How to use Hard Bait, Jigs, and Chatterbait to Catch Redfish & Trout
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written by staff writer
When it comes to fishing structure - Capt. C. A. Richardson claims Jacksonville, Florida is one of the best spots.
Working the Nassau and St. John’s Rivers with local Eddie Cabler, Richardson used a variety of hard baits, jigs, and chatterbaits to snag some redfish, trout, and flounder.
Richardson used the Z-MAN Diezel Chatterbait for fish lurking nearing submerged cover.
“It’s a fantastic lure for vibration, swimming action, and flash. It really delivers, not only on flounder but a lot of species that hug up tight to structures.”
Bucktail jigs worked well for speckled trout. Richardson said the Z-MAN Better Than Bucktail jig “does a fantastic job” on trout, especially when you don’t want to tie your own jigs.
As for hard baits, Richardson said he liked the MirrOlure MirrOlip for its vibration and flash running at 3 to 5 feet deep. The MirrOdine XL smoky sardine also appeals to fish hanging around structures, he said.
Other hard baits that worked were the MirrOlure Catch 2000 twitchbait and the Top Dog Jr. topwater bait. “The topwater was calling fish to the top in as much as 12 feet of water,” Richardson said, and the Catch 2000, a finger mullet imitation, works great around oyster beds for trout and redfish.
Richardson said using a rod with medium action and medium flex is important for using a chatterbait for trout because it allows you time to react to a hit that a stiffer rod wouldn’t.
All in all, Richardson and Cabler had a great day using hard bait, jigs and chatterbait for trout, flounder and redfish in rivers with submerged shelter.
“So, did we throw the kitchen sink at ‘em? Yes, we did...I hope we exposed northeastern Florida in a way that you might not have thought about fishing structure.”
“If you ever get an opportunity to go to that part of Florida, I promise you it is a challenge and something very rewarding when you start catching fish here.”
Checkout C.A. Richardson using these hard baits, jigs, and chatterbait in action on Flats Class S13:E1, “Playing Jax,” C.A. is in Jacksonville for the 2019 season premiere featuring structure fishing at its finest!