# blankity blank seatrout



## derek (Nov 6, 2003)

Had an interesting experience last night fishing from a little fishing pier in edgewater in the river. Around midnight when the tide slacked off, dozens (and I wouldn't be surprised if it was a couple hundred) of trout just started going nuts right around the pier. 

They were eating some sort of larvae on the surface (white and pink/red, about an inch long, lots of little stubby legs, zipping all over the surface.) For TWO HOURS the little s.o.b.'s ate like mad, close enough that I could have smacked them with my fishing rod, while they ignored everything my wife and I offered them, which was pretty much everything I had in my tacklebox. About the only thing that generated any interest was my faded power pro.  If I'd had any small hooks, I'd have tried cutting off a little piece and seeing if they'd hit that. 

Anyone have any idea what kind of larvae that might have been?

After the trout slowed down (they never completely left,) when the tide picked up, some smaller reds moved in (small end of the slot, maybe...) but no interest from them either. 

Oh well, at least it's nice to see some fish in the river again...haven't seen anything larger than an inch long in the last two weeks.


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## Kozlow (Oct 25, 2002)

I was thinking along the lines of shrimp ? But you saw it look like any of these larvae ?
http://www.imagequest3d.com/catalogue/larvalforms/


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## derek (Nov 6, 2003)

Wow, what a cool site. 

The shrimp larvae is close-ish, although the difference in width between the fore and aft sections of the body weren't as large as in the picture on that site. No antennae or long limbs either. I think they were 'jetting' around, kinda like squid. (Which there were a ton of in the river last night, btw...)

Thanks


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## 222222 (Jul 20, 2001)

You should match the hatch. Caught one of these larvae, put ont he hook and see what'll happen next.


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## derek (Nov 6, 2003)

Didn't have any hooks small enough, although we did try. Oh well, they'll be there next time.


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## angelfish (Mar 18, 2004)

*Two Words*

Cast Net!
Have you tried netting these schools of trout? Or would that take the sport out of it? I myself know I always bring my cast net along, seeing as how its my means for bait, but have u thought about cast netting the trout?


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

That's the most frustrating thing in the world when the fish are going nuts but won't touch what we're giving them.

If they're eating teeny stuff like those larvae, the best thing you can use is something small. Next time you see this, I'd suggest jigging with a straw rig or a sabiki rig.


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## Romans14Eleven (Feb 29, 2004)

Good thinking Angel Fish......it may take the sport out of catching them.....buuuut if you're looking for some fish to fry, once or twice won't hurt anything. Now that situation could get out of hand if someone were netting them every night or over the limit. But still a good idea. Now in Georgia that is a no no.....but that is one of the cool things I like about Florida's fishing policies. Cast netting game fish.


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## Jake Ace (May 4, 2000)

Good call Sand Flea. I was going to suggest a sabiki rig as well. I've seen / heard of folks getting small grey trout and specks on sabiki rigs in the lights at night on piers up here.

I had the same thing happen to me on the Outer Banks last year in June. The Spanish Mackeral were about 3-feet off the beach and just tearing through the smallest fish larva I've ever seen.

I know they were fish, because one "DUMB" Spanish impaled himself on my grub and when I got him in, he regurgitated a belly full of fish-fry so small, they still had visible yolk-sacs.

It wasn't until I got home that afternoon that someone far smarter than I, my wife, suggested a sabiki rig.

THROW THE BIG ONES BACK

Jake Ace


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## emanuel (Apr 2, 2002)

I like using the mackeral tree rig. Take gold hooks, slip clear drinking straw sections over them, and then attach those to your rig. I put maybe 4 or 5 dropper loops on a rig made out of #25 clear mono, attach the straws and hooks with a light (1/2) sinker and jig it up and down through the Spanish schools. Absolutely deadly. I've also caught blues, jacks, blue runners and even spadefish on this rig.


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## sand flea (Oct 24, 1999)

Match the hatch, guys, match the hatch. Good stories here all around. I particularly like Jake's story about fish so young they still had yolk sacks. Crazy! Teensy baitfish=teensy lures.

First time I saw someone using a sabiki to catch 20-inch fish I thought it was silly. Then I tied one on. 

If you're casting with these rigs, tie a sabiki or straw rig onto a stingsilver or surface popper. It'll give weight to the rig and allow you to cast it.

So what sabiki pattern do you folks like?


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## creek (Dec 16, 2003)

I need to be educated on sabiki rigs. Does anyone have a picture and how do you fish them?


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## derek (Nov 6, 2003)

http://www.daiichihooks.com/products/sabiki_rigs.html

Basically, they are just a little tree of small flys/jigs. I'll let someone who's actually used them tell you how to use them. 

The red/white ones would probably have worked the night that started this thread, although may have need a float or two rather than weight to keep it on the surface.


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