Inshore Saltwater Gulf of Mexico

[TxHarleySales]

Hi everyone!  New to the site.  Loving it and lurking on it for a long time.  I threw big baits back when I lived in Cali, so not entirely a newbie.

 

Planning on fishing the Intracoastal Waterway near Corpus and South Padre Island.  They get an influx of Tarpon, Redfish (by the millions), Speckled Trout, even some Kingfish.

 

Mullet seem to be the prevailing forage fish, so was thinking of maybe some glidebaits or wakebaits that might do the trick.

 

Buddies of mine say they are getting tired of catching the 2-8 # fish, yet they only toss gulps, bass assassins, etc.  Small stuff.  A typical day out there is like hooking dozens of small fish, then getting railroaded by a big bull that snaps them off.

 

My line of thinking would be to toss bigger baits from the get go.  What baits would you guys toss at fish feeding on Mullet?  Glides and wakes suggestions.  Thanks!

[dominioncaster]

I assume you are fishing a current? I like to throw swimbaits in saltwater and my biggest issue is dealing with current. Lots of swimbaits are designed for a slow sink and are difficult to do get down in the water column in a current. finding baits to match the hatch isn't that difficult. I like Deps 175 and 250 in mullet. You can pack the lip slot with puddy and help get them down a little. I'm sure your area is like mine with juvenile speckled trout and small bluefish on the menu also for predators. Obviously there are a ton of trout options out there. If the bluefish aren't around, it is hard to beat a Hudd 68 but it can get expensive quick if there are tail removers around. Several bait makers make saltwater specific baits that are heavier and saltwater specific hardware (triple trout. 3:16 hyper herring, etc.) Here are a few baits that I throw in saltwater. Lots of them are limited to slack water as they become surface baits in any current. 

 

[dominioncaster]

You should hit up flaswimbaiter. He has the saltwater game down. 

[floridaswimb8er]

That bloody mullet is sick

[TxHarleySales]

Your guys kick down mad knowledge.  I ran across one of these and thought it might be worth a toss.  We will be mostly fishing in 2' of water or less, except for some of the local cuts that drop off into 4-6' of water.  I think the big fish chill out in those cuts waiting for baitfish to be pushed off the flats by the outgoing tide.

 

I can't attach pics as of yet (new member rules?).  But it's the Live Target Mullet Wakebait.  

[Top Ramen]

Top Hook Rising Sons will work fine, as will big stick baits. Mission Fish will also work in the salt. They are not really intended to be a chuck-and-wind bait but they do that fine in coastal water. They are meant to sink fast in fresh water so they aren't too buoyant to use in the salt.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Top Ramen

[swole_t]

Can't wait to take my Wake Jr. Out to the gulf for redfish and speckle trout. Seems like the prefect mullet imitation, fat bodied like a mullet and wakes on top like a mullet.

[JeepFisher]

Can't wait to take my Wake Jr. Out to the gulf for redfish and speckle trout. Seems like the prefect mullet imitation, fat bodied like a mullet and wakes on top like a mullet.

Let us know how it goes!  I'm going to take mine in late June to try as well.

[swole_t]

Let us know how it goes! I'm going to take mine in late June to try as well.

Will do bro!