gribble

Hello folks,
I hope all is well with everyone. My wife and I are coming down to Destin this May. I’m an avid fisherman with some salt experience. My experience is from Maine so I will be a little bit out of my element down there. I have spinning rods and fly rods, but I’m going to bring my spinning rods only. I want to throw artificial baits while I’m down there. I was wondering do you guys have some specific hard body or soft plastic baits you guys like to throw down there? I don’t care what I catch, and I don’t even really care if I land anything. I just want to hook a few fish and have fun. I was just thinking about purchasing some rattle traps “black over chrome, blue over chrome, chrome over chrome, black over gold” (1-1/2 oz to 2 oz) “changing the hooks out”, sluggos (6” long in several colors), and some Kastmasters (2-3oz) changing the hooks out ( colors in chrome, blue over chrome, and gold). Well take care and looking forward to some feedback. I’m just looking to cast and krank in the morning depending on the tide time. I normally in Maine would start fishing 2-3 hours prior to the outgoing tide vs in the incoming. life is less threatening that way with all the huge granite rocks on Maines coast!
Be well,
Tom

keperry1182

That time of year is awesome, try anything shiny. Retrieve it fast as possible and you'll be on with a lot of stuff. Cobia will be in by then might get a shot at one from a pier

ZombieKiller

The pompano fishing will be prety good in May. Stop by Half Hitch tackle and get yourself some good pompano jigs and tip them with a little bit of shrimp or a small sand flea and you can sight-cast pomps from the beach or the pier. Gotcha's are a great "catch all" lure as well, definitely worth having a couple of them in your tackle bag.

They have a daily fishing report on the Okaloosa Island Pier website, that'll give you a decent idea of what's running at that time.

gribble

Thanks guys for the heads up with the information. the pier fishing is not for me I dont think, but just having fishing reports in that area is a huge plus!

gribble

I'm I missing the boat here! Your tides down there change only .50 of a foot or less down in Destin "from high to low tide"?

keperry1182

Between .5 and 2.5 but I'm still kinda a rookie

gribble

What oz weight spoons do you guys reccomend?

gribble

hmm todays tide goes from -0.03 to 0.33 thats only a change of 0.36 thats only 4"!..lol.. thanks for the input unless I'm really messed up here is the link I found. http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/c...onth/1713.html

SaltAddict

Sounds like you want to fish the grass flats. On the flats (in the bay/sound) you wade out, cast and retrieve. You can hit the sand bars in the gulf and jig for pompano. But from what I read so far, grass flats would be your thing. 1/2 oz to 2 oz spoon at most. Gold wobbler spoons work great. Spotted sea trout (speckled trout "specks") and redfish would be your main target. If you keep getting cut off, switch to 50 lb flourocarbon or 30 lb steel leader. The fish cutting you off will be spanish mackerel or blue fish. Our blue fish do not get near as big as what you are used to seeing. Surf fishing from shore here is mostly a cast out, sit down, drink beer and wait kind of thing.

__________________
If you've got the feelin', then jump across the ceilin'!

gribble

Thanks a bunch! Well it sounds like I will need to find some grass flats! I appriciate the oz ratings on the spoons. Yea I get the whole rip and sit, but this trip for me will be to get some time in and learn the beaches down that way. I dont really care about the size of the fish. I just want to hook some fish! Take care, and check your pm's!

Tom