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| 6 ARNOLD ROAD, COVENTRY, RHODE ISLAND 02816 |
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Strategies
for Fly/Light Tackle Fishing by Capt. Jim White |
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Strategies is a column by
RISAA member, Capt. Jim White, a fly-fishing/light tackle specialist
who operates "White Ghost Guide Service" and fishes Narragansett
Bay. Jim is an endorsed professional of Ranger Boats and Evinrude
Outboards, and a professional outdoor writer/photographer who's work
has appeared in The Fisherman magazine and many national publications.
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| Plastic Lures |
| Plastic lures are some of the most popular saltwater lures on the
market today. There are so many though, that at times, it can get confusing
on which ones you should choose. Slug-Go's and Fin-S Fish, from the Lunker City Lure Company in Connecticut are two of the best on the market today. Besides being extremely effective on many species of gamefish, they offer the angler a wide variety of ways or options to be fished, under many different types of conditions. Slug-Go's can be rigged and fished in a number of ways. Fished alone on a bare hook, it will twist, dive and dart, with each pull or jerk of the line as it is retrieved back to you. One drawback here is it can cause serious line twist on your reel. One way to correct this and to help control this problem is by placing a split ring on the eye of the hook. Then attach a quality ball bearing swivel to the split ring. The Slug-Go will now turn on the swivel and it won't twist your line as badly as it did without it. The split ring and swivel also causes the lure to dive head first with the extra weight on the front portion of the bait. Slug-Go's can also be loaded with nail weights and plastic rattles for sound. Depending upon where you place the weight in the body itself will depend on how the lure reacts in the water. One technique often overlooked by saltwater anglers when it comes to fishing plastic baits is rigging up Carolina Style, as you would in freshwater situations. On sandy beaches or on sand or mud flats, it can be an extremely effective method for taking stripers, weakfish or blues. For Fin-S Fish, learn to make the lure jump and dance as you reel it in and not just retrieving it back in a straight line in a lifeless motion. The difference is really night and day when done properly. Getting the Fin-S Fish to work right is a matter of selecting the proper size jig head or hook to match the size of the plastic bait itself. Choosing the right color of plastic lures is also a topic of much discussion and controversy. Stick with the basic colors and you'll do fine. We like the brown and white, white, chartreuse, blue, and don't forget the Bubble Gum color when the worm hatch is happening in the spring. A 3-inch slug-Go in Bubble Gum is very effective during a worm swarm. For tackle, use a 6 ½ to 7-foot medium action spinning or casting rod, with 8 to 12-pound test line. I prefer the casting models for Carolina rigging and spinning for the rest. Penn has a nice series of spinning rods and casting rods for this job. Match it with a Penn reel, either a Z-Series or a Power Graphite series and you won't empty your wallet when you leave the tackle shop. |
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