# Can't get the Reds and Specks to Bite



## J Smithers (Jun 27, 2008)

Yesterday morning a friend of mine and I went out to try to catch some reds and specks at daylight. We got to an area where we've had really good luck with them in the past and the fish were everywhere. We are fishing some canals and a decent sized grass flat. In the flats there is a lot of grass on the bottom with several pockets with no grass that are just sandy bottoms. We could see the fish chasing bait. We could see some specks busting the surface chasing bait, redfish tailing and making wake behind our baits, and the occasional mullet jumping. It was aggravating watching all these fish and not being able to catch them. I caught 1 small speck on a top water plug and my buddy caught a small red on a spinnerbait. We threw top water, spinnerbaits, soft plastic jerk shad, gulp shrimp, popping cork rigged with plastic shrimp on a jig head - we threw everything in the boat at em. I'm thinking about going back with live shrimp but does anyone have any other suggestions?? Thanks


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## photofishin (Jun 26, 2009)

We kill em with croakers in TX. Not sure if they're available in FLA


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## keperry1182 (Oct 6, 2010)

Troll slow with a small gold spoon, I fish from a kayak so that makes it easier but i still clean up on reds and specks with the little gold spoons. I had the same problem yesterday all I could get to bite was damn catfish even though i was watching the specks pounding the bait


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## Ajerv (Oct 3, 2007)

Interesting report. Can you troll a weedless Johnson gold spoon in 5 feet of water without it collecting weeds despite its "weedless" name?

Also, I fished the grass flats yesterday @ 7 AM using both new penny Gulp shrimp and live shrimp at the same time. I caught 5 specs in 20 minutes on the live shrimp and 0 with the Gulp both using popping corks. While getting lots of bites on the live shrimp, I left a Gulp in the water on a popping cork in the rod holder and never saw the cork even twitch.


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## J Smithers (Jun 27, 2008)

Ajerv said:


> Interesting report. Can you troll a weedless Johnson gold spoon in 5 feet of water without it collecting weeds despite its "weedless" name?
> 
> Also, I fished the grass flats yesterday @ 7 AM using both new penny Gulp shrimp and live shrimp at the same time. I caught 5 specs in 20 minutes on the live shrimp and 0 with the Gulp both using popping corks. While getting lots of bites on the live shrimp, I left a Gulp in the water on a popping cork in the rod holder and never saw the cork even twitch.


I think even the "weedless" spoons will still get hung up in the grass. I really think live shrimp is gonna be the ticket and I will probably try them again this weekend. I'll let you know if I have any better luck!!


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## Jighead (Feb 11, 2009)

sounds like they were so tunned into whatever they were chasing that they wouldn't look at anything else. Difficult in that situation. I've heard that if you can't match the hatch to go to very big bait. I have never tried it, just passing along what I've read/heard.


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## user10309 (Sep 28, 2009)

Good report, 
I too have had days like that. What I find to help get a few more bites is to slow down my presentation and have a bait that mimics a small bait fish. 
Work the bait with a twitch pause presentation. The fish will strike it on the pause 99% of the time. 
MirrOrlure's 17 MR, Catch 2000, or the new Paul Brown bait, the NEW (Paul Brown lure ) came out of TX., its one Trout catching lure. MirrOlure obtained the company and now makes this lure.
I like hard plastics a lot, but when the bite is tough, I will rigg up a softplastics when I don't get the bites I'm looking.

With the Paul Brown lure, dont fish it around spanish & bluefish, they cost around $7.oo a lure, you dont want them to be destoryed.
But I can tell, you from first hand experience, it catches trout if worked properly.
Sorry this was so long winded, hope this helps.
Tight lines....
Capt. John


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