Official how to fish O.C.? thread

[Slackdaddy]

Bottom fishing, and plastics, hows it done?
Bayside of Assat is were I'll be, but might as well spill it for everywere

Slack

[bhdpal]

Hope This Helps.

Even with inexperienced fisherman, I had good results using a home tied 50# mono drop sinker single hook rig with 3 foot leader snelled to 1/0 long shank hook No metal swivels, snaps, clips, beads or spinner blades. I tied rig directly to end of rod line with double cinch knots. Baited with live local caught dark brown bull minnows lip hooked over long thin strips of fresh cut spot with skin on. I always drift fished with my boat and stayed at the wheel to keep it on course while my party fished. No casting, just drop the rig straight down, hit bottom & reel up 1 turn and don‘t set the rod down.

Flounder seem to prefer a slow moving bait going same direction as current. Drift fishing is probably most productive as long as you can stay on the edges of the drop offs and holes. Anchoring draws a lot of bad looks from other fishermen in the area and usually is less productive.

Most of the folks who fish the 50 bridge and those who fish from their pond size flat bottom jon boats, chuck out a fancy tackle store founder rig with beads, spinner blades and enough oversized terminal gear, 3-way swivels, snap swivels and wire safety pin quick change weight clips to scare most decent size flatfish away. They usually prefer the frozen shinner and squid strip bait from the nearby tackle shops. Plus a lot of these shops soak you for the do-dad rigs and frozen block baits.

It’s hard to find a good bait source in OC. The best baits will come from a few tosses of a 6’ cast net with small enough netting to trap minnows, small spot and baby crabs. If you can get on one of the marina docks in the back water canals or condo docks, they usually have lights shinning down in the water at night that attract a multitude of bait fish. Throw some stale bread pieces in the water under the lights and when you see the bait fish rising throw your net. This is how a lot of locals catch bait to sell to the bait and tackle shops.
A throw net will pay for itself on the first few casts into a school of bait fish.

The old timers and regulars who fish the 50 bridge will be on the down current side usually between the 3rd and 6th light poles west of the draw bridge. Some will fish just east of the Shanty Town boat channel between the 2nd and 4th light poles on the bridge.

These guys usually use a large torpedo shaped brightly painted balsa wood float. These floats are still available at some of the old tackle shops. They are much easier to see than the round plastic ball floats. The balsa floats are far more sensitive and easier to detect when a fish is bumping your bait.

The bridge regulars seem to prefer double hook wire spreader rigs as opposed to the top bottom rigs. They usually make their own 30” long spreaders from extra thin SS welders rod. The center of the spreader has one small 360 degree turn of the wire to form the eye to tie to the fishing line. The 1/½-2 oz weight is looped onto a 6” long piece of light test (6-8 lb) test mono tied to the center eye of the spreader. The light weight leader will easily break if the rig is snagged or a big flatfish sneaks behind a tangle of debree trying to get away.

I described this bridge fishing method because you can duplicate it if you decide to fish from an anchored kayak. You won’t be using the float and spreader. The single hook drop sinker rig with 1 ½ oz of weight and a live minnow or live small spot should do the trick. Just make sure your leader to your hook is at least 30” long. I would also try the red circle hooks size 2/0. I started using them back when they first came out and seldom lost a flatfish even with inexperienced anglers aboard.

I hope this helps you folks out and you make the Cover Page of the Coastal Fisherman holding up a 6 or 7 pound + flounder while seated in your kayak. Better still a group picture of kayak fisherman holding up a nice string of keeps should also make the cover.

Joe P

[Pinch]

Im going to work under the 50 bridge all day. Ill probably use 4-6'' gulp swimming mullet on a 1-2oz jighead. I also plan on castnetting some bull minnows at the launch where they are plentiful. With the bull minnows ill do acouple of drift on hi lo rig (homemade) exactly how the post above me describes.

[jffoley]

Hey Joe P, Your tips have been great! Thank you for taking the time to post them.

I've been studying the NOAA chart and you are, of course, dead on. I really like that channel along the south side of the inlet and may start there. It's the deepest area near the launch. Should get there at max flood. Fish the change and ebb for a while then bail when the tide really gets going. I think the fluke will be waiting there for baitfish to get swept out. It'll be early so shouldn't be any jet skiers or muscle boaters. Just fishing boats heading out. Thoughts?

There's a nice 17' depth between the bridges and a deep 31' hole just north of green can #1 but I imagine that's a high traffic area. Especially on the weekend. Any thoughts on these spots?

All,
Here's the chart. Check the inset and zoom in if you want to get familiar with the area:
http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12211.shtml

John

[Slackdaddy]

Thanks for the info Bhdpal,, I'm guilty as charged on the pre-made bottom riggs.
Since I will have kids with me, I'm staying away from 50 bridge,, with current I can see the boy messing up some bridge fishers lines.
Have a cast net,, afraid I'd look like Don Knotts throwing it though.
I think we'll try drifting behind Assat for flounder with the double bottom rigs,, I may ditch what I have and make some up as you stated.
Bait on the bottom rigs,, I have frozen cut squid, bacon, I'll try to get minnows and maybe shrimp?

I'll pick up some jig heads, any color? plain head? or a road runner?
I pick up some 4'-6" plastic (mullet, etc)
So just bottom jig the drop offs, not seeing any structure on the bayside of the island.

Thanks,
Slack