Tight lines: lowcountry fishing
Words of wisdom
Matt Winter
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Matt Winter
The Post and Courier
Capt. Mark Nichols, founder of D.O.A. Lures, really knows how to catch ‘em up. Using only his own artificial lures, Nichols once caught 24 trout over 7 pounds in one day, including a massive 14-pounder (his personal record).
When the guy who invented one the hottest saltwater lures around starts casting out fishing advice, anglers come out of the woodwork to listen.
Capt. Mark Nichols, founder of D.O.A. Lures and inventor of the D.O.A. shrimp, recently drew big crowds of Lowcountry anglers during back-to-back seminars at Lowcountry tackle shops.
Here are a few pearls of fishing wisdom from Capt. Nichols:
The trick to using a D.O.A shrimp
“People who don’t catch fish with this shrimp are fishing too fast. It’s as simple as that. It drops slower than death.”
Presenting your lures
“I’m always assuming the fish is eating off the drop. I want to get his attention with the flash, then I want to let it drop and let him eat it on the fall.
“My flounder, my trout, my reds, they’re hugging the bottom, they’re ambushing. I want to present it in a more natural, a less active way.
“… If you’re a good bottom-hopping-type of fisherman, you can catch fish anywhere you go. ”
Why he’s a fan of no-stretch braided line
“When a fish looks at it, you feel ‘em.
“… In many cases I may be catching fish and you’re not because I’m letting a lure drop down a couple seconds longer than you are, and I’m flirting with that bottom. And the beauty of braid is, if you can feel it touch, you tend to keep it on the bottom well.
“It lasts a lot longer, and you WILL catch more fish.”
Using natural bait (‘stink’) or lures
“If I want to use stink, I’ll cut up some ladyfish belly, it’s one of the best redfish baits in the world. Cracked crab is one of the best redfish baits in the world.
“But I like to fool fish with plastic.
“… I am convinced trout couldn’t care less. Trout would much rather eat a presentation than a stink.”
Fishing a full moon
“It can be the biggest kiss of death in the world for us. Fish can feed 24/7, and they get real lethargic.”
Matt Winter
The Post and Courier
Nichols shares some tips with Lowcountry fishermen packed into The Charleston Angler’s Mount Pleasant location.
Fast retrieves during a really slow bite
“You can still trigger bites with a reaction strike. Rip and drop, forget about beautiful presentations.”
Applying scent products to lures
“Catch your own local fish, boil the belly meat, save the oil, and that is the best you’ll ever do. Because it’s local and indigenous to your area. Just keep it in a jar in your fridge.”
Jig heads v. worm hooks with jerk baits
“I will always use a jig head until I start snagging grass or bottom every time. I will always use an exposed hook if I possibly can, because I’m going to have a much better hook-set potential.”
Redfish strikes on a jerk bait
“I’ll slice it from the bottom up and make a hinge in this bait... it makes a big difference on hook-sets.”
Looking for shadows
“A lot of times I’ll find some of my best redfish … at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, when its brutally hot and there’s a good dock with some deep water under it.
“They all go to it because it’s a place to hide, just like a cow sitting under a tree. It’s the same thing.
“Whether it’s redfish or a trout or a snook, that’s what they’re going to naturally do.”
Lure colors
“I don’t think that fish could care less if its got 10 colors he doesn’t care about. If it’s got the one color he does, he’s going to eat it.
“… One of these days, there’s a good chance I’m going to put out something that’s got every color in the world. Whatever he wants, maybe that color will be there. I’ve seen it work.
“… I made some I call a ‘clown shrimp.’
I take a wooden dowel and every color paint I’ve got and put a spot on him.”
The popular “electric chicken” colors
“Stupid color. Never seen anything swimming around like it.
“But it catches fish.”
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