When you are inland fishing for the first time or you want to increase your chances of being successful with catching fish, you want to know what types of items you should use to be successful. Below are six items that you want to have when you’re inland fishing.
You want a 7ft spinning rod, with medium action rated for a line of 8 to 17 pounds. The majority of inshore anglers who fish in saltwater prefer this length of rod since its extra length makes it a lot easier to get addition distance each time they cast. This is really helpful when you’re in shallow water and you want to avoid spooking fish.
You want a 15-pound tested braided line. This is a good choice when you’re fishing inshore in backwaters or on flats since the line has a thinner diameter and it will let you cast much further, getting more line on the reel. It also will usually hold up a lot better when you’re fishing in dock pilings, oyster bars and mangrove branches, since they’re often covered in barnacles.
The type of hooks you want are circle hooks in the 2/0, the 3/0, and the 4/0 sizes. These hooks will be your best kind of hook you should use when you’re fishing with cut or live bait since the hook’s shape is going to make it slide through the mouth of the fish to its jaw, which means you’ll have a lesser chance of gut-hooking your fish. Determining the size of the hook is all on the size bait you intend to use.
Your got to have leader material for inshore fishing should be 30 pound tested leader made of fluorocarbon or monofilament. The reason for this is that it refracts beneath the water, meaning it’s almost invisible to fish. In addition, fluorocarbon and monofilament is extremely resistant to abrasions, which means it’s perfect when you’re fishing near structures like docks or mangroves.
Your plug should be a topwater plug that’s torpedo-shaped. A couple of good choices are Skitter Walk and Zara Spook. Try using a technique called walking the dog with your topwater lure when it’s a lower light condition like dusk or dawn to attract trout, snook or redfish.
The jigheads you use should be 1/8 to ¼ ounce jigheads and pair them with an artificial or live shrimp. Work your jig around grass flats, docks and oyster bars and see if you’re getting strikes from redfish, trout or snook.
If you’re going to go inland fishing, these are the things that you want to have in your arsenal. They’ll help you with being successful and you might even bring home a trophy.
I have a lot of experience in the fishing industry, especially in Southwest Florida. To find out more about me, you can go to my website, or give me a call at 239-280-6246. I want to make your Florida fishing experience the best it can be, so don’t hesitate to call today!