Bait in Intracoastal is heavy these days

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Bait is thick right now in the Intracoastal Waterway, especially south of the State Road 100 bridge, in Flagler Beach.

There are large schools of menhaden, mullet, shrimp and glass minnows moving with the tides. With all the bait that is available to predator fish, it can make catching them difficult at times. They become more selective about the choices anglers present to them.

Try matching the bait that is in the area you’re fishing.

For example, when there are menhaden around, try throwing something like a 17 MR Mirrolure. When retrieving this lure — as with other artificial lures — try to make it look like a wounded baitfish. Twitch it and then pause it, then twitch and pause again. It’s usually on the pause when a fish will strike it. When it comes to mullet, try a Mirrolure Catch 2000. This is a sub-surface lure that looks like a mullet and is effective when fished the same way as the 17 MR or in a walk-the-dog motion.

There are numerous shrimp imitations on the market, and the D.O.A. shrimp is one that comes to mind. Fish this the same way you would free-line a live shrimp: very slowly.

The only thing I haven’t found a good imitation of is the glass minnow. The closest I can come is a fly-fishing pattern.

I am mentioning these artificial baits because it can become hard this time of year to get live shrimp at your tackle shop. If you don’t know how to throw a cast net or just don’t feel like it, artificial baits can save the day for a fishing trip.

Fortunately, last week I was able to get shrimp for two trips. Both trips had mangrove snapper, jacks, ladyfish, flounder, redfish and trout — lots of trout.

Jeffery Lademann and I went looking for snook and tarpon Friday, in the Tomoka River.

On our way up the river, we saw a couple of huge explosions under a dock light. We went and worked the area but came up empty-handed. Further up the river, Lademann landed a small snook with a Catch 2000, and I landed one on a fly. There was tarpon all over the place, but we couldn’t get any to eat our artificial baits.

Sunday afternoon, Capt. Ralph Olivett and I headed out to Matanzas Inlet in search of tarpon, but had no luck. There were lots of schools of menhaden but no tarpon feeding on them. Next time, we will try early in the morning, when the tarpon seem to feed the best.