Top 5 Fishing Lures To Catch Spring Inshore Slams
- By: Wyatt Parcel
- on
Want to catch more inshore slams this spring?
Whether you’re fishing shallow or deep, in warm or cool water, or clear or murky water, the five lures below have got you covered.
You’ll also learn when to use each of them so you can catch more fish in less time.
Check out the video below!
Top 5 Spring Lures [VIDEO]
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Here are some of the lures mentioned in the video above:
Shrimp Lures
Fish have been dialed in on shrimp lures all winter, so tossing a shrimp in front of their face will most likely get them to strike.
Also, baitfish don’t become the main source of prey until a little later in spring, so they’ll be feeding on shrimp until then.
Some of my favorite shrimp lures are:
And don’t forget the Dr. Juice scent!
Paddletail
Baitfish flood the flats around mid-spring and a paddletail is a great lure to imitate them.
Since the baitfish will be young and small at this time, I prefer paddletails in the 3-4″ range.
As far as colors go, I like natural colors, like white.
In particular, I like the Slam Shady color, which is white with some flashy gold and silver flakes.
For rigging paddletails, it really depends on where you’re fishing.
If you’re fishing shallow flats, use a weedless hook, like the Owner TwistLock hook.
If you’re fishing holes or docks, use a jig head to get it down to the bottom.
And finally, how to retrieve them will vary, too.
If it’s right after a cold front, you can bounce them slowly off of the bottom.
If it’s been warming up for a few days, you can swim it a little quicker through the middle of the water column.
Paddletails are one of the most versatile baits out there and can catch fish in a variety of situations.
My favorite paddletail is the Slam Shady.
Suspending Twitchbaits
Once I’ve found where the fish are feeding (usually with a paddletail), it’s fun to bust out a suspending twitchbait.
When you retrieve it with a twitch-twitch-pause technique, as it sinks and flutters down on the pause, trout and redfish (and even flounder) will come up and smash it.
My favorite twitchbait is the MirrOlure MirrOdine, but I’ve also been having a lot of success with the Paul Brown Fat Boy Pro.
The advantage of using a corky is that they have a wire that runs through the center that you can bend.
You can point the face and tail upward to make it ride higher in the water, or point them downward to make the corky run deeper.
As far as sizes goes, try to match the hatch.
If you’re seeing small baitfish, go with a smaller MirrOdine.
If you’re seeing bigger baitfish, like the shad we have here in Texas, go with a bigger MirrOdine or corky.
Topwater Lures
For big trout, a topwater lure is my favorite.
The Super Spook Jr. is my go-to lure for most situations, but if it’s really windy out, I’ll tie on a Skitter V.
And if I’m specifically going for gator trout, I’ll tie on a larger Skitter Walk 11.
Jerk Shad
If you’re fishing on a calm day and the water is clear, you might want to go with a jerk shad.
With a twitch-twitch-pause retrieve, these lures can mimic an injured baitfish or a fleeing shrimp.
My favorite is the Alabama Leprechaun, but I know Tony has had a lot of success with the Gulp jerk shad, too.
Conclusion
There are a variety of lures that can work in the spring for trout, redfish, flounder, and snook.
Look at factors like water clarity, depth, temperature, and fish activity, and decide which one best fits your needs.
You can get some of the lures mentioned above here:
And if you want 20% off all the lures above (plus everything else in our shop), click here to join us in the Insider Club.
What’s your favorite springtime lure?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who’s sick of getting skunked this spring, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Great stuff Wyatt! Very useful information. On a side note, are you sure you’re not my cousin? You talk with your hands like a good Latino😀. Keep up with the good job and tight lines.
Haha! I go full Ricky Bobby if I don’t talk with my hands… glad you enjoyed the video Ivan!
Great stuff, question on the twitch baits..loop knot or tight to lure?? Tks
I am interested in an answer to this as well
100% loop knot! Very important to allow that bait the ability to shift side to side during the twitch, as well as the freedom to “wobble” on the way down. Snug knots might take away from the action by adding resistance and locking it into the leader, as opposed to a snug knot which serves as a connection, but does not restrict the movement. A good general rule of thumb is that if a lure is fished at a constant pace ( like a redfish magic for example) it requires a snug knot. If there’s ANY kind of motion, pausing, or twitches, a loop knot is preferred.
Spring go 2 is a Billy Bay 1/4 oz chartreuse halo shad. Great tips by the way…
Great choice! Small baitfish imitations are hard to beat!
Thanks for these great tips in concise format. Do you maintain the hooks that these topwater lures come with and what hooks to you prefer with the softies that you recommend?
Absolutely David! And yes, as far as my topwaters go, I always change the hooks out (several of the topwaters I showed were new out of the box because my current ones are all dinged up from reds!)
I like the 1/0 Hooks for the Corky.
Apologies in advance for the basic question but I can’t seem to find you video on how to tie the knot in the picture with the Slam Shady above. Can you point me to that video? Thanks in advance.
No worries, here it is!
How To Tie The Non-Slip Loop Knot (Plus Top 3 … – Salt Stronghttps://www.saltstrong.com › Articles
Great tips, thanks.
Absolutely! Thanks for watching Mike!
Nice job Wyatt!
Thanks Rick! Glad you enjoyed these tips!
Really Enjoy your videos Wyatt. I totally agree with your selection. I’m trying to build a “Grab & Go” box however Im looking for a container “Bagged Artificial’s” while space for a few “hard Baits’. Do you have any recommendations ?
I like Plano’s Worm Box (which has space for bags and hard lures, plus jigs and hooks) but I often just roll the bags up and stick them in the Plano dividers long-ways.
Say guys and gals! Can you make a list of what lures and how many ,terminal tackle and # of rods to have
On a kayak for a beginner kayaker ?
We’re currently working on a barebones list of MUST-HAVE tackle to help guide new (and veteran) anglers! Stay tuned, as it’ll be coming soon!