The Quick Way To Catch An Inshore Slam In A New Area (Without Bait)
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
It’s slam time!
When I first started fishing I was always trying out new lures to see which ones would work.
I’d read the latest fishing magazines or watching fishing shows and think, that’s it! I need that new lure!
It was incredibly wasteful in two ways:
- I was wasting time on the water tying and retying on new lures
- I was wasting money buying lures that didn’t work, or that I would only use once
Before I started to really learn how to catch fish I made a deal with myself: I was only going to use one lure and get really good at it.
And guess what? It paid off!
I learned how to elicit strikes with that lure and spent more time finding the feeding zones and fishing, than tying and retying new lures.
These days I stick to a similar principle: I only use a handful of lures that I’ve gotten really good at catching fish with.
On this day, in particular, I had just two lures for the two different situations I’d be fishing in:
- One for shallow water with a lot of floating grass (a weedless gold spoon)
- One for deeper water (the Slam Shady paddletail on a jighead)
Want to see how I did with them?
Watch the video below.
P.S. If you want to see the behind the scenes, click here (Insiders only)
Inshore Slam With Just 2 Lures [VIDEO]
If you want to see the full report of where I was fishing and why, check out the Insider Report here (exclusive for Insiders only).
And if you’re not an Insider, but you want to see this full report and all of our other spots and strategies, join the Insider Club here.
Here’s What to Remember
Here are a few tips that helped me be successful on this trip:
1. Simplify your tackle
Like I mentioned in the beginning of this post, I was able to focus on finding and catching fish by only using two lures that I know are proven to catch fish.
I was using this gold spoon, and the Slam Shady paddletail.
2. Look for structure
Some of the areas that were holding fish on this day were:
- Points
- Blown-down trees
- Mangrove shorelines
- Potholes
- Cuts
3. Look for bait
Since this was a new spot for me, I wasn’t totally sure where the fish would be.
One thing I do when I get to a new spot is to look for pinfish flashing or mullet jumping.
In the places that I did catch fish, there was bait around, and the places that I did not catch fish, there was no bait around.
4. Find cooler water
The water is very warm this time of year and has little dissolved oxygen (which the fish need very much), so you want to look for cooler water.
Here are two ways I found cooler water this day:
- Early in the morning the water will be cooler
- Look for windblown points and shorelines. These will be cooler than the wind-protected areas.
Conclusion
You can’t catch fish from the couch, so anytime you can get out on the water is a good time.
And if you do get the opportunity, here’s what you want to look for:
- Structure
- Bait
- Cooler water
Also, simplifying your tackle will help you focus on finding and catching fish.
Have any questions about catching inshore slams?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you want to see the full report, including where I was fishing and why, join our Insider Club.
P.S. Know someone who wants to catch more inshore slams this summer? TAG or SHARE this with them!
P.P.S. You can get the Slam Shady paddletail from our shop here.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
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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).
Does he ever knock you off the boat?
He has not knocked me off the boat yet:)
what about the aquadream whit spoon yall have touted???
I haven’t used that one yet… it is what CA seemed to like best. I did pick one up to test it out though.
It seems you and Joe are almost always using the Slam Shady on that trout eye jig. Why not an Owner twist lock to help avoid the weeds?
Twist locks are mighty hard to rig on Z-Man plastics ( almost impossible for me).
The Mustad Grip Pins are a little easier to use and a better choice.
I don’t like using the Zman paddletails on weighted hooks very much because they don’t cast far enough to enable me to cover as much water as I like per cast compared to other options for the shallows like weedless spoons or soft plastics made from other manufacturers.. So I pretty much only use the MinnowZs with jig heads which provide the added weight to enable good casting distance.
Do you publish trends for the Texas gulf coast? And if so could you provide a link.
The general trends highlighted in our Insider Reports should apply to TX waters too, so definitely watch those weekly videos. For localized reports, be sure to check out the TX feed in the Community platform because new reports are getting posted daily from members in the club. Here’s a direct link to it: https://community.saltstrong.com/index.php?region=145
Hey Luke, great video. Proof that the spot is more important than lure selection. I love Otis but he would get on my nerves out there, he’s such a spaz.
Suggestion for your boat, to make using your trolling motor easier would be to get one of these:
https://prokontroll.ecwid.com/ProKonTroll-360-c23634086
And to add a big foot on/off switch.
I’ve had one of the Pro Kon Troll handles on my boat since 2004 or 5. No more bending over and reaching for the trolling motor, just a simple pull or push is all that is required to move the TM 360 degrees.
I have used handles like that before, but I’ve been running trolling motors without it for so many years that I find it tougher to use those handles than doing it the old fashioned way:)
Very informative video. I enjoyed your explanation concerning the decisions you made on the water. The details, such as time given to an area and what you are seeing in the water, sets this video apart. Great example for future reports.
Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment Anthony! I’m very glad to see that you enjoyed this post. Fish On!
Is that a toadfish rod your using with the spoon
Yes. That was a 7’2″ MH Power Toadfish rod.
I have the same rod. How do you like it?
I was just going to comment that the rod doesn’t look like a TFO!!!