Shallowfish.com

Reach Fish Where No Man Has Gone Before.

You’ve been there, I’m sure. We all have. You’re standing on the bow of a skiff, arm cocked, lure dangling, ready to cast. A moment before, you heard a smashing hit around a bend in the shoreline. As you approach the general vicinity of the strike, you hear another. But it’s strangely muffled, and you know what that means. A big fish has burrowed its way far back under the overhanging branches, and it’s rooting around, stacking bait into corners where it can feed at will. The problem? It’s so far back under the “junk” that there’s no way to present your lure. So you sit there with a wistful look on your face, listening to that big fish ravaging bait within feet of the skiff, as unreachable as the moon. So…what are your alternatives? (more…)

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So you fish often, and you’d like to take better photos that capture your love of angling? No problem. Read the list of tips below, follow the suggestions, and your photos will noticeably improve. Note that most of the info below applies to both conventional and digital cameras, though I’m assuming that you use a digital version.

1. Avoid “posing and grinning” shots
OK, so your buddy caught a big fish and wants the moment frozen in time. Fine. Frame it up and snap a glamor shot. But here’s a news flash: most folks find those types of pics boring and clichéd. Use your imagination and experiment with angles, flash, and lighting. Take a pic of the fish head on or being released, or snap an action shot of your buddy casting or of a fish jumping. Point is, an out-of-the ordinary approach can make for extraordinary photos, so take chances. Need ideas? Flip through a high-quality fishing magazine.

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When it comes to realism and versatility, soft plastics are hard to beat.

Of all the lures available to the shallow water angler, plastic “softies” may be the most versatile. Different styles of soft plastics have caught everything from bluefish and stripers to snook and redfish, and almost everything in between. Why are these lures so productive? There are a number of reasons.

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Hot weather equals hot action in shallow water.

Ah, summertime in Florida. The word conjures up images of smoking grills, white beaches, sunny skies and tan bodies. But to a skinny water angler, the word “summer” means one thing: redfish and (especially) snook, and lots of them. Roughly from May through mid-October, snook gather in Florida’s inlets and passes to breed and feed, and it’s the time of year in which anglers have the best chance of experiencing a banner catch-and-release day. Some passes are literally choked with fish, and if you catch them on the right tide, they’ll hammer just about anything you throw their way. But there are some rules to follow if you wish to make the most of your summertime opportunities. The one variable that you cannot ignore at this time of year is heat, so temperature is the central thought behind the following recommendations:

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When it comes to shallow-water success, your odds rise with the moon

There’s a sliver of moon barely peeking through the low lying clouds, lending scant light to the scene. You stand on the deck of a skiff gliding placidly through a residential canal, inching toward a dock light as the trolling motor at your feet hums. It’s the third light you’ve tried - the first two were holding no fish that you could see or raise. You’ve already stripped out enough line for the cast, but you lay another coil on the deck, just in case. Hanging from your rod tip is a small, white, nondescript fly, tied to a long section of 20 lb. leader. As you near the light, you catch your breath. Are those dark shapes just beneath the surface, on the edge of the circle of light? Yes, they are. Several nice fish, lying like stacked cordwood, their noses into the slight current. Why this light, and not another? No matter. They’re here, and so are you.

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Don’t overlook the most productive lure in the history of angling

Jigs aren’t flashy. They aren’t new and exciting. They don’t require special skills, and most of them aren’t all that attractive. They don’t lead to dramatic topwater strikes, they aren’t glamorous, and throwing one all day can get a little monotonous. So…why would anyone fish a jig? Simple: since the dawn of angling, no lure has accounted for more fish than the plain old jig. That applies to all gamefish, including shallow-water species.

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Plugs Can Work Magic Along Mangrove Shorelines

There are many methods used to catch fish in shallow water. Finding and cast-netting bait is an acquired skill, as is using bait effectively. Jig fishing requires patience and an acquired feel, and accounts for a lot of fish. Reading the wakes and disturbances on an open flat is a thrill all its own, and fly fishing is a virtual art form practiced by an accomplished minority. But among longtime backwater anglers down Florida way, one method of angling has long separated the men from the boys: Casting hrad-bodied “plugs” along mangrove shorelines. This tactic is almost as old as the sport itself, and the state’s rich angling history is replete with accounts of anglers plying virgin waters, tossing broomstick plugs tied to bulky reels along shorelines teeming with big snook, redfish and tarpon.

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