COLD WATER REDFISH

Captain Fred Myers plies the baywaters of Panama City, Florida for redfish during winter months, but cold water conditions demand a change in tactics. “Wintertime redfishing is about being slow and subtle,” states Myers. “Reds are super spooky in winter and will hear everything and anything this time of year, so its necessary to be […]

Captain Fred Myers plies the baywaters of Panama City, Florida for redfish during winter months, but cold water conditions demand a change in tactics.'Wintertime redfishing is about being slow and subtle,' states Myers. 'Reds are super spooky in winter and will hear everything and anything this time of year, so its necessary to be ultra quiet. The silent deployment of push poles allow me to check numerous areas without disturbing the waters or the fish.'Myers searches out subtle differences in the flats that attract reds to congregate. 'Reds want to bunch up in the winter, not necessarily because they are feeding but they are all searching out the areas to warm up, which could be a flat, a hole or where the sun is hitting the water at the right angle. Reds are rarely roaming solitary during the winter.'Myers may drift over 10 to 15 holes before he finds the right one. “Generally a 1 to 2 foot change in depths is enough to attract redfish and when we find them holing up, I can make numerous casts without disturbing the school.”The key to winter redfish success is to dial down the speed and size of the lures. Myer’s will tie on a 3 to 4-inch Bass Assassin Elite Shiner or Shrimp to mimic a shrimp or minnow; two main winter baits. The rubber bait is lanced on a 1/8 to ¼-ounce leadhead, enough weight to cast, but not too much where its sinks to the bottom too fast. A properly weighted jig will be twitched, then slowly drop through the strike zone.As most winter redfish average in the 5 to 10-pound bracket in the Panhandle area, Myers employs medium action 7 to 7’ 2” Phenix Feather rods matched with Shimano Stradic 3000 reels spooled with 8 to 10-pound Power Pro braid. “You need to go with thinner braid for more casting distance in Florida as the fish are way more spooky than in a place like Louisiana where I would make shorter casts with 40 pound braid. Stay as far away as possible from the school, while still being able to reach them with a cast.”Slow, subtle, and silent - the three tactical advantages of a successful winter redfish angler.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='5979,5461'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

OFFSHORE SEA BASS

Right now off the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Bight, giant jumbo black sea bass are setting up on the 50 to 80 mile wrecks. Winter heavyweights are far from packing it in. Not the usual 1 to 2 pounders you’re used to seeing in the summer, but true knuckleheads of 4 to 8 pounds that you […]

Right now off the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Bight, giant jumbo black sea bass are setting up on the 50 to 80 mile wrecks.Winter heavyweights are far from packing it in. Not the usual 1 to 2 pounders you’re used to seeing in the summer, but true knuckleheads of 4 to 8 pounds that you only get a shot at in the winter. Jumbo sea bass mean an upgrade in gear to handle the depths and weights as fishing grounds are generally in the 200 to 300 foot range, and with three hook rigs and sometimes 20 ounces of weight, you need beefier gear.Start with the right set up. Reel wise, go with a high speed retrieve such as a Shimano Torium 20 or Avet MXL, match it with 7 to 7-1/2 foot rod rated medium to heavy 20 to 50-pound with moderate to fast flex like a Shimano Terramar TMCE70H. Spool up with 50-pound Power Pro Braid with a 10 foot top shot of 40-pound TripleFish mono leader. To increase your odds of filling the cooler, more hooks on a rig equals more fish on each drop.I use a three-dropper rig that covers about 5 feet of the total water column. With 40-pound Trik Fish leader material, tie three equal dropper loops spaced about 18 inches apart and leave the dropper standing off a good 5 inches off the main line to extend the hook out from the leader. This is needed to hold the bait out and away from the leader line and prevents fouling of the bait into the main leader line. Connect a 150-pound Spro barrel swivel on one end and tie a simple overhand knot on the other end for the bank sinker.Bank sinkers of 8 to 20 ounces may be needed in the offshore currents, so be sure to bring an array of sizes as you have to be holding bottom hard to fish effectively. On the droppers, loop on size 3/0 to 5/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hooks or 2/0 to 3/0 Mustad #92641 Baitholder hooks.Offshore sea bassing can be fast and furious with tripleheaders coming over the rails on each drop. Remember to properly vent any sea bass you throw back as the depths will most times pop out the air bladders on the way up.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='5968,5966'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">

Tony Maja Custom Mojo Trolling Rod

The Perfect Addition to your Striped Bass Arsenal. Trolling is the go-to technique for catching more and bigger striped bass, and Tony Arcabasio has been on the cutting edge of striper trolling innovations for over fifty years. His boat, the Maja, was a fixture on the striper grounds of New Jersey and New York long […]

The Perfect Addition to your Striped Bass Arsenal.Trolling is the go-to technique for catching more and bigger striped bass, and Tony Arcabasio has been on the cutting edge of striper trolling innovations for over fifty years. His boat, the Maja, was a fixture on the striper grounds of New Jersey and New York long before he introduced his first products, the patented E-Z Outrodder™ rod holders and the groundbreaking Tony Maja Bunker Spoons. Those were quickly followed by the Tony Maja Bunker Spoon Rod, quite simply the best spoon rods ever offered. Today TMP is the recognized leader in striped bass trolling gear simply because everything offered is of the highest quality and value, and will increase your striper fishing success.With the introduction of the Magic Maja Mojo trolling lures Tony started another revolution in striped bass trolling by bringing a technique that was once rarely used outside of Chesapeake Bay and blending it into a total trolling system. When used in conjunction with his renown bunker spoons the pattern covers a wider strike zone while offering more targets for bass to key in on. Trolling Magic Mojos with Maja Bunker Spoons has become the hottest development in striped bass fishing in years!Now, TMP is proud to announce a product that rounds out your arsenal of trolling gear, a dedicated mojo trolling rod. Mojos come in a variety of weights up to 24 ounces and are trolled singly or in tandem from a single rod. The new Tony Maja Custom Mojo Rod is purpose-designed for the task and constructed using the finest components wrapped to perfectly match TMP Bunker Spoon Rods.Tony Maja’s Custom Mojo Rod is a one piece, 6’6” beauty built on a specially designed graphite composite blank with the prefect action to handle the weight of Mojos while providing the sensitivity to see every strike and enjoy the fight. These jet-black blanks are strong, durable and built to last. They are wrapped with eight perfectly spaced Fuji Alconite guides for years of service with braided lines. Each guide is under-wrapped in yellow to protect the blank and over-wrapped in red. The fore and butt grips are contoured closed-cell foam for a secure grip in any weather and are set off by a red, yellow and black diamond butt wrap. The gold anodized, heavy duty reel seat and butt cap compliment the aesthetics along with the Tony Maja striped bass decal above the diamond wrap. The finished rods are functional and a beautiful addition to your trolling arsenal. Each one comes with a TMP imprinted cloth bag to protect them when not in use.The Tony Maja Custom Mojo Rod will be available at TackleDirect in time for spring. To see the full line of TMP products go to www.tonymajaproducts.com. To get the best striped bass trolling gear in the world be sure to ask for Tony Maja by name.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_video link='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wadnl99Bds4'][vc_media_grid element_width='3' grid_id='vc_gid:1549392577661-a11dc68c-9afd-8' include='5951,5952,5950,5949'][/vc_column][/vc_row]" target="_blank">

WINTER WRECKIN

There’s a legion of sub zero heroes that scoff at the arctic chill in the Northeast. They load the coolers, the gear, and drive straight to the party boats, hopping on the icy decks for 12 hour trips out to hammer the 40 to 60 mile wrecks. Why? There’s a cavalcade of species available to […]

There’s a legion of sub zero heroes that scoff at the arctic chill in the Northeast.They load the coolers, the gear, and drive straight to the party boats, hopping on the icy decks for 12 hour trips out to hammer the 40 to 60 mile wrecks. Why? There’s a cavalcade of species available to target during February and March including cod, pollock, porgy, ling, purple hake and mackerel. You’ll be fishing plenty of sticky structure, so here’s how to plan accordingly.Bottom bouncing around jagged structure will most ultimately warrant a bunch of lost tackle and rigs, and when setting out, expect to lose a lot. For the most part, meat rigs for cod and Pollock and ling consist of a Hi-Lo approach. A 4 foot section of 40 pound leader material is used to begin, with a 100 pound class Spro barrel swivel, a dropper loop tied 18 inches down, then a space of 18 inches, to where the next dropper is tied. A final overhand loop for the bank sinker completes the rig. On the droppers, size 5/0 to 6/0 #92641 Baitholder hooks will fit the bill, as they tend to hold clams better, but you may also opt for 7/0 Gamakatsu Octopus style hooks. A ling rig consists of resting baits on the bottom, thus about four inches above the looped sinker, pinch off the line and tie a larks head knot with a snelled 2/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook. Ling bite best when the bait lies directly on the seafloor. Hooks may be adorned with a variety of white or chartreuse bucktails, curly grub tails, Berkeley Gulp! baits, or mylar flash to attract attention from down below. Porgy rigs consist of size 1/0 snelled Beak hooks on a same type of hi-lo rig as cod.Bank sinkers may run from 5 to 16 ounces, as it is wise to bring a wide assortment of sizes and a lot of them to compensate for the currents. Fifty pound fluorocarbon leader is recommended for jigging leader material. High speed retrieve reels with a 6 to 1 ratio spooled with 65-pound braid running line are recommended matched with a medium/fast action 7 to 7-1/2 foot rod. Personally I employ the use of a Lamiglas TFX7040CT and a Shimano Torium 20 reel and find that it’s ample for any of the aforementioned species. Wreck beasties await.[vc_row][vc_column][vc_media_grid element_width='6' grid_id='vc_gid:1485876128429-956a0435a2a0f25f6c84919907eacd12-3' include='5935,5937'][/vc_column]" target="_blank">