Floridian Redfishes and saltwater trout

[tacklejunkie]

Long time no see!
Just got my license last night and went out fishing today on the West Florida Coast!
out here for a six month visit. Typing on my phone so long story short. Caught my first Redfish before the grey light lead into dawn. Fought pretty good for what it was. 5” Berkeley gulp shad on a jighead in Crystal River. Year round 70* spring fed waters. About to go back tomorrow and tear it up. Farmed a sea trout at my feet. They have funny spots, look like brown trout. I’ll go back and get one next time.
Until then, see ya’ll around. Back on the west coast in a couple months.
If the pic didn’t attach, I’m getting old!
-Tacklejunkie Returns

[tacklejunkie]

To be specific this is a Red Drum from Crystal River.
They look like spotfin croakers from the west coast or corbina or something. They get huge. This is just a baby.

[tacklejunkie]

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Another today. He hit the Flylined Super Fluke with shrimp smelly jelly just after high tide.
Would rather be fishing those than Gulp any day. Smells better and costs less! Notes taken.
Not the size I’m looking for. Hoping for one about three times his length, eventually. Hehe.
I’ll be back out there this weekend. I got a mini bubbler that is powered by AA batteries because
everyone out here uses shrimp. So figured I’d try them eventually. Now I just need to find
an aquatic vehicle to get myself offshore... out to the mangroves.. and **** should open
wide up on all types of species.

Sorry, typos... phone post.
-TJ

PS I been throwing the LCFM110 to see what happens. No love yet.
I also hear the reds will hit chatterbaits so I’ve picked one up. Something tells me need to find a little deeper water with more cover.

[tacklejunkie]

Two more firsts today. First time shore fishing with a bucket of live shrimp in 35* weather.
Also, first Ladyfish. Caught two of them. One was released. The second one had a huge bite taken out of it by another fish. I kept him for bait for later. Lol. They are regarded as unregulated trash fish. You’re allowed to “take” 100lbs of these per day. It was caught on shrimp in brackish water between a lake and the Gulf of Mexico.
Now I know how to use little bait to make big bait. I heard these are good for bull sharks, grouper and others.
Saw dolphins, deer and lots of animals. Trying to dodge alligator sightings. No See Um flies like to eat my skin.
Every fish I catch here is hard earned at this point in time. Another couple new spots to try tomorrow!
there is so much current in the water around here that I had to learn a new technique the locals use to catch stuff if it’s not flylined or jigged and that is the “popping cork and shrimp” rig.
Basically, slip stopped bobbers with a bass popper on the top, used to attract fish to your height adjustable bait below the bobber. I’m now using some fancy circle hooks that seem to do the trick if the fish is large enough to get the whole baitnin it’s mouth. Lots of bait stealers around here. If I was willing to go to smaller hooks and bait portions, I might catch some more new species like snappers and trigger fishes or whatever is ripping me off all my expensive gulp products

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[tacklejunkie]

Fish probably prefer live shrimp to gulp, I suppose it would depend on how it’s worked. a fish might prefer a reaction twitched gulp bait to a half dead shrimp on a bobber I suppose.

But these fish don’t seem to hit unless whatever bait it is, is presented to them with the current as naturally as possible. Weather bobbed or jerked.

Ive learned the fish can heat the shrimp moving and that drives them crazy. I’ve seen videos of the guys using shrimp here and the live shrimp gets hammered but the fish pass up dead shrimp. Had to learn how to hook shrimp without killing it so it stays alive for a good half hour on your hook moving around.

People fish them on jigs and all sorts of ways.

The gulp is $6 for a pack of 6 gulp shrimps. I paid $6 for over 2 dozen lively 3” shrimp jumping out of my bucket.

It would seem live bait is a better value than gulp, if you don’t mind using it. They both probably work about the same if you know what you are doing.

Armed with a $2 pack of flukes, $0.05 worth of smelly jelly and some $6 Gamakatsu EWG I caught a redfish.

Armed with $6 in shrimp, a circle hook, a $1 popping cork and a $5 bubbler in a free bucket i caught 2 ladyfish and have 20 shrimp left for tomorrow plus a 8-10” ladyfish for bait.

Armed with $6 berkely gulp shads and $4 pack of 1/8oz jighead I caught a redfish.

You be the judge.
one is a better value but more of a pain to drag around.
One is expensive and stinks but transports easy.
One is cheap and easy to transport and doesn’t stink but bad for the environment..

bait and wait or artificials on the west side of the east coast!
Feel like I’m learning all over again.

Until next adventure.. And phone typos...

[fi288]

Fishing king Florida has some amazing fishing spots. Let's take a look of Florida's top fishing spots (https://www.travelersdoor.com/best-fishing-spots-in-florida/).

[etucker1959]

Fishing king Florida has some amazing fishing spots. Let's take a look of Florida's top fishing spots (https://www.travelersdoor.com/best-fishing-spots-in-florida/).

My favorite is the launch ramp at the end of the Everglades fishing the tidal flats! Sea trout, Sail catfish, Redfish, Tarpon, Snook and Sharks can all be caught there in Numbers!

[tacklejunkie]

The fishing here is just amazing. Once you get passed the bugs and gators.
last trip out, a sea otter scared the hell out of me. I thought a gator was coming. You never know.

I might have one more trip out before going back to the west coast. just took an 8,000 mile round trip moving some belongings cross country to Oregon. Getting ready to go back soon. I will miss and never forget the fishing in Florida.

Absolutely Epic.

Let’s see if I can get on my first Diamondback Sturgeon and some Salmon in Oregon.

I know the regs up there are a lot tighter and not half as friendly as what Florida has going on. I messed around one time without my license and got the book thrown at me real good. Wasn’t even supposed to be up that creek with a fly rod. But the trout fly rod saved my life. Guys laughed me out of Oregon. Said my wimpy 3wt fly rod won’t handle the fish in Oregon and take my $300 fine and go home like an idiot lol.

maybe some of this hefty saltwater gear I just bought will be enough to impress the Oregon game wardens?
next time I’ll get my license and read what streams are closed and open, and target the proper fish. ��

By comparison,
did my best to follow the book in Florida and never even saw a warden after 20 trips to the water.

For the people here, “Salt Life” decals are plastered all over everything. This is their way of life.

[tacklejunkie]

I’ve been saving up some more footage. I want to get a drone shot before I go also, of the giant redfish hole.
I just re-upped my sub to Adobe Premier and got a new laptop so I’ll be cutting up a final Florida video here, shortly.
stay tuned for TJ TV episode # 4.