But you need to let the fish run a bit before you close the bail. It wasn't easy for me to let go the old ingrained belief to “never allow slack in the line.” It's even tougher to shake that when the trout are smacking the surface all around you (oh, it'll happen sometimes when you find them!) and your adrenaline is pumping. It's also helpful to keep a finger on the line to feel what's going on. Watch for the line to slowly tighten up as he finds a suitable dining area away from his peers. After the hit, I think the fish takes his meal down to the river bottom to eat it. Time has taught me that if you close the bail at any point during that initial run, the fish feels it, feels pressure and spits out the now-lifeless shrimp. Trying to set the hook immediately almost always results in missing the fish. On that first bite, I've learned that the trout is merely killing its prey. You'll see the line “jump” forward when a trout hits. Leaving your bail open after the cast, watch your slack line keenly on the water's surface. These fish are not going to travel very far to get your offering. If you are unable to cast close to the dock, then move in closer. That will be your shrimp, running for his life. Don't be surprised if a little critter suddenly starts dancing on water after you cast. Try to get your bait close to the structure itself-most shrimp that land near a piling get inhaled immediately. With a natural drift, I've caught fish literally until I ran out of shrimp. I've found that you might catch one or two on a lure before they get wise and shut down. It's my belief that this natural, freelined presentation is the only way to consistently catch schooled-up trout. That's what trout waiting in ambush expect from shrimp. Position yourself directly across from the light and cast against the tide so that your bait drifts with the current through the lighted area. Normally, just pierce a live shrimp in the head under the “horn” and ahead of its “black dot” and you're ready. If that's still not enough to get down into the strike zone, try adding one more. However, if the tide is really ripping then a single splitshot (the smallest available) about eight inches above the hook can do wonders. To catch docklight trout, using slack line without any terminal tackle, floats or weights has been the answer for me. A worthy adversary is the speckled trout live shrimp will be crucial to your nighttime trout success. I sighed, reluctantly reassured that dock trout simply aren't interested in shrimp that are already dead-not when live bait continuously passes in front of them with the tide. Meanwhile, my friend released two trout using live baits. I tried more casts before tossing the lifeless crustacean overboard as a sacrifice. Trout welcomes you to his dock,” Floyd quipped.ĭespite the death blow, the whole shrimp remained on the hook. The fish was quickly gone, and I reeled in to find that the he'd killed my shrimp just for the hell of it. Telltale splashes brought us in to investigate, and we started fishing. Trout were actively chasing down shrimp under a favorite dock light. I've seen the proof many times, including a recent trip to New Smyrna Beach to fish with my friend Floyd, a lifelong Florida native. Once a shrimp is dead, I'm convinced that it becomes useless for dock trout. The bait you'll need to procure is live shrimp … very lively shrimp. When I finally learned to use slack line to nab finicky trout at night (thus becoming a “dock light slacker”), I at last found the key to consistent success under the dock lights-and brought home fish for dinner. With my wife's friendly threat in the back of my mind, I knew I had to crack the night-fishing code eventually. I've fished for speckled trout (spotted seatrout) on the Atlantic coast from Palm Coast south to Vero Beach for the last decade, learning some things through trial-and-error. You don't need an expensive boat to be successful, either-I got my start using a small dinghy with flimsy plastic paddles! All along Florida's coastline, intracoastal waterways offer a matrix of public boat ramps from which you can launch your adventure. If it's time for you to ante up, and you could use a little peace and quiet, then maybe some night fishing for speckled trout is in order. Sometimes she says it with affection, other times with just a touch of menace. My wife gave me her curious brand of encouragement as I closed the door.
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