# Tackle Box Essentials for Specks, Redfish, and Flounder



## xlr8

<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Here's a topic for the Inshore Forum in general. I'm planning another trip to the Pensacola area around the first week of June next year and want to stock up on tackle box essentials to fish for specks, redfish, and possibly flounder.We're planning on fishing from shore in Santa Rosa Sound on the north side of island east of Portofino and also possibly by accessing the sound from Gulf Islands National Seashore on the Gulf Breeze side. We?ll be using 6.5 to 7.5 ft. long spinning rods with 8 ? 10 lb test mono. while fishing.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o></o><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Now, what are some tackle box essentials that we can bring down with us to try to target specks, redfish, and possibly flounder? I know from reading the posts in the forum that Berkley Gulp Shrimp are good, but what else can we use?<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Thanks!:usaflag


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## gator7_5

paradise popper popping cork...the bigger the better


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## lobsterman

good top water walk the dog lures ie mirrolure top pup,zara II if you can find one with a rattle.doa shrimp, johnson sprite 1/2 oz gold for reds and silver for trout and flounder. mirrolures 7m and 52m.


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## Chris Phillips

Rapala Skitterwalk Top Water!


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## konz

awesome thread!! keep them coming guys, I see my Christmas list getting bigger!


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## seminolewind

A bait net to catch live bait. I have been catching alot of reds on soft plastic jerk baits the Bass Assasinsrootbeer with chartruese tails. Like someone said earlier get a couple Cajun thunder popping corks to use with live bait.


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## xlr8

What about other soft jerk baits such as the Zoom Super Fluke? We've had a lot of success with these in freshwater. 

Thanks!:usaflag


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## gator7_5

15 and 20 pound flourocarbon leader, small swivels, 1/0 and 2/0 thin wire circle hooks...

gulp baits, with 1/4 ounce jig heads

medium size suspending mirrolures, twitch action. assorted colors


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## lobsterman

Gator 75: With the ease of tying direct knot to knot why use a swivel anymore.


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## Wharf Rat

> *lobsterman (10/24/2007)*Gator 75: With the ease of tying direct knot to knot why use a swivel anymore.




avoid line twist from the lure spinning?


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## User1265

WOW this is great info!! Thanks xlr8 for starting this thread and thanks to everybody else for the info. 

After being away from fishing for a dozen years :reallycryingI am soking this up like a sponge!

:bowdown:clap


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## lobsterman

wharf rat: unless you are using a good ball bearing swivel you aren't eliminating much line twist. The cheapos don't do anything except give you a way to attach a leader.


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## AquaSport175

how about white 1/4-1/2oz bucktail jigs? Anyone having luck with them....


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## xlr8

> *Chris Phillips (10/24/2007)*Rapala Skitterwalk Top Water!




Chris, How about a slash bait such as the Rapala X-Rap? If so, what size X-Rap do most folks have the best luck with?



Thanks! :usaflag


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## xlr8

> *Capt. John Rivers (10/24/2007)*Take a look at the Exude line of saltwaterproducts. They work great and thereare avariety of colors to choose from. I use these softbody luresa lot when fishing for Trout and Redsand I only use a few of the colors. Sorry the colors area secretoke.Just kidding. I like theGolden Bream and chartreuse silverflake just to name a couple.




John, great info as well. Are most folks using these with 1/8 and 1/4 oz. lead head jigs by bumping them on the bottom? Also, what is the best way to retrieve either the DOA or Berkley Gulp Shrimp-type baits, by bumping or crawling them along the bottom, or some other retrieve? 



Sorry for all the questions, but this really IS Great Info! I must also point out that while I've been fishing freshwater for well over 30 years, I've only been salt water fishing 3X in my life and I'm definitely "hooked".



Thanks in advance! :usaflag


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## whipper snapper

been doing good on the sound with big fat live shrimp under a cajun thunder. been doing reel good with a 3" nuclear chicken on red 1/4 oz. jig head, slow bumpin' or dead stickn' as they say.


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## gator7_5

> *lobsterman (10/24/2007)*Gator 75: With the ease of tying direct knot to knot why use a swivel anymore.


Once I switched to power pro - I switched to using a swivel. line to line is great for mono because you avoid the "spookiness" ofa swivel. Whats the point with power pro? Plus - its a pain in the butt to tie with wet hands. just my .02



I fished line to line for years for inshore fish and have caught just as many if not more using power pro with aswivel. And yes, even the cheapest swivel will cut down on line twist some.


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## rone

I have heardfolks were catchin flounder on gulps. Anyone share what color,size, witch design and how to fish them?


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## whipper snapper

> *rone (10/24/2007)*I have heardfolks were catchin flounder on gulps. Anyone share what color,size, witch design and how to fish them?


that would be nuclear chicken.


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## d45miller

> *Wharf Rat (10/24/2007)*
> 
> 
> 
> *lobsterman (10/24/2007)*Gator 75: With the ease of tying direct knot to knot why use a swivel anymore.
> 
> 
> 
> avoid line twist from the lure spinning?
Click to expand...

I agree w/ you wharf rat aboutflouro and a swivel. Maybe it's a combination of my pisspoor technique and amatuer-like casting ability, but it never fails that I end up w/ a birds nest if I don't use a swivel. Probablywould help if Ichange my line too.:banghead


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## true-king

rapala skitterwalk for trout/reds, gulp rigged on jighead for flounder

it may seem like a small tackle box, but these are my favorites


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## xlr8

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far, this really is a great forum for sharing information!

What about some of the freshwater top water baits such as the Pop'R, Tiny Torpedo, etc., will these produce redfish and specks around the grass flats?



Thanks, xlr8! :usaflag


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## jack 'em

I'm sure that just about any topwater bait worked slowly in the early A.M. will produce

trout and reds, but I much prefer a soft bait on a light jighead. (rootbeer and chartreuse tail)

..............and has anyone else had problems tying power pro directly to mono??? every time I hook a fish it has this tendency to cut the mono........and I have tried several knots...


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## BudYsr

Don't forget also about some gold spoons. Johnson's sprite with the pink skirt work GREAT on reds and specks. Good all round lure and not too expensive. They don't work as good if the pink skirt gets lost so try not to lose that.


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## surfstryker

One of my favorites for inshore is Rapala Husky Jerk, glass minnow color.


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## John B.

if i'm going inshore, i never EVER leave home without these

5" Jerkbait (exudes, saltwater assassin, bass assassin... assorted colors, but favorite is watermelon red.)

jigheads (1/16, 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, preferably with mustad ultrapoint or owner hooks.)

Topwaters (Zara spooks, bagley silver mullet **REDFISH KILLER!**, rapala skitterwalk) i carry a few of each in different colors

HOOKS, owner worm hooks, all sizes from 1/0--5/0, mustad ultrapoint flutter hooks... #1--3/0

berkley gulps (shrimp 3" natural, molting--- jerkshad 5" rootbeer, pearl white)

:letsdrink

***EDIT!***

DOA SHRIMP! (rootbeer, clear w/ gold flake... 1/8th oz. and 1/4th oz.)


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## xlr8

Excellent tackle box list!



Thanks!


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## gator7_5

> *pompom (10/25/2007)*tying power pro directly to mono??? every time I hook a fish it has this tendency to cut the mono........and I have tried several knots...


You need to double the PP when you tie lineto line. It will match the diameter closer and will avoidslicing through the leader (or so the pros say)


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## AquaSport175

how would one rig a skitterwalk for the grass flats? Is there a min. line weight that should be considered? I was going to try it on my 12# m action setup but didn't know if I would spend the day losing my lures to fish.


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## konz

> *xlr8 (10/24/2007)*What about other soft jerk baits such as the Zoom Super Fluke? We've had a lot of success with these in freshwater.
> 
> Thanks!:usaflag




Man I love the zoom super flook, and apparently so do trout and spanish!


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## DaFrance

oh dear god. i know im a little late on this topic.

but ide try berkley gulp for redfish & possibly trout.

top water(rapala skitterwalk) for specs & reds also.

then bullminnows w/ a carolina rig, or just a root beer grub bounced off the bottom for sum flounder


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## joe bag o donuts

I would add that a Zara Puppy(3 inch version of Spook) is an awsome early morning topwater bait for trout.


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## duckear

bump back to top because this is a great thread.


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## Wharf Rat

> *duckear (4/23/2008)*bump back to top because this is a great thread.




You're right, this is a great thread. I just re-read through the whole thing. Now I know why I'm broke...but I have a tackle box full of all this stuff!!!


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## Brad King

XLR8,

You asked about freshwater topwaters such as the tiny torpedo. My partner throws those early in the morning and catches plenty of trout on them. 90% of which are really small though! If you are going to use freshwater tops be sure and replace the hooks with something that will not rust. 

Also your Bass spinnerbaits and Rattle traps can be murder on Redfish as well. Some lures that I do not beleive have been mentioned are Norton Sand Eels. They are awesome on big trout but I do not think that they have gained much popularity in Florida yet, I learned about them in Texas. They are a little on the large side but rigged on an 1/8 oz. jig head they are great. I prefer the Black Back / Gold Flake belly with a Chartruese tail. 

But all said and done I would prefer to throw either a ZARA Spook or a Berkley Gulp over just about anything else inshore.

Good Luck / Tight Lines and keep us posted with some results of your success.

:letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink :letsdrink:letsparty:takephoto


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## mossyoak

ive caught flounder on the 3" new penny shrimp


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## gottafish

This is a great thread! I have always fished in the gulf, but want to learn how to catch those inshore species in the sound in Navarre.


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## birdsnest

I've recently done away with swivels when using powerpro and fluorocarbon leaders. The knot is small enough that I cast it through the eyes with very little noticable resistance. Now I have a longer invisible leader that I can continue to cut and tie new lures on until it gets too short. I've been doing a lot more freshwater fishing in the last couple of years and have drawn remarks about using "rope" or powerpro. Hopefully the longer leaders will offset that.


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## MR.STAAL

live shrimp.small pinfish or ly's...on jigheads...

or ill go with some exudes or gulps with weedless hooks for reds and specks.







i suck at catching flounder my biggest is like 5.5lbs....so i dont fish for them to much...


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## DukeDevil91

^ What's wrong with a 5 1/2 pound flounder?


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## FishVan

> *AquaSport175 (10/30/2007)*how would one rig a skitterwalk for the grass flats? Is there a min. line weight that should be considered? I was going to try it on my 12# m action setup but didn't know if I would spend the day losing my lures to fish.


I've used 12# and lighter flourocarbon tied directly to a skitterwalk. My experience is you loose more lures once you go under 10# (of course)...but most werelostby getting too agresive on the throw.:banghead and you can just paddle over pick them up off the surface if that happens:letsdrink. Not too many lost to fish with the drag set loose...and its a blast. But overall, rigged directly to the line without a leader has worked well for me.


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## big bites

Any type of rapala IS good, zara spook's and gulps also mirror lures sorry if someone already told you this i didn't read all 42 post.


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## phuston

Mirror Lure: Sub Surface

Heddon Top Water

Gold or Silver Spoon w/ roostertail OR Redfish Key(Brand)

Bait Net

Rapala DT Series


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