Capt. Terry's tips for catching fish

Book a trip with Capt. Terry Lamielle 

On this page I will try to answer all your questions about fishing. If I don't know an answer I will let you know that too. If you have a topic you would like me to cover please feel free to ask. Captterry@indianriver.cc

Back to my home page

Topics

How to work a soft plastic grub type jig

Spinning -V- Bait Casting

How to work a soft plastic grub 1/19/2004

It's all in how you wiggle the worm. This is so right when using and fishing with a grub style soft plastic bait. Colors play a key factor as well as the weight of the jig head too. But I feel that presentation can make the biggest difference in a so-so day of fishing to a great day instead.

I've been using grub style baits for over 25 years, when they were first called a Trout-Tout. These lures would range anywhere from 3 to 4 inches in length and only a few colors were offered for anglers. Now there are thousands of colors and manufactures to pick from. All work the same way in mimicking a small glass minnow or shrimp in the water. Gambler worms have been making a model called the 4' Flappin Shad that I have grown fond of over the last 20 years and has built my confidence factor to make me use no other bait. I have had such great success with this bait and I feel it's the best ever made, but that's my opinion. They make all kinds of color patterns but in all the years of fishing these baits I have narrowed it down to three colors that I use for the Lagoon waters. My all time favorite is called Phantom/Chartrues which looks like a small glass minnow. Clear with a salt and pepper sparkle for the main body and a beaver type tail in chartreuse. The other is rootbeer/chartrues which simulates a shrimp and the last color is all white. I use nothing but a 1/4 oz. jig head with these baits. Mostly fishing waters anywhere from 1 to 5 feet of water is my preference. The three color patterns play a key factor as to when to use them though. I use the lighter colors when I have clear water conditions as well as if there is Glass Minnows in the waters too. The darker rootbeer color is mainly used when the water is a little more discolored or tannin.

Working these baits correctly is more important than anything else. You have to be one with the grub, and feel this lure. Braided line helps with that, it is so sensitive to feel the thump of a fish when it hits the bait. You also have to be a line watcher as well as a feeler. Sometimes the fish will hit it very soft and seeing the line jump often tells of a strike has been made. 99.9% of the time the bite will take place on the fall of this type of bait.

I like to start by throwing this lure close to structure whether it be mangrove shore line, docks, or seawalls and letting the bait go to the bottom. Sometimes the strike will be as it makes it's way to the bottom. This it where being a line watcher takes place. Once the bait settles at the bottom I use short quick snaps of the rod tip hopping it back to the boat but staying in close contact with the bottom and watching the line as well when it makes it's fall after each snap of the rod. Rod movement is very critical. As I mentioned use short snaps. This bait will move in distance as to how far your rod moves. The rod position it at about the 10 o clock position and moves to about 11 o clock with each snap. when lowering the tip of the rod to make the next snap reel in any slack line so the line always has a slight curve to it. Never let the line stay taught as you retrieve the bait. Think of the line looking like a ski slope, if you will, as it makes it's way into the water. The other way I work this bait is just the same as the above except that instead of holding the rod in the 10 o clock to 11 position I drop the rod tip towards the water and swim the bait back twitching the rod as if I were fishing a hard jerk bait. A twitch, twitch pause retrieve works best I feel and once again on the pause the lure will start to fall in the water column and the hit will be at this time again.

These grub type of baits is a definite confidence bait for me and I always have one tied to a rod when I fish year round in the Lagoon waters. I hope that these methods I use will help in making a day of fishing a day of catching for you.

Capt. Terry Lamielle
"EASY DAYS"

Top of page

Copyright © 1999-2005 [Indian River Adventures]. All rights reserved.
Revised: January 28, 2006 .

[Cocoa Beach fishing guide] [Cocoa Beach fishing Charter ][ Titusville fishing guide] [Titusville fishing Charter ][Daytona Beach fishing guide ][ Daytona Beach fishing Charter] [Vero Beach fishing guide ] [Vero Beach fishing Charter ][ Orlando fishing guide][ Orlando fishing Charter][ Cocoa Beach fishing guide][ Cocoa Beach fishing Charter][ Cocoa Beach fishing guide] [Cocoa Beach fishing Charter ][ Melbourne fishing guide] [Melbourne fishing charter ][ Florida fishing guide] [Florida fishing charter ][ snook fishing guide] [snook fishing charter ][Central Florida fishing guide ][ Central Florida fishing charter] [Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing Guide ][ Mosquito Lagoon fly fishing charter] [Mosquito Lagoon fishing guide ][ Mosquito Lagoon fishing charters] [Florida fishing guide ][Florida fishing charter ][ redfish fly fishing guide][ redfish fly fishing charter]