail lures in a few different colors.
I prefer to rig these lures up on the 3/0 Hoss Helix Hooks 1/8 oz.
As I mentioned earlier, my confidence is fishing in marshes and flats in the 1-3 foot depth range.
The reason for rigging this lure up on the weedless weighted hook is to enhance the action of the lure.
Weedless weighted hooks created a side-to-side wobble in the water and lots of marshes and grass flats have intrusive structures that are easy to get snagged on.
This is also why I personally lean towards using the Gold Digger Paddletail color because of its ability to both blend in and stand-out in muddy, stained water.
Slam Shady 2.0 is a white lure with some silver flecks that really make this lure successful in any situation.
Although, I find it best to use the Slam Shady in clear to slightly off-color water.
The last paddletail that I’ll always have with me is the F.R.E.D. Paddletail.
The F.R.E.D. is a pink paddletail lure with silver flakes in it.
This particular lure color I like to use in tannic water or water that has a slight green tint to it.
On a fishing trip in a new state, I would start out with the color that I think would work best and then rotate through the colors to see if one triggers a strike.
2.0 Paddletails are my go-to middle-of-the-water-column lure.
Slam Shady Jerk Shad
The Slam Shady Jerk Shad imitates a wounded baitfish and a shrimp at the same time.
If the fish are dialed in on either meal, then this lure has the potential to crush it.
Most of my time fishing has been spent in freshwater hunting largemouth bass.
For me, the jerk shad lure was the easiest lure to transition from bass fishing to inshore fishing.
If you came over from freshwater bass and fishing and have a confidence lure there, then that success should translate to catching inshore fish using the same lures.
Conclusion
Before fishing in a new area, you need to sit down and find your strengths so you can capitalize on them to target fish.
This is not the time to experiment with new techniques and lures!
Don’t be afraid to ask questions to gain more knowledge so you can catch fish anywhere you are.
Do you have any more questions for me about these inshore fishing hacks?
Is there something else that you do to help you catch more fish in new areas?
Please share with us down in the comments!!
And if you know someone who wants to learn more about these inshore fishing hacks, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Very true indeed pat I also am an ex bass angler/ pike/crappie/brown trout/steelhead all with artificial lures that I found pleasantly that only slight changes need to be added to use these lures and some techniques as well for being successful in the inshore saltwater in fact for reds and flounder both my confidence lure is a paddletail spinnerbait with a chartruese tail tipped with a piece of shrimp scented fishbites cut into a small chunk and also unless using a gulp paddletail some procure inshore or flounder pounder fish scent I also add a little dr juice to my procure scent bottles the mixture to me sticks better to the lure slow rolled by oyster mounds or pitched under docks and into grass pockets is a real flounder and red killer but it wouldnt be without like you said confidence its the best friend an angler can have thanks for the info and all you do😉
That makes perfect sense to have 3 lures to cover the water column. What action do you impart on the moon walker? Thx
I use a walk the dog retrieve. Here’s a post with some instructions on how to do it:
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/rapala-skitter-walk-review/
How deep do you fish when using a popping cork? I’ve never used one.
I use mine with 2-3 foot of line. Works great around grass lines and oyster beds
Anywhere between 18-36 inches. depends on the depth of the water. It’s best to have the lure in the middle of the water column at rest.