by dahlberg » Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:25 am
Hi GG,
I've seen what you describe along beaches both on the atlantic coast of central american and on the west coast of central Africa.
If they're really flying along in a single direction, obviously heading for somewhere they can be tough to impossible.
If they're moving more slowly I've had reasonable success a couple of different ways.
One is getting a shallow running minnow lure, no longer than 4" or so in front of them. The Bagley finger mullet (sinking model) or the small Storm shallow thunder (no longer made) have been the most consistent producers. Usually a medium to slow retrieve with the lipped lure, or a slow NON-Snappy almost do nothing 6"stroke with the lipless lure has been the overwhelming favorite. The problem is reaching the fish which might require wading out far enough that you get knocked on your butt every now and then by a wave. Also the hook-up ratios are pretty poor due to the small hooks necessary on these lures to make them run properly. Odds go up if you switch out to stiffer, stronger hooks like Owners.
I've also done very well with homemade spoonlike lures made of casting resin with various amounts of lead and braided flashabou tubing cast inside it, that can be skimmed and danced on the surface. I make them with a hole all the way through the center which the leader is fed through before fastening it to a 4/0 or 5/0 treble. When you get a hook up the lure slides up the line and the fish is left with only the hook to shake, which dramatically increases the number that stay buttoned up.
A third option, which requires an offshore wind, is to fly a mullet hooked with a circle hook out on a kite and let it buzz along just under the surface.
Sometimes, if you search along the beach you can locate "eddy" areas or pockets in which bait gathers and during certain tide periods or early and late in the day they actually feed there.
On outgoing tides I've had some success floating live baits like pinfish, crabs, small jacks, mullet ect. out on balloons.
Hope this gives you a few ideas. Let me know how you do!
best,
L
Larry Dahlberg
The Hunt For Big Fish