TexasKayakFisherman.com est. 2000

[Tombo]

To fish all day, what lure would you choose? My choice would be a Gulp 3" minnow, chartreuse rigged on a swim bait hook with 1/8th ounce weight.

[Ron Mc]

I don't want to choose, but couldn't give up TroutSupportLure - it's too fun to fish, and I've had many successful days fishing through just one lure.
My buddy Lou, every big fish he's caught has been on TSL chicken-on-a-chain.
Throw in Steve, the 3 of us had successful trips where we all fished nothing else.
Good topic, Tom.
TSL is also another swimbait-hook lure. Swimbait hooks are a bit harder to set, I've never gulleted a fish with one, and they pick up almost no grass.


An aside on gulleting fish - two weeks ago at Arroyo, gulleted an under-sized trout on a 2" Storm-type shad lure.
Was able to chase the lure down his gullet with a hook extractor and release the fish

[Dandydon]

Good topic, Tombo! I also like that 3" curly tail Gulp and Trout Support weedless lure.

But my current favorite soft plastic lure is the 4" white Glo Down South paddletail rigged on a 1/4 oz. jighead. That sucker works daytime and nighttime in most water visibility.

For hard lures I'm picking the 3.25" Barbaleto LÉLE, an incredible darting dervish that has landed big specks, Redfish & flounder. They're expensive but worth it. Their colors are shiny and holographic, and I'm throwing the green color.

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[Ron Mc]

see, DD can't choose either

[Dandydon]

Ha ha! Lawyers like to bend rules.

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[SWFinatic]

I catch most of my fish on a 3" curl tail grub in pumpkin with chartreuse tail on 1/8 oz twist lock jig head. I won't go without it. I can swim it over grass, bounce it off the bottom or even crawl it across the bottom. The curl tail Gulp is also very good.

[2 Weight Willie]

I like the egret wedgetail 5in eel for late summer and fall, but any other time just a gold spoon

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[OldTownYakBoi]

For me it depends where I am. I know we are on a kayak forum, but if I’m fishing the surf, I can easily have a catch 2000 (Suspending twitchy bait) tied on all day and not think twice about it. I’ve caught all of my PB trout in the surf on this lure. Biggest one was 27 in. Black tip sharks and Spanish Mack’s love em too.
Ya

Now if I’m off into the bays I prefer a larger profile paddle tail, 4 - 5 in. My plastics of choice are a 4in Norton Bull Minnow Chicken on a Chain or a 5 in Hogie Super Minmow Plum Chartreuse. Especially in the Galveston area where the water is dirtier I want a larger profile that’s creating more vibration. Overall for me I tend to follow the mantra of “Bigger bait, Bigger fish.”


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[OldTownYakBoi]

I don't want to choose, but couldn't give up TroutSupportLure - it's too fun to fish, and I've had many successful days fishing through just one lure.
My buddy Lou, every big fish he's caught has been on TSL chicken-on-a-chain.
Throw in Steve, the 3 of us had successful trips where we all fished nothing else.
Good topic, Tom.
TSL is also another swimbait-hook lure. Swimbait hooks are a bit harder to set, I've never gulleted a fish with one, and they pick up almost no grass.


An aside on gulleting fish - two weeks ago at Arroyo, gulleted an under-sized trout on a 2" Storm-type shad lure.
Was able to chase the lure down his gullet with a hook extractor and release the fish

I’d like to get better and more confident with this lure. I bought a few packs while in rock port but didn’t really give them a chance. It’s been difficult lure for me to learn in stained water where it’s hard to tell what kind of action I’m imparting on it


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[Ron Mc]

Love your surf trout photo

I like the action soft-tip or MM (medium-moderate) rods give it. The best I've used is my Crowder E-series Lite (what they call ML is my MM).
Second best is my St. Croix Legend Glass spinner, but I prefer fishing these on baitcaster, because they very often get grabbed on the splash.
The trick is dog-walk retrieve, even better, what they used to call Half-step as described by Tobin in his videos.
But the key is not to reel the lure, but impart action from the rod, and take up slack with the reel.
It's too easy to overpower the twitch with a MHF rod.

[2 Weight Willie]

I don't want to choose, but couldn't give up TroutSupportLure - it's too fun to fish, and I've had many successful days fishing through just one lure.
My buddy Lou, every big fish he's caught has been on TSL chicken-on-a-chain.
Throw in Steve, the 3 of us had successful trips where we all fished nothing else.
Good topic, Tom.
TSL is also another swimbait-hook lure. Swimbait hooks are a bit harder to set, I've never gulleted a fish with one, and they pick up almost no grass.


An aside on gulleting fish - two weeks ago at Arroyo, gulleted an under-sized trout on a 2" Storm-type shad lure.
Was able to chase the lure down his gullet with a hook extractor and release the fish

I’d like to get better and more confident with this lure. I bought a few packs while in rock port but didn’t really give them a chance. It’s been difficult lure for me to learn in stained water where it’s hard to tell what kind of action I’m imparting on it


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Does tackle town have troutsupport's lures??

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[Ron Mc]

yes, and so does Roy's.
You have to rig them with a swimbait hook - my favorite is Trokar 3/0

they're a neutral-density lure, sink very slowly and suspend - very much like fishing slime line on a fly rod, but you can't dog walk a fly rod.
OldTownYakBoi, you might try these in the surf - they have a lot of success there.

[2 Weight Willie]

yes

Ok, thanks!

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[OldTownYakBoi]

Love your surf trout photo

I like the action soft-tip or MM (medium-moderate) rods give it. The best I've used is my Crowder E-series Lite (what they call ML is my MM).
Second best is my St. Croix Legend Glass spinner, but I prefer fishing these on baitcaster, because they very often get grabbed on the splash.
The trick is dog-walk retrieve, even better, what they used to call Half-step as described by Tobin in his videos.
But the key is not to reel the lure, but impart action from the rod, and take up slack with the reel.
It's too easy to overpower the twitch with a MHF rod.

Thanks! I typically take 2 rods with me when I use the yak. One is a MM Salinity for power fishing big top waters and twitch baits. The other is a ML MF Old 18 Suppressor which I use for soft plastics and finesse applications. The tip is pretty soft on this rod. I’ve watched his videos, I may even be retrieving it properly, but haven’t hooked up on many fish. Probably just need to practice and force myself to use it


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[OldTownYakBoi]

yes
You have to rig them with a swimbait hook - my favorite is Trokar 3/0

they're a neutral-density lure, sink very slowly and suspend - very much like fishing slime line on a fly rod, but you can't dog walk a fly rod.
OldTownYakBoi, you might try these in the surf - they have a lot of success there.

Robin recommends a 5/0 hook but when I’ve used it it was with a 3/0 and seemed to work fine


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[OldTownYakBoi]

My preferred profiles


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[2 Weight Willie]

My preferred profiles


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Is the middle one a hogie superminnow?

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[OldTownYakBoi]

My preferred profiles


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Is the middle one a hogie superminnow?

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Yes top down it is
Top - Catch 2000
Middle - Hogie Super Minnow
Bottom- Norton Bull Minnow

I’m honestly not sure what the color pattern on the Hogie is called though. If you held my feet to the fire I’d throw the Hogie over anything else if I had to


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[Ron Mc]

I mentioned TSL in the surf - exactly what I set up this rig for - haven't used it there...


btw, we're getting way off OP topic of what's your single all-day-long lure

[2 Weight Willie]

My preferred profiles


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Is the middle one a hogie superminnow?

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Yes top down it is
Top - Catch 2000
Middle - Hogie Super Minnow
Bottom- Norton Bull Minnow

I’m honestly not sure what the color pattern on the Hogie is called though. If you held my feet to the fire I’d throw the Hogie over anything else if I had to


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I like the superminnow when I am fishing around drop offs. I don't know why but fish seem to love it on the edge of a flat.

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[OldTownYakBoi]

I mentioned TSL in the surf - exactly what I set up this rig for - haven't used it there...


btw, we're getting way off OP topic of what's your single all-day-long lure

Now that you mention it I bet TSL would be killer in the surf. It suspends in that sweet spot of the water column where the mullet are running. We are definitely in left field haha, especially it being late November but I think it’s still good info. I would’ve never thought to try the TSL in the surf until you mentioned it


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[OldTownYakBoi]

To fish all day, what lure would you choose? My choice would be a Gulp 3" minnow, chartreuse rigged on a swim bait hook with 1/8th ounce weight.

Tombo, which of the big 3 do you catch the most frequently w/ the 3” minnow?


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[Tombo]

To fish all day, what lure would you choose? My choice would be a Gulp 3" minnow, chartreuse rigged on a swim bait hook with 1/8th ounce weight.

Tombo, which of the big 3 do you catch the most frequently w/ the 3” minnow?

Redfish, sight casting.
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[OldTownYakBoi]

To fish all day, what lure would you choose? My choice would be a Gulp 3" minnow, chartreuse rigged on a swim bait hook with 1/8th ounce weight.

Tombo, which of the big 3 do you catch the most frequently w/ the 3” minnow?

Redfish, sight casting.
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Awesome. I wish I had more opportunities to sight cast redfish, so fun.


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[Ron Mc]

Tom has the rig for it in his pedal cat- this is probably stealthier than a skiff with a poling platform, and easier to sneak into sloughs