I have been fishing for over half of a century, but when I first came to the inshore fishing area at Sunset Beach, I was essentially clueless. The Sea Trail Fishing Club has been very beneficial to improving my knowledge of inshore techniques. I also found a unique website at SaltStrong.com that featured inshore fishing tips. Although there is a wealth of information on the ‘free’ site, I decided to join the ‘Insider’s Club’ which features weekly ‘Game Plans’ that are tailored to different areas along the eastern coast from Maine to Mexico. So this week I decided to feature a few tips that are relevant to this area.

Since the locale weather conditions are fluctuating rapidly from warming to cooling, Spring fishing is usually a challenge not only for anglers but also the fish that are trying to find both warmth and food. During the colder months, trout and redfish move up into creeks and backwaters. But as the weather warms a migration occurs to open waters. The continued warming and cooling trends are sometimes confusing and keep fish on the move. During these periods, fishing transition zones may be the key. In order to find and catch fish during these crazy frontal weather changes it is important to be versatile. 

In the Spring, fish are moving relative to both weather fronts and the time of day. Wind direction is another factor to consider when trying to locate these fish. The fishing hot spots of today may not be the same tomorrow.

Last week I mentioned that the white paddletail or some facsimile thereof is one of the most versatile lures. The 4-inch variety is similar to the size of baitfish found this time of year and can be rigged with different weight jig heads to fish the top, middle and lower parts of the water column. Fish deeper in cooler weather and more shallow as the water warms. For shallow presentations this lure can also be made to be relatively weedless by keeping the barb of the hook close to or slightly imbedded.