Ready for the trout run?

We're almost out of the cold embrace of winter, and spring is only a few weeks away! Are you ready for the trout run? The speckled trout, or the spotted seatrout, will soon be out feeding voraciously in shallow water. They'll be searching the bays, inlets, and tidal creeks for crustaceans and minnows.

Specs are fun and easy to catch, and they're one of the tastiest fish in the ocean. The average size in the South is around two or three pounds, but there are also bigger seatrout around - the gator trout.

There are several great baits to use for speckled trout, including some in the natural bait and the artificial bait categories. The best natural bait is live shrimp, hooked through the horn. Small mullet are also excellent for specs.

Read all the details of spec fishing here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Saltwater-Fishing-Tips-Spotted-Seatrout

Sheepshead: Notorious convicts

Atlantic sheepshead are often called "convict fish," and this nickname is very appropriate. Not only are they dressed in skin with the black stripes of prison garb, they're also theives. They'll steal your bait in a flash!

Sheepshead are usually found around rocks, pier pilings, and bridge supports - anywhere barnacles can cling to and grow. The sheepshead eat the barnacles from the structures, so this is the best place to find the finned burglars.

The best baits include fiddler crabs and sand fleas. Some anglers have good luck with small pieces of shrimp, while others use barnacles attached to their hook with small rubber bands. Personally, I've had the most success with the sand fleas - the fresh live ones. These are easy to catch in the surf or at the edge of the tise line.

Put a sand flea on your hook and bob it around a pier piling, or toss it uner the pier and slowly retrieve it, bumping it along the bottom. When you feel a tug, don't try to set the hook. Just continue winding in your line.

To read all the specifics about how to catch sheepshead, click here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Saltwater-Fishing-Sheepshead

How to catch sharks

Sharks used to be considered "trash fish" by many serious saltwater fishermen. In the last couple of decades, however, shark fishing has become a big business. People pay big bucks for a charter and guide to take them to where the monsters are, in hopes of tangling with one and landing it.

You don't have to hire a guide or boat to catch big sharks. In fact, you can catch them right from shore or from a pier! Several species of sharks are found all along the Atlantic and gulf coasts, and they're easy to catch.

Get all the tips here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Fishing-Tips-How-to-Catch-Sharks

Take a kid fishing!

Do you have kids? Do you take them fishing? There's just no better way to spend quality time with your son or daughter than by enjoying the great outdoors while on a fishing adventure!

Sure, angling is a lot of fun, but it can also be educational. Just think of all the things you can teach your kids while fishing!

To get more ideas and specifics, click here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Reasons-to-Take-a-Kid-Fishing

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http://www.holleswanderlust.com/kids.php

The secret to great fried fish

Fish is a staple around out house! And fried fish is a real treat. My fried fish are awesome. Would you like to know why? One of my "secrets" is using buttermilk. It gives the fish a wonderful flavor and helps the coating stick to the flesh.

As an accomplished Southern cook, however, this isn't the only trick up my chef's sleeve, however. The others involve the coating mix and the right oil at the right temperature.

Reading to get cooking? Get the specifics here: http://hubpages.com/hub/Southern-Cuisine-Buttermilk-Fried-Fish

Pier fishing

Are you heading to Florida this year for a well earned vacation? If so, most coastal Florida towns have public fishing piers. On many of these, the piers pay an annual license fee, so you might not even have to purchase a fishing license to fish legally from a pier.

Piers are great places to fish because most fish species are attracted to structure. If the water's clear enough, you'll actually be able to see fish swimming around the pilings. Some species, like sheepshead, will actually be feeding on barnacles that grow on the pilings.

Want to learn all the details about successful pier fishing? The following article is about North Florida, but the same tactics would work just about anywhere in the Southeast.

Read here to learn more: http://hubpages.com/hub/Saltwater-Fishing-Tips-Pier-Fishing-in-Northern-Florida

free bait for surf fishing

Surf fishing is a great way to pass a few hours at the beach. You can toss out a line and then relax in your lounge chair while waiting for a tug. If you're a serious angler and the water's warm enough, you might prefer to stay in the water.

Surf fishing is totally relaxing, and it's inexpensive! You won't need any fancy equipment - just a rod and reel and some bait! And you can easily catch your own bait for free.

Fishing in the surf can also be very rewarding. There's no telling what you might catch! Anywhere along the Southeastern US coast, you might catch flounder, redfish, black drum, sharks, pompano, seatrout, whiting, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, ladyfish, croaker, or other species.

To learn more, click here:http://hubpages.com/hub/Saltwater-Fishing-Tips-Free-Bait