07-13-2003, 12:00 PM
[cool]Hey, Aaron, good to have you back aboard. I figured you were working hard and playing hard during the summer. Are you putting in a lot of time on the boat?
I have a couple of the "East Coast" rods too. I lived in New Orleans for awhile and fished the redfish and sea trout a lot. Down there they also call them "poppin'" rods...because they fish popping corks a lot. They hang a shrimp or a jg about three feet under a bottom-weighted float, cast it out and then jerk the rod to make it pop...calling in the fish in the shallow and often murky coastal marshes. The extra length helps handle the float rig and makes longer popping sweeps. I find that these rods are also great for fishing crankbaits and other lures that require you to let the fish load up the rod before you set the hooks.
But, you know what? I had more success fishing the same stuff you guys are using on the west coast...lead heads and plastics. I used mostly 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz heads with 3" twisters and 4" or 5" swimbaits...sassy shad. Natural colors worked well when the water was clear. Then, when the water was murky I went to chartreuse with a hot red head. In the pic below, the largest redfish weighed 13 pounds...one of my biggest from a float tube. The four smaller fish are average size sea trout.
![[Image: SCOU1712CustomImage0011035.jpg]](http://web.ecomplanet.com/SCOU1712/ServerContent/MyCustomImages/SCOU1712CustomImage0011035.jpg)
On my ultralight baitcasting rigs right now, I am using mostly Shimano Bantams and a couple of old Garcia Lite Plus. They are not top of the line in terms of cost or bearings, but they handle the light stuff well and have the guts to beat up on the occasional biggun I hook. I am experimenting with some "specials" I got both from Cabela's and BassPro. They are their own private label reels. So far, they reinforce the old saying that "you get what you pay for." I have found this to be the case with baitcasting reels. But, then not everybody has four hundred dollars to buy the top of the line reels either. I guess I need to win the lottery or find a sponsor.
Don't stay away so long.
[signature]
I have a couple of the "East Coast" rods too. I lived in New Orleans for awhile and fished the redfish and sea trout a lot. Down there they also call them "poppin'" rods...because they fish popping corks a lot. They hang a shrimp or a jg about three feet under a bottom-weighted float, cast it out and then jerk the rod to make it pop...calling in the fish in the shallow and often murky coastal marshes. The extra length helps handle the float rig and makes longer popping sweeps. I find that these rods are also great for fishing crankbaits and other lures that require you to let the fish load up the rod before you set the hooks.
But, you know what? I had more success fishing the same stuff you guys are using on the west coast...lead heads and plastics. I used mostly 1/8 oz or 1/4 oz heads with 3" twisters and 4" or 5" swimbaits...sassy shad. Natural colors worked well when the water was clear. Then, when the water was murky I went to chartreuse with a hot red head. In the pic below, the largest redfish weighed 13 pounds...one of my biggest from a float tube. The four smaller fish are average size sea trout.
On my ultralight baitcasting rigs right now, I am using mostly Shimano Bantams and a couple of old Garcia Lite Plus. They are not top of the line in terms of cost or bearings, but they handle the light stuff well and have the guts to beat up on the occasional biggun I hook. I am experimenting with some "specials" I got both from Cabela's and BassPro. They are their own private label reels. So far, they reinforce the old saying that "you get what you pay for." I have found this to be the case with baitcasting reels. But, then not everybody has four hundred dollars to buy the top of the line reels either. I guess I need to win the lottery or find a sponsor.
Don't stay away so long.
[signature]