In my new Sportsman bay boat, I am trying to learn how to fish the jetties effectively with artificial lures.  Past experimentation has been hit or miss, but I have had a pretty good amount of success casting at the rocks and swimming a lure down the slope.  One of my best redfish was caught this way and it was a memorable one.  Ralph and I found our way out there one day and were drifting with the outgoing tide along the south jetty.  I was pitching a 1/4 oz Redfish Eye jig on a Z-Man plastic.  I think it was a rootbeer/chartreuse MinnowZ.  Anyway, I happened to be casting with my smallest rod at the time – at trout rod with a very supple St Croix blank and a 1000 Penn Battle reel.  I had a solid thump and about 30 minutes and a half mile later I boated a 38″ red on that buggy whip!  Did I mention 10 lb braid?  Yeah.  

I’ve also had sporadic success using our 1 oz Striper Eye jigs on a 6″ SwimmerZ at the rocks.  Just drifting along the bottom of the rocks and vertical jigging.

Anyway, I asked Daniel Nussbaum of Z-Man if he would help show me some spots.  A couple weeks before he had a great day catching bull reds.  We made a plan and he, myself and Ralph went out.  We had a great day.  We were casting 6″ SwimmerZ on 1/2 oz Striper Eye’s and swimming them along the rocks.  Wasn’t long before Daniel hooked up with a bull.  Shortly later it was Ralph’s turn.  I had a slot red and a 28″ er in the mean time, but by no means a bull.  

Tide turned and I moved to the other side of the structure and was retrieving my lure when THUMP!  I knew it was  a big one based on the frequency of the head shakes.  Took several runs before it came to the boat.  It turned out to be my new PB Redfish at 41.5″.  What a thrill!  

Try this setup at the jetties or even the reefs.  Its a lot more fun to feel the thump than wait for a bull to take cut bait, I promise you!