Here we are, November 1st, and I am pretty excited. This is by far my favorite month to fish. We have been super busy here trying to meet demand which is a good problem to have, but we have fished less this year than we have in recent memory. As I write, the water temperature is still a little warm (low 70’s) and this is keeping the fish from getting really fired up, which is what happens when the water gets near the mid 60’s. Also, you will notice the water clearing up as the colder temps kill off the algae (as well as the gnats and mosquitoes). Because the water is still warm, it is not yet time to really slow things down. In fact, the trout are hitting topwater with much enthusiasm still. We even saw a tailing redfish the other day.
If you can swing it, cash in a kitchen-pass, call in sick, whatever it takes to hit the water this month. We have done well on pretty much all profiles and colors of Z-Man soft plastics and all of our jigs – which simply tells you that the fish are hungry!
One thing I’ve been pretty excited about is the release of our full line of Striper Eye jigs. They are all built on a big hook – a 6/0 Mustad Ultrapoint. We have 1/2 oz, 3/4 oz and 1 oz sizes. We have done really well with them at the jetties with bull redfish and also with cobia and amberjack offshore. We received word that our 1 oz heads in glow was hot for the local tarpon bite – but that was a semi well-kept secret. I really can’t wait till the Z-Man packaged Striper Eyes get distributed around the country and folks see what they can do with Tarpon, Cobia, bridge Snook and big northeast Stripers. On that latter note, we have seen a blooming of interest in the Virginia Beach are and also the New Jersey/Long Island areas – no doubt using them for those ocean going Stripers.
Anyway, I’ve been intrigued about using one rigged with a Z-Man 6″ SwimmerZ for trout. They are a similar size to a topwater plug or larger suspending plug so why wouldn’t they work? Last weekend I had a chance to throw one in a spot where we were consistently hooking trout. I swam it steadily just above the bottom and got a tell tale “thump” and ended up catching a solid trout. Not a true gator but a quality fish around 21 inches. Big bait = big fish. Like a suspending plug, I don’t think you will catch large numbers of trout on this big swimbait, but the ones you do catch will be quality fish. And that’s really what gets us excited, isn’t it?
Full Lineup of Striper Eye Jigs
Upcoming Seminar
“Winter Tactics” at Palmetto State Armory – Summerville
366 E. 5th North Street
Summerville, SC 29483
November 15th, 7pm
Ralph Phillips, Daniel Nussbaum, and David Fladd
Local Retail Shop
Our retail space is officially ready and we encourage you to drop by. Store hours are Tues and Thursday 2 pm – 6 pm. We are located at 7341B Peppermill Parkway, North Charleston, SC 29418 (off of Ashley Phosphate Road). We are the only place you can purchase bulk jigs at up to 40% off retail prices. You can also order online and choose Local Pickup to avoid shipping and pick up at our shop at your convenience. We also have a good selection of Z-Man lures and accessories at our shop. Come on by we would love to see you.