# Bottom fishing the bay



## DarthWader50 (Jul 24, 2012)

So all of my experience pretty much revolves around fishing the flats in the sound. Never really done much else. Next week I'm coming in town to try some bottom fishing on the wrecks, rock piles, etc in the bay. Any one have tips for me on bait to use? I fish live bait alot on the flats too, so I assume I could target the same bait? Any tips would be great.


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## Jet fishin (May 5, 2012)

Drop a subiki rig with a little piece of shrimp as a tease. When you get where your going.
What ever you reel up send back down.
Good luck


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## DarthWader50 (Jul 24, 2012)

That's a good idea, thanks. Any tips on when to fish? Best tides or time of day?


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

Didn't say what you want to fish for, but I'll share my current strategy for specs in Mobile Bay. Best time to fish here is when high tide is early AM.

Before daybreak I drag a 12' trawl to catch 4-5" croakers, as they've pretty well stopped hitting shrimp this late in the summer.

I try to get to the rigs on the south side of the bay before the sun starts coming up. I anchor up in 15-18' of water over the reef material that's been laid around the rigs and where I can cast up against the large legs and piles.

I start out throwing topwater. If smooth, I'll throw a 4"-ish plug like a She-Dog, Catch 2000 or Super Spook. If rough, I throw the biggest and noisiest thing I have, like a He Dog, big chugger, etc.

As the fish stop hitting topwater, I throw croakers on a popping cork to get down 3-5 feet. 

As the fish move deeper with the warmer water, I'll free-line a croaker and maybe add a little weight. 

As they go even deeper, I'll mark the fish depth, usually 10-12 feet in 15-18 feet of water, then rig up a slip cork. I use the balsa ones, a bobber stop, a 3/4 oz trolling weight, a 24-30" 20 lb leader, and a #2 kahle hook. I'll throw and drift this up near the piles on the outgoing current. This helps to prevent catching trash fish (catfish, etc). We will hit the occasional spanish mack and jack crevelles, but mostly trout.

We've pulled a lot of big trout out with this strategy. 

Rots O Ruck!


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

PS - while returning home late morning/early afternoon - look for anything floating - board, beer can, dead fish, tree trunk, floating buoys, etc. Approach and look for a tripletail floating just underneath. You may or may not see one. In any case, either freeline a live shrimp or croaker right up to it (or use a popping cork with bait about 18" below it). Feel for a small twitch, or if using a popping cork look for a small hit. Set the hook and pull it away from whatever you were fishing against. You may want to use 20-25 lb leader on this rig as you will have to horse it away and will likely rub something underwater while doing so.


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## DarthWader50 (Jul 24, 2012)

Wow, thanks for the good info! We're going on Friday so I'll have to post a report on how it went. Croakers are what we like to use on the flats, I just hope we can find bigger ones than usual. Don't have anything to drag the bottom with, so we'll see about that one. On the tripletail - the last year or so anytime we see something floating in the water we stop and throw at it. Hasn't panned out yet, but I know one of these times it will be holding a tripletail. Thanks again.


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

This is probably well known on this forum, but thought I would share for others that are newer to catching specs:

You'll catch trout with any size croakers, but what I find is that if I throw bigger croakers, it weeds out smaller trout that can't eat that size croaker. 

Also, wait on the trout and don't try to set the hook on the first bump. I was losing a lot of them this way. What a guide told me was that the trout attack the croaker to yield it defenseless. They'll do this typical from the rear or side in order to blindside the bait. But then they will spin the bait around and eat it head first. Wait until the trout starts to run and then sharply set the hook. I've lost fewer trout this way. 

On smaller trout you do have to be careful not to rip the hook out of their soft mouth. Larger ones can take a firmer hook set. Keep them under tension when reeling them in and for bigger trout don't lose them by trying to lift them over the side of the boat. Get someone to assist with a net.


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## DarthWader50 (Jul 24, 2012)

Well we were on the water yesterday from about 7-2. Saw all kinds of stuff in the bay, but nothing in the cooler. We saw bull reds, chased schools of spanish, tried some deep spots towards the pass and kept getting broken off. Then moved to the pass and fought sharks for about an hour. A buddy on the boat with me lost what looked like his personal best speck right at the boat. All in all a fun day...


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

Keep at it. Good news you were getting hits. Now just to get them into the boat . . .


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## BlueWaterWarrior (May 28, 2015)

markbxr400 said:


> You'll catch trout with any size croakers, but what I find is that if I throw bigger croakers, it weeds out smaller trout that can't eat that size croaker.
> 
> Good tips and info. What is your 'ideal' size croaker?


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

BlueWaterWarrior said:


> markbxr400 said:
> 
> 
> > You'll catch trout with any size croakers, but what I find is that if I throw bigger croakers, it weeds out smaller trout that can't eat that size croaker.
> ...


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

markbxr400 said:


> BlueWaterWarrior said:
> 
> 
> > When I trawl for croakers, I'll catch a range from 2-1/2 to about 5". I throw the largest that I catch - 4-5".
> ...


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## markbxr400 (Jul 23, 2013)

I use a 12' recreational trawl net ($359 - believe me it will pay for itself over again). You can get them at Brunson Nets in Foley. 

http://www.brunsonnet.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=25

It's basically a shrimp trawl, with doors, floats, weights (chain) and bag. I remove the tickler chain off the bottom. It both helps the net to come off the bottom slightly, and improves croaker yield while also reducing catfish and shrimp. I'm currently getting about 2/3 croaker and 1/3 shrimp, along with a few small catfish that I cull out. 

The net is very simple to use. I use mine in about 8-12' of water, but it comes with 75' of line so you can go much deeper. Let it out (make sure to tie your bag closed with a special knot, otherwise dolphins will untie it and take your catch), trawl for 7-10 minutes at about walking speed (3 mph), pull it in, untie the bag and sort through the bait and put what you want to keep in your live well. Sometimes I may have to do it 2-3 times to get enough bait for the day, but the whole process takes no more than 30-45 minutes.

I keep my boat idling in gear the whole time to keep the net dragging behind me - be careful if you do this so as to not get your net caught up in your prop. Brunson website gives instructions, and Trudy will also give you a tutorial.

Put the tickler chain back on and go get yourself some shrimp for dinner.

I did have to get a recreational shrimping license in AL - costs $16.


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