# Using Plastics



## Bones (Jan 20, 2015)

I have fished for trout and red fish for years.  I have always used artificial baits such as the chug bug, skidderwalk, spoons and mirrorlures.  I love the sound and sight of a big ole red or gator trout hitting a top water plug.  I have only tried plastic baits such as the DOA shrimp a few times.  I guess I do not know how to work them.  Could someone tell me what kind of plastics to use, where and how to use them.  I mainly wade the flats for trout and red fish.

Thanks Bones


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## kingfish (Jan 20, 2015)

One of the most popular plastics out there is the Berkley Gulp Shrimp.  I know guides and pros who swear by them.  Most everyone I know uses the gulp/jig head and Cajun thunder combo.  It's a great combo for kids because they can learn to cast it a mile and then all they have to do is twitch it while they reel it in.  When something goes after it, the cork goes under.  I don't use it because it is pretty darn expensive and I am a lazy bait fisherman.   If I do use plastic, I usually use Bass Assassin plastics.  Lots of colors, paddletails, curley tails etc.  You will get plenty of good responses with this question.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 20, 2015)

First, disclaimer-I am as far as you can get from an expert, I have done very little salt fishing, but tons of freshwater fishing. I usually fish only one week a year in the saltwater, and that's without a boat, just wading shallow flats. 

With that said, I have caught a bunch of trout, some flounder, some reds, and various other stuff just throwing plastic jigs along grass lines and oyster beds, working them the same way I would in freshwater. Just hopping them along the bottom, or a steady, slow retrieve with an occasional twitch. In fact, that's the only way I've found that I can catch trout consistently. I haven't caught any huge ones, but quite a few  good solid keepers (they have to be 14" in SC where I fish,) and a ton of shorts, but if you find a school, you can usually get bit every cast or two until they move on or the tide changes.

The ones I like the best are the Gulp swimming mullet, the Saltwater Assassins, and a few random freshwater curlytail and paddletail jigs. I usually fish them on a 1/4 oz. red jighead. White and electric chicken have been the colors I've done best with. I have thrown the DOA shrimp until I've worn them out, and have yet to catch a single fish on one.


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## cableguychris (Jan 20, 2015)

I fish the flats just north of steinhatchee in an area called Keaton beach 5 to 6 times a year. it is a shallow grass flat. i love the popincork/cajun thunder combo, and so do the trout. in the early spring you can catch them on jerk baits too. if i could only throw 1 bait, it would be the poping cork combo.it works just about year round.

just my 2 cents worth


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## Poor Poor Fisherman (Jan 20, 2015)

*Plastics*

We have been going to Steinhatchee and Port St. Joe for 6 or 7 years.  And we routinely catch a lot of trout, flounder, reds, mackerel, blue fish and number of junk fish.  We have found no lure or bait that has been more effective than Berkley Gulp .... shrimp and jerk shad.  On any given day, any color will work but certain colors seem to be better.  And those colors will be different from day to day.  You just gotta try different ones and see what they prefer at that time.  It's something we have never figured out. 

The poppin cork definitely works some days but we seem to always do better rigging the shrimp or jerk shad on a jig head and bouncing them off the bottom.  It's not rocket science if I can do it and be successful!  

Berkley advertises that their Gulp catches fish better than live bait.  I can't say that's true but when we have used live shrimp, the pin fish tear them up before any game fish can get to the bait!  So, we seem to just feed the pin fish and constantly be putting another shrimp on the hook.  As a result, we just don't catch as many fish! 

The only problem is that the Gulp gets expensive.  They don't last to long and get torn up pretty fast.  Pin fish will nibble at them until they can't be used and the toothy species (especially mackerel) will really destroy them.  But, we do catch fish with them!  We have even caught a number of shark with them.  

Other scented or non scented plastics have never been as effective for us.  Maybe we just don't know how to use them.  I know that they are much more durable but when we aren't catching fish, we have just wasted a lot of time and money getting on the water.


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## dfhooked (Jan 21, 2015)

I fish soft plastics most of the time, both under a cork and tight lined.  Just have to figure out what presentation and depth the fish are feeding.  Look into matrix shad and vortex shad soft plastics.  The tail action is awesome on these baits and they hold up pretty well. They also work wonders on the bass.  You probably will not find them in a store near you as they are a local Louisiana company but you can order online.  My favorite colors are Ultraviolet, shrimp creole, Lemonhead, and green hornet  in the matrix shad while the vortex have more movement in the tail and usually have a different color tail from body.  Rule of thumb is clearer the water the lighter the lure color and use a dark bait in darker/dirtier water.  Here is a link to their site http://matrixshad.com/


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## bhdawgs (Jan 21, 2015)

3" or 4" Gulp Shrimp on a 1/8 - 1/4 oz. jig head is deadly on the flats... I like to use the bass assassin brand jig heads, they seem to be pretty durable.  

All you have to do is throw them out and vary your retrieve methods... you can cast them a country mile if you have a good wind behind you.


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## teethdoc (Jan 21, 2015)

Gulp shrimp, or just a colored jig under a red jig head.


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## jimbo4116 (Jan 23, 2015)

teethdoc said:


> Gulp shrimp, or just a colored jig under a red jig head.



New penny or pearl white.  The chartruese Swimming mullet works well too.

If the fish are biting slow I put a gulp shrimp on a 3-0 offset worm hook (no jig head) and slow swim it giving it a jerk ever 3 or 4 cranks.


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## Hit-n-Miss (Jan 24, 2015)

I like the Gotcha jigheads as they slip through the grass easily. Pink works good for me. Salt water assassins work well when the fish are in a biting mood. Spraying flavor sprays on non gulps helps a lot. Squirt every couple of casts. Mirror lure makes a tough bait. I caught 21 fish on one tail once before it lost its tail. Try to make your leader length just over the grass. 6' water say a 4' leader. I usually fish 1 pole straight jig(Gotcha), 1 2' leader and 3-4' leader(on slender clicking corks with cheap cotee 1/4oz long shank jigheads). That way can fish 3 to 7' deep without retying. Also drag a 3-4" pinfish behind your drift 2-3' under a big cork. Start 3-4' and work out to 6-7'. If you find fish in a certain depth keep working water that depth. Hope this helps.


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## Fletch_W (Feb 2, 2015)

Exude works as well as Gulp. 

Guides usually swear by whichever one is sponsoring them. 

I usually got them for free from a guide I befriended when I lived on the coast, as he was overstocked with free ones.

Whenever I had to pay my own money, I would just use regular old Zoom fluke or superfluke, and they seemed to work just as well as the expensive super-scented ones. 

In my experience, when you find redfish feeding, the important thing is to not scare them off. They'll generally bite whatever you put in front of them, if they are feeding.


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