How to Use Fishing Lures in Salt Water
Catching saltwater fish on artificial lures is exciting. Unlike bait fishing, which involves a lot of sitting and waiting, fishing with artificial lures is an active pursuit. It is up to you to make the lure move, look and behave as though it is alive. When a fish attacks your lure there is no doubt about it. There is plenty to be excited about when the water explodes as a big fish slams your lure.
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Instructions
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The first question every fisherman asks is, "Where are the fish?" There is no single answer that can be applied to every hour of the day or every season of the year. Some basic principles will help narrow down your part of the ocean to a more manageable area.
Look for diving birds. When predatory fish feed, they chase small baitfish to the water's surface. At the surface, the small fish quickly attract the attention of seagulls, terns and gannets. Diving birds are the most obvious sign of feeding fish. If you find working birds, start casting and work the water thoroughly.
Fish love structure. Whether it's a jetty, pier or a point of land that juts out into the water, these breaks change the speed of the water as the tide moves around them. The change in current speed makes baitfish vulnerable to predators. These pieces of structure are fish magnets, and you should pay extra attention to them when you are fishing with artificial lures. -
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Cast and retrieve. It really is that simple. Most of today's lures work well without much effort on the user's part. Retrieve popping plugs with a quick jerky motion to make the lure splash, pop and gurgle on the surface. Swimming plugs are used with a slow steady retrieve. To mix things up, try adding an occasional pause or retrieve your swimmer with a quick jerky motion instead. Bucktails and soft plastic jigs can be bounced on the bottom or retrieved with a slow steady action. When you feel a fish hit your lure, lift the rod tip sharply to set the hook.
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Your equipment must be suited to the type of fishing you intend to do. For casting artificial lures in saltwater, a 7-foot medium action spinning rod is a good choice. Match your rod up to a spinning reel like the Penn 5500 or Daiwa Advantage 3500A and you will have an outfit light enough to cast all day yet strong enough to land a big fish.
Load your reel with 12-pound test monofilament or 30-pound test braid. Tie your line to a barrel swivel and add a 3-foot length of 50-pound test fluorocarbon for your leader. You can tie your lure directly to the leader material. -
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Using lures to catch saltwater fish is often referred to as plugging. The advantage of plugging over bait fishing is that by presenting an active lure to the fish, you can cover a lot of water instead of waiting for the fish to come to you. Start with a section of water and cover it all with a fan pattern of casts. After you have covered this section of water, move down the beach and repeat.
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References
- Photo Credit By Steve Byrne
