Headhunter Outdoors Report

Hi folks, Capt. David here again with this weeks outdoors report. Nothing is happening with the fishing and duck season is out. The water temps are in the upper 40’s and ain,t nothing going to bite when it’s that cold except for suicidal fish. I made a mistake in the resident goose season in last weeks column when I said it went out on the 27th when I meant the 7th of January. Everybody makes mistakes and I make more than my share. You could take the kids and go after small game now and do some scouting for next deer season. You would be amazed at how much deer sign young eyes can spot once you show them what to look for. Another added bonus is you don’t have to worry about snakes when it’s cold.
Now lets talk a little about artificial bait fishing. Without a doubt the most productive artificial bait around here is the jig. Rigged with a minnow, shrimp, or curlytail body they will catch anything swimming. Offshore or inshore! You can bounce it on the bottom or swim it higher up in the water column to catch fish. With the invention of scented baits that makes them even more productive and you can imitate anything in the water. If I could only have one lure in my tackle box it would be a jig and a Gulp bait. Next up is the topwater bait. Redfish and Trout will knock a topwater stickbait out of the water when they hit and a surface strike is an awesome thing to see. Zara spooks or any of the walk-the-dog stick baits will work. I’ve even caught Flounder in shallow water on them. It takes a little practice to get the walking action down but once you do you can cover lots of water and get some extremely aggressive strikes. Sometimes they work best by just jerking it a foot or so and letting it sit for a minute. Don’t be afraid to try different retrieves and different speeds. Spinnerbaits are another good lure for covering a lot of water,fast. Gold or copper colors seem to work best. Vary the speed of your retrieve and you can run it anywhere from the bottom to the top of the water. Folks just about anything that will catch a largemouth bass will catch fish here. All you need to do is change the hook on them because freshwater hooks can’t stand saltwater. Remember our old buddy, Rust! Folks the most important thing to remember is, Fishing ain’t rocket science. If you are confident in your ability and keep at it, you will catch fish. Besides the worst thing that can happen is you have a little fun. Well thats it for this week, so till next week be safe and take a kid with you!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818

  

Hi folks, Capt. David here with this weeks outdoors report. Water temps are in the low 50’s and the fish ain’t biting. Even though you might catch a fish, it ain’t worth the gas for me to go. Besides this is the perfect time to do some maintenance on all your stuff! Check out your trailer and axle for rust and bad bearings. Saltwater is rough on boat trailers and it really doesn’t matter if you wash it off after use or not. Rust is going to happen! Galvanized trailers help but they are prone to corrosion too. Most of the boat shops are kind of slow right now and can do inspections and repair if needed. If you are mechanically inclined you can buy your parts at most parts stores or hardware stores in the area and fix it yourself. While you’re at it, get your boat motor serviced too. Don’t wait till spring and have to wait till they can get around to it.

Last week I told you a little about looking for fish and bait. This time we are going to tell you a little about rigs. Three basic rigs are all you need to catch fish on live or cut bait. The simplest is the float rig, as the name implies just slide a float on your line, add a small split shot and a hook. The next is the Carolina rig or fishfinder rig. All this rig consists of is an egg sinker on your main line, then a plastic bead and a swivel. Next take a piece of 20 lb test line and tie a loop knot in one end and attach it to the swivel, on the other end add a # 2 or 4 hook. If you are curious,the plastic bead is to prevent the sinker from beating on and weakening your knot. The last rig is the two-hook bottom rig. This rig allows you to fish two baits at about a foot apart just off the bottom. A large sinker at the bottom of the rig keeps it in place. This rig is great for the surf and for drift fishing for flounder. Whether you use live bait or cut bait all of these rigs are simple and easy to use and effective,even by beginners! Go to one of the local tackle shops and they can hook you up with the stuff you need. Next time I will go into artificial baits and how to fish them!

On the hunting side, Duck season is in and no birds are here! It’s been a bad year for ducks but I’ll bet that a week after season is out the water will be full of birds. Duck season goes out on the 24th but resident goose season is in till Feb.27th. Sea ducks till Jan.31st Youth waterfowl day is Jan. 31st Most of the small game species are in as well. Don’t forget the wild game cookoff at Poplar Grove  this Saturday,Jan. 24th. Come try some great recipes and cooking! Well thats it for this week so be safe and take a kid with you!

Capt. David
Headhunter Outdoors
(910) 329-0818