# Ready to give it up



## jsnbrdgs82 (Jun 30, 2014)

I've been reading the forums for almost a year now and I still have to be the worst fisherman ever...just about ready to give it up..fished the sound side of Johnson's beach Saturday evening and only got a nibble....no reds, flounder, nothing.....on live shrimp at that....I just don't know what I'm doing so wrong...in a good day I can land a catfish..help please.....


----------



## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

I've never had much luck at Johnsons other than whiting. If you can get to some dock lights pitch a chartreuse soft plastic mirrolure under it and you will get a speck or a red. Go to Bob sikes with Carolina rigged men haden on a large circle hook and you wI'll get a bull red of you wait long enough. I've had luck on live shrimp but most of the time a trash fish will get to it before a decent fish does unless you throw it at a fish. As for flounder they should start coming in, in big numbers soon. Just keep trying different rigs and techniques and you will get it down and then you will never want to quit!


----------



## rr4611 (Aug 8, 2014)

I hear you, I think you just spoke for a bunch of us, thanks. I know the fish have a calendar marked with when I'm going and where.


----------



## Justin618 (Aug 18, 2013)

You have to work the shrimp. Don't just throw it out and let it sit. That does work at times, but throwing a live shrimp and doing a slow retrieve will yield better results. Carolina rig with a #1 or 2 hook. Put some small split shots on leader. Toss it out and slowly retrieve it in. Don't jig etc. If you let it sit then catfish, crabs and pinfish will eat it up.

Toss around docks, flats, etc.


----------



## fishmagician (Jun 4, 2014)

*The luck of the Irish, or any fisherman*

In 1995 - 1997 I fished the Gulf in the winter, from early till late winter and I found it to be productive for reds and a few other fish.

I used a long rod of questionable quality and pen reel. Fifteen pound line off the reel and fifteen feet of lighter line to a lead sinker and two hooks on twenty. My bait, well, it was the sand crabs or shrimp and I always fished just across from my home in Navarre Beach. I always caught fish, reds, of course. I found the bait deeper in the sand and always available if you worked hard during the cold months. 

Don't despair, one day, you'll put it all together in the right place and the reward be a shinny, hefty red or some other creature of the surf. Keep at it, fish the moving tide and stay till you've fished both side of it.:thumbsup:


----------



## GROUPERKING (Sep 28, 2011)

Fishing the sound side of Johnson's beach over the grass beds and potholes you can actually do better with artificials , such as mirrodines or gulp swimming mullet on jig head.This will cut out a lot trash fish such as pinfish and catfish. But if you are a die hard shrimp man , try using a cork . Set the depth of the cork so that your shrimp will hover above the grass , instead of disappearing into it. I hope this helps, good luck.


----------



## Reel Justice (Apr 22, 2014)

*Fish on*

For every picture I see of a fish caught there is one hundred of us licking our wounds drinking a cold one saying maybe I'll try that next time.


----------



## marksnet (Aug 22, 2014)

Don't give up. After this cold front the flounder are headed your way. Use a #2 hook and buy some penny colored gulp 3" shrimp.
The gulp is not better than real bait but, they can't tear it off the hook and that makes for more production of fish in the box.

Stay the course man, if it were easy everybody would be doing it!


----------



## Angryturkey (Jul 17, 2014)

Man, that side (sound side) of J-beach sees a bunch of fishing pressure and I think that is why I never see anyone pulling in fish (myself included and believe me I have tried!). In addition to the pressure from J-beach, we can include the folks over at big lagoon as well as it is just across the sound. The only place I have had any luck in the Big Lagoon area has been at trout point. It is pretty well hidden from the public and for some reason, the fish tend to be there no mater what the tidal activity, weather or season. I suspect it has to do with the deep water, seagrass growth patterns (lots of pot holes), that nice long shallow sand bar and of course the aforementioned reduced fishing pressure. 
My next goal is to make the hike to the wider area just across from trout point on the Johnson beach side called redfish point, particularly on a moving tide.
The lesson here is location, location, location coupled with timing. Fish distributions are notoriously clumpy and will tend to hang out in interesting geological and anthropogenic structures (sometimes structure can mean grass next to open sandy areas or grass next to deep dropoffs). Outgoing and incoming tides will impact fish distributions as well and often in different ways. I recommend using google earth to find places of interest where fish might congregate. The easiest places to start would be to look for marshes that are connected only on a high tide and fish those areas when the tide is going out. The strong current flushes the bait from the marsh into the sound. Redfish love that!
Also, start using a cast net to catch your bait. This will not only save you some money and guarantee you will catch some fish (even if it is only bait....) but also it will teach you about the distribution patterns of the sources of food that our beloved predators rely on. 
I hope some of this will help you put the puzzle together. The fish are out there, keep at it. If you need a partner at J-beach, give me a shout, I am out at innerarrity point and could likely be there even on short notice.
d


----------



## Getsome (Sep 28, 2007)

Best advice I can give you is keep going and trying! I have been where you are at so many times. When I moved here from Mobile, I didn't know a thing about fishing this area. I have learned through experience. Getting out and trying. They call it fishing and not catching for a reason!


----------



## Traxxx (Oct 18, 2011)

*Never !*



jsnbrdgs82 said:


> I've been reading the forums for almost a year now and I still have to be the worst fisherman ever...just about ready to give it up..fished the sound side of Johnson's beach Saturday evening and only got a nibble....no reds, flounder, nothing.....on live shrimp at that....I just don't know what I'm doing so wrong...in a good day I can land a catfish..help please.....


- hang in there man! perhaps the fish are not in biting mood on those times. 

But it would maybe help out if you try to be more "stealth" in your setup so as not to spook the fish.. 

I would use lighter line from 12-15lbs which can either be mono or braid. Then add 3-6 ft fluorocarbon leader of about 20-30lbs rating. These can either be tied straight from the main line or using a tiny size 14 swivel. Then, if you're trying for reds, use a #6 or #4 treble hook at the end of the fluorocarbon leader. You can add 1 to 1.5 oz, no-roll slip sinker weight tied on a carolina rig, for bottom fishing. Use small 2-4 in. long LY's as bait, or 4 inch cigs or shrimp or bull minnows or even a sand flea (for pompano) or a small half a crab bait (legs crushed). Try many bait or lure combos until you find a pattern. Good luck and enjoy! :notworthy:


----------



## pompano67 (Oct 28, 2013)

Never give up brother!:no: When all else fails, get with the locals and old timers..they fish there for a reason.:yes: Plenty of great people on here that would be more than willing to fish with you. Some great advice has already been given..location,bait,and presentation..sometimes change is key....best of luck:thumbup:


----------



## Bravo87 (Jun 19, 2014)

I've been striking out myself but back when I could catch a fish, it was on a 1/2 oz gold spoon and/or Mirrodine mr17 with the blue(not purple) back. Good luck and know that you are not alone. Some weeks i feel like i should have cameras following me so i can show others how easy it is, most weeks I'm happy with anything i can get.


----------

