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Keith Lusher 01.08.24
Drop shotting is a well-liked methodology utilized by plenty of anglers who goal bass, however within the saltwater world, it isn’t as fashionable. For many speckled trout anglers a weighted jig head on some kind of plastic minnow serves as their go-to methodology of catching fish – I do know it’s actually my most popular approach to fish. On my newest fishing journey, nonetheless, I used to be launched to a rig that I’ve by no means used whereas fishing for speckled trout – The drop shot rig!
My journey started early as I met Danny Hunter of New Orleans Greatest Charters on the boat launch. It was 5:00 a.m. and really chilly. As Hunter gunned the engine we each put our hoods on and tied the strings. (55 mph + 30 levels isn’t a very good mixture) The solar was barely peaking over the horizon as we pulled as much as our first spot. It was a neighborhood fish gap in Japanese New Orleans referred to as the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). This spot is thought for its nice manufacturing of speckled trout through the chilly winter months due to its depth. The canal depth is attributed to dredging which makes it superb for big ships and barges to go by way of. The ship channel incorporates depths of 40 toes in some locations.
I began throwing my customary plastic shad on a 3/8 oz. jighead and Hunter was utilizing an in-line drop shot hook with a 1-oz. financial institution sinker. He was utilizing a small 3-inch Zoom Tiny Fluke within the Smokin Shad colour. “With the water so filter out right here, all you really want is a naturally coloured lure to get the fish to chunk,” Hunter mentioned. After his fourth forged of the morning, Hunter set the hook on a 14-inch speckled trout and tossed it into the ice field.
After he made a number of extra casts, Captain Hunter had our second fish of the day. I then determined to observe how he was working the drop-shot rig in order that I might replicate his outcomes. He was casting his line out and letting the load sink all the best way to the underside. Then he barely dragged the load on the underside lifting his rod with each 4 or 5 revolutions of the reel. I did precisely what he was doing however got here up empty. After watching Hunter put the third fish into the boat I made a decision to change over to the drop shot rig. Instantly I noticed outcomes as I used to be in a position to really feel the chunk and set the hook on a 13-inch speck. “The drop shot rig presents the lure extra naturally. With a jighead, you’ve got an up and down movement, however with the drop shot rig, that lure stays horizontal and stays within the strike zone for suspended fish,” he mentioned.
We fished that very same deep gap within the ship channel for about three hours and have been in a position to catch about 30 speckled trout utilizing the drop shot rig. I’ll say that the throw-back-to-keeper ratio was 5-1 with most of our fish being 12 inches. The brand new speckled trout rules that went into impact in December for Louisiana performed a giant half in what number of specks we threw again. Hunter mentioned it ought to stay this manner till the brand new rules begin leading to 13-inch keepers. “It’s going to be a grind for some time with plenty of throwback trout however all-in-all I feel we’ll get used to it and it’s going to end in extra high quality trout, he mentioned. In the long run, we managed a 2-man restrict of trout however extra importantly, I realized a brand new method that I beforehand solely used whereas bass fishing. Drop-shotting specks will certainly be a way that I incorporate sooner or later when searching for cussed trout through the mid-winter months!
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