8. Light-Tackle Salt-Water Angling

Today, the chief trend in salt-water fishing is toward the use of lighter tackle. Although the time-honored heavy out­fits still have a place, great numbers of salt-water anglers are finding that they have more fun—and catch as many fish—with outfits no heavier and little different from those used in fresh water. Actually, most fresh-water gear can be

used for light-tackle salt-water fishing. On light tackle, many small- to medium-size inshore game fish, such as striped bass, bluefish, sea bass, shad, yellowtail, mackerel, and croakers, provide thrills rivaling those of the big-game species. While you can use still lighter conventional tackle, the term "light tackle" generally means the use of bait-cast­ing, fly, push-button, or spinning tackle.

Part of the fun of light-tackle fishing is the element of sur­prise; in salt water nearly anything can happen. You may be fishing for weakfish, expecting fish of around a pound or two, and a 25-pound channel bass may decide to take your bait. Snook of around 5 to 10 pounds are great sport on light tackle, and it takes all the skill you possess to handle them; but when a tarpon of 60 to 70 pounds decides it likes the same lure—brother, you've got thrills, and plenty of them.

BAIT-CASTING SALT-WATER REEL CRANK

THROWOUT LEVER

CARRIAGE SCREW BUSHING CAP

TAIL PLATE

LINE CARRIAGE

CRANK NUT

STAR DRAG CROSS PLATE

BAIT CASTING

The first type of light tackle used in salt water was the bait-casting outfit; it is still very popular today, and with good reason. Of all light tackle, bait-casting gear is best able to cope with large game fish; the short rod (about 5 feet, 2 inches in length) and relatively heavy lines are suit­able weapons for big fish. This form of salt-water fishing may be done from rowboats, from the shores of inlets, bays, and lagoons, and from bridges and piers. Wherever fish congregate along the inshore waterways—and there are thousands of these spots dotting the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific and Atlantic coasts—plugs, spinners, spoons, or bait hurled out by the fresh-water (or special salt-water) casting rod will bring a sizable catch.

As I have said, when you are casting from the shore you may connect with large fish that put your tackle to severe tests. For this reason you need fairly heavy, sturdy bait-casting rods, and stronger lines than are normally used for fresh-water fishing. The bait-casting rod may be from 5 feet, 2 inches to 6 feet in length, but for top performance the rod should be of medium or heavy action. It should possess a stainless-steel locking reel seat. The guides should be chrome-plated or stainless steel, not agate.

With the bait-casting rod suggested, your reel may be one of the standard quadruple multiplying level-winders with a line capacity of 100 yards; but an oversize model taking 150 yards is more practical for bigger fish. A drag arrange­ment is a good idea when you are expecting to encounter big fish. And you can bet that you'll be up against them quite often when you're bait casting in salt-water.

Some bait-basting reels intended for salt-water use are equipped with a star drag. The star drag and non-reversing crank (most good salt-water reels have these features) let you become the master of a fighting fish quickly without barking your knuckles on the revolving crank or burning your thumb on the spool. The drag gradually slows down the run of a big fish and prevents the line from overrunning on the spool. You simply set the star drag so that a light tension is applied as a fish takes out line. The tension used is usually set considerably below the breaking load of the line. Turning the drag toward you (counter-clockwise when the reel is held in a fishing position) lessens the ten­sion; turning it toward the fish, or away from you, increases the tension.

Most experienced salt-water anglers adjust the star drag to the medium position. In this way, they are always in po­sition to start winding in line, and to increase or decrease tension according to the pull of the fish, by simply turning the drag. It's a good idea to make gradual tension changes; a sudden change is likely to result in a broken line—and a lost fish. When a fish insists on more line, give it to him, keeping your line taut at all times. As the fish begins to tire, you'll find that by "pumping" on your rod you can grad­ually pick up the slack line.

When purchasing a bait-casting reel for salt-water use, make certain it has the features described in Chapter 2.

A 12- to 20-pound test nylon line is sufficient for aver­age conditions, but 25- to 30-pound test is in order for the heavier, hard-fighting salt-water fish. Monofilament lines of 12- to 30-pound test are also popular on reels designed for this type of line. Where heavier lines are desired, the squidding type may be employed. These lines come in pound test ranging from 12 to 108.

In salt-water fishing it is safest to have a leader between your line and your bait or lure. This leader, which may be 6 to 18 inches in length, should have a barrel swivel at the line end, and a lock snap swivel at the lure or hook end. While nylon leaders may be used, it is usually best to em­ploy those of stainless-steel wire; they need not be any stronger than the pound test of your line.

This brings us to the subject of lures. As in fresh-water fishing, the most popular techniques of bait casting are those employing artificial lures. As a rule, the diving and deep-running underwater types of solid construction are more effective than the surface ones. They must be given plenty of action. Simply casting out and reeling in produces only a small fraction of the strikes that will come with proper manipulation of the lure. On the whole, salt-water fish are more conscious of lure action than their sweet-water cousins, and it really pays to know how to work a lure for them. They like a spurty movement that simulates the darting behavior of a minnow. To do this, twitch your rod tip, reel in the slack, then jerk again, and continue this un­til the pick-up is made for another cast.

The procedure for awakening a drowsy fish in salt water is the same as that used for bass in fresh water. You pick a likely target, cast, and start your retrieve slowly, just in case a wide-awake fish happens to be there. Play the lure very slowly, let it sit quietly for half a minute, then give it a slight twitch by lifting the rod tip. After about six hitless casts, start increasing the speed of the retrieve. Some­times you will get a strike on the fifteenth cast and some­times it takes forty. But if the fish is there, you'll almost certainly get action eventually.

Plugs of various designs, spoons, spinners, metal squids, and feathered jigs are all good underwater lures. But I don't want to leave the impression that top-water artificials should be ignored. Surface plugs such as darters, injured minnows, and plunkers are sometimes more valuable in salt water than the underwater types. Most salt-water spe­cies seem to prefer a straight, darting action rather than the wiggles and wobbles to which many fresh-water fish re­spond. Be that as it may, remember that salt-water fish are very unpredictable and are apt to take almost any cast-and-retrieved artificial lure—that is, when they're in the mood.

Casting techniques, whether employed in fresh or salt water, are the same as those described in Chapter 2. But since the way of playing a lure varies somewhat according to the species of the fish, only experience will teach you which retrieve to use for which salt-water fish at which time—and even then you can often count on coming a cropper.

If you are after bottom live-bait feeders such as sea bass, tautog, tomcod, porgies, halibut, cabezon, sheepshead, corbina, bocaccio, pompano, and kingfish, you will need the right terminal tackle, the proper live or cut bait, and the right weight to get down where the fish live. This informa­tion can be found in the charts on pages 175-180. One gen­eral rule to follow is that the bottom-feeding fish that live mainly on shellfish will not take artificial lures very readily.

FLY CASTING

While the fly rod was designed for a clear, fast-running trout or salmon stream, many light-tackle addicts have re­cently discovered that they may enjoy remarkable catches and unmatched sport on the salty waters with a fly rod and an appropriate lure. Salt-water fly fishing is gaining thou­sands of enthusiastic fans each season as the news spreads. Furthermore, this sport gives you another way to use your fresh-water fly rod and reel, widening the scope of your angling vacations.

Many inshore species along the Gulf, around Florida, and up the Atlantic Coast will take fly-rod lures at one time or another, and when they do the fun really begins. Among these are such skill-testers as tarpon, dolphin, bone-fish, striped bass, barracuda, bluefish, snapper (baby blue-fish), snook, ladyfish, jack crevalle, pompano, shad, and mackerel. Around islands, up rivers, along lagoons, and in inlets you won't lack for action. And of course the favorite light-tackle method of taking silver salmon in Pacific waters is with the fly rod and a hair fly simulating the ac­tion of a candlefish.

Fly tackle for salt-water use should be rugged and cor­rosion-resistant. Rods should generally be 8½ to 9 feet long, and weigh 5 to 7 ounces. Choose a rod with plenty of back­bone—a stiff one—because you will want to handle heavier lures than in average fresh-water fly angling. Rods having bass-steelhead or salmon action are suitable. The new omni-action rods are also very good for most salt-water use.

The single-action fly reel for salt-water fishing should be a large capacity model, preferably one that holds about 100 yards of backing as well as the 30 yards of fly line. It should be finished to resist rust. The reel should be washed after each day's fishing. Simply run fresh water over the whole reel, dry, and then oil it. Automatic fly reels are employed more than ever for salt-water fishing, especially for taking the many panfish species on fly rods of wet-fly action. But automatic reels can't hold enough line to fight larger fish such as bonefish, tarpon, bluefish, mackerel, striped bass, and weakfish.

A three-diameter torpedo-head, or weight-forward line, is the most practical line for salt-water fly casting. It should be made of nylon which doesn't rot in salt-water fishing, and it should be a GAF or GBF. A good line for this work is one with a 14-foot belly section, 11 feet of front taper, and 3 feet of back taper. The backing should be about 15-pound test, but remember that longer yardage is preferable to the heavier test. In salt-water fly casting, your reel must be able to take care of the first long rush when you hit a big, hard-running fellow. That rush will run out your 30 yards of fly line very quickly, and you'll be glad that there's plenty of running line to fall back on.

The terminal gear may be size No. 2 or No. 3 stainless-steel wire leader, 3 to 6 feet long, hitched to the line with a No. 8 or No. 10 barrel swivel. Good lures to try include bucktail and streamer flies; salt-water flies made to resemble sand eels, sea worms, shrimp, or herring; spinner and fly combinations; small fly spoons; feather-jigs; bass bugs and poppers; and midget plugs. Regular salmon flies in popu­lar patterns are also acceptable to the salt-water denizens. The fly-casting techniques described in detail in Chapter 5 hold good for salt-water angling of this type.

With a surface lure, make as long a cast as possible (un­less you're aiming at a rising fish), and let the lure sit for fifteen or twenty seconds before retrieving. The retrieve should be made in short, halting steps, giving the fish plenty of time to get off the bottom and look the lure over. Many anglers are inclined to work too fast. Often the slightest dis­turbance will put the big ones down. The subsurface lure should be fished in much the same manner, the only dif­ference being that a longer time should be allowed before starting the retrieve so as to get the lure down to the depth desired.

SPINNING

In Chapter 3 I stated that monstrous fish could be taken on light spinning tackle. But for most salt-water spinning where heavy lines are employed in a variety of tough cir­cumstances, my personal choice is a medium-heavy action 7- to 8½-foot tubular glass rod with a middle-duty, salt­water, opened-face or closed-face spinning reel. This rig is adequate for casting lures up to an ounce in weight, and the reel affords room for a heavier line; say, of 8 to 12 pounds. The distance that can be attained if the rod has a good strong butt section and a fast tip is truly amazing. This rig is especially appropriate for calm bays, reefs, or jetty work.

For heavy surf, and for large salt-water fish such as blue-fish, bonefìsh, and stripers, a 9- to l0½-foot, two-handed glass rod has the power necessary for long casts, for stop­ping long runs, and for keeping the fish from hanging upon underwater barnacled snags. A line testing from 12 to 20 pounds will handle lures weighing from 1 to 4 ounces, al­though with these heavy lures you will have to use less pressure snap on the cast in order to avoid possible line breakage. Sometimes you can tie on a short length of heavier line to avoid this hazard. A heavy-duty, opened-face reel should be used.

In casting and trolling for the heavy fish, you'll need a stiff rod with plenty of backbone in the butt and a line of 20-pound test to heave the heavy spoons, bait rigs, and plugs a distance of 250 feet. The new omni-action salt-water spinning rods are very successful in this heavy fishing. Fur­ther information on balanced salt-water spinning can be found in the chart on page 47.

Spinning lures for salt-water fish are many and varied. Take all the lures and baits used in conventional salt-water work, add all the fresh-water lures—even down to the tiniest Colorado spinner—and you have the field at your com­mand. Even with your biggest spinning rig, you'll have fun casting for mackerel or pompano with a ¼-ounce lure; or you can switch to heavy line and throw big plugs, heavy spoons, or jigs for stripers. Fresh-water bass plugs work well when equipped with heavier hooks for big stripers and blues. You'll find, too, that it is not always necessary to use big stuff when record-size fish are taking the smaller lures. Consequently, you'll find that a light line can be used —and a lighter rod, too. When you get to that point, you are, in my opinion, really getting the most out of salt­water fishing.

A large assortment of lures is not necessary to salt-water spinning success. Learning how to use the few basic types I have mentioned is much more sensible than collecting all the colors and styles you can find. A few yellow, white, and red-and-white jigs and plugs, and a silver or copper spoon in spinning sizes will give you about as versatile an in­ventory of lures as you will need.

To cast a spinning lure or live bait, follow the techniques described in Chapter 3. With most heavy salt-water spin­ning rods you must use two hands for casting. The cork handle or butt on these rods is longer, in order to accom­modate two hands, and may range from 14 to 30 inches in length.

In the two-hand method, you place your right hand above the reel and grasp the end of the butt with your left hand. Release the line from the pick-up and hold it with

STEPS OF SUCCESSFUL TWO-HAND SALT-WATER CASTING

MAKE-READY BACK CAST FORWARD CAST LINE RELEASE

your right-hand index finger as in the overhead cast. The same motions are used in the two-hand cast as in the one-hand with the exception that the rod is brought lower in front of you, to a spot slightly above the 3 o'clock position. Then bring it back over your head and let it drop behind you to about the 10 o'clock position. Now, as the lure bends the rod, start the forward cast by pushing with your right hand and pulling back with your left. This is done with a quick snap. When the rod reaches the 2 o'clock position in front of you, let the line go, and the lure will sail out a great distance. Timing here is just as important as in one-handed casting.

Line control while the lure is in flight is simple. Place the tip of the right index finger on the line or on the edge of the spool. The amount of pressure you use will deter­mine the amount of braking effect. This type of line con­trol is useful when drifting a bait. Instead of picking up the line in the retrieve position, hold the line with your fingertip. It is then easy to pay out as much or as little line as you want. For the method of retrieving line see Chapter 3.

With the light and medium salt-water rods and lighter lures, you can hold the line with the ball of your index finger as with the one-hand spin rods. But for the heavier rods and lures many anglers prefer to hold the line against the lip of the reel spool. For example, one of the most pop­ular techniques in salt-water spinning is to bounce the lure along the bottom. It will net you catches of numerous spe­cies which are not considered strikers of artificial lures. The best lure for bottom-bouncing is a small, weighted bucktail or nylon jig. To bounce the lure, retrieve it in jerks, permitting the lure to settle to the bottom on a slack line between each whip of the rod. Strikes usually come during the pause between the jerks.

For an effective variation of this technique, drift the boat and drag the lure about thirty yards behind. Work the rod tip to lend action to the bucktail. This is a wonderful way to locate fish—and to catch them.

In a fast tide, spinning jigs and bucktails also work very well when fished "dead," as nymphs and wet flies are some­times fished for trout. The cast is made across the tide, and the lure is allowed to be swept in an arc until it is straight down-tide from the angler. Then it is retrieved slowly, with a darting action. The lighter bucktails in the 1/8-ounce class are in order for this fishing, but in deep water, heavier lures may be needed. This is an especially killing technique for snapper, and produces well with stripers and weakfish.

As I have said, most salt-water fish respond to a straight, darting action rather than the wiggles and wobbles pre­ferred by fresh-water species. For this reason, no other lures are so consistently successful as jigs and bucktails in salt water. They are adaptable to a number of fishing tech­niques, the simplest of which involves no more than casting out and retrieving with a whipping rod motion. The speed of the retrieve is easily varied, and the rod whips may be short or long, making possible almost infinite variations. Because of the great number of ways they may be worked, these lures will nearly always take fish—if anything will.

SALT-WATER STILL FISHING

Most salt-water anglers caught their first fish by bottom fishing, as salt-water still fishing is generally called, and the majority of these anglers continue to do so. They prob­ably outnumber all the other types of salt-water anglers combined.

Bottom-fishermen are lucky; they can practice their sport almost anywhere. Along both coasts and the Gulf of Mex­ico, countless open-party boats are available for daily bottom-fishing trips. They usually charge from $3 to $10 per person, often with bait supplied as part of the fare. Some of the boats rent tackle, sell soft drinks, coffee and sandwiches. Reservations are not usually required. Just walk on board and find a spot.

Many bottom-fishermen go out in rowboats or skiffs, either their own or those rented from one of the many boat stations dotting our bays and inlets. Many piers offer free fishing, but others charge from 25 cents to $2.00 for fishing privileges. Some recreational piers feature added attrac­tions: good food, music, dancing, TV, shuffleboard, and swimming. You can take the whole family and make a pleasantly recreational day of it. Tackle is usually available either for rent or for sale. Docks, piers, and bulkheads are wonderful spots for your family fishing trips; they are safe, dry, comfortable—and generally productive.

The tackle you use in bottom fishing varies, and includes anything from hand lines, bait-casting and spinning gear to elaborate and expensive big-game tackle. Most bottom-anglers use boat rods which usually come in two sections, although some are one-piece outfits. They run from 5 feet, 2 inches to 6 feet, 6 inches in over-all length and are made of tubular glass. These are good for general all-around bot­tom fishing in deep water, and can be used in bays and around piers. The heavier trolling or big-game rods are also used occasionally in bottom fishing for big fish such as amberjack, jewfish, rays, and sharks.

The reels used with the boat rods just mentioned hold from 200 to 300 yards of line. A free-spool, star-drag model is easier to handle than a standard fresh-water bait-casting reel. Of course, with the trolling or big-game rods, you will use large salt-water reels which match the rod and the fishing. Either braided nylon or squidding line, or monofilament with reels designed for it may be used. The size depends mostly on the fish you're after, the weight of the sinkers used, the depth of water and the obstructions you are likely to encounter.

SALT-WATER SINKERS

EGG    HEART          BANK PYRAMID

The numerals indicate the weight of the sinker in ounces.

Many types of sinkers are used in bottom fishing. Each shape and size is suited to a particular kind of fishing under specific conditions. The lightest sinkers are split-shot and clincher types which you squeeze on anywhere along the line or leader. When used with floats or bobbers, they are effective in keeping the bait down in a tide or a current. The egg-, oval-, heart-, or almond-shape sinkers, which have a hole running through the center, work well on wary fish. The line or leader slides through this hole when a fish bites, enabling you to feel the lightest nibble.

One of the most popular sinkers for bottom fishing is the "bank" type. Depending on its size, it can be used in shallow or deep water. Another commonly used is the pyramid sinker for surf fishing on sandy bottoms.

The type and weight of the sinker you use will depend on the strength of the tide or current, the pound test of your line, the depth of the water, and the kind of bottom being fished. It is a good idea to carry various sizes and shapes, especially when you're fishing in new territory.

Probably the most important item of tackle in bottom fishing is the hook. Although you can catch a wide variety of salt-water fish on one kind of hook, specific designs have been developed for individual species. In the next chap­ter, I have listed the most important hooks for various salt­water fish.

SALT-WATER BOTTOM-FISHING RIGS
BASIC BOTTOM RIG   HIGH LEADER RIG

The more popular rigs employed in bottom still fishing are shown in the illustration. The one most generally employed—the basic bottom rig—consists of a three-way swivel, to which a short length of line is attached with the sinker. One of the other loops is attached to the leader and hook, and the third is tied to the main line. Often a pair of three-way swivels are connected to the main line, and two hooks are used. For bottom feeders such as porgies, tautog (blackfish), flounder, and similar species, the leader or leaders are short and are tied just above the sinker.

For game fish and other species which often feed off the bottom—such as striped bass, bluefish, weakfish, and sim­ilar active feeders—the high-leader rig should be used. It is similar to the basic rig, except that the leader (3 or 4 feet long) is tied an equal distance above the sinker, which should be heavy enough to reach the bottom.

Another good old-timer is the spreader flounder rig. The sinker is tied in the center of this heavy wire spreader, and two hooks on short leaders are attached on the ends.

In the surf, a fish-finder is a popular rig. It permits your line to slide through the sinker when a fish strikes, and enables you to feel the pull directly without dragging the sinker. A variation of this is the sliding-sinker rig which is baited with a dead bait fish. The sinker holds on the bottom while the leader and line move freely about "find­ing fish." When you are casting into the surf, the conven­tional surf rig is used; this is similar to the basic rig ex­cept that a pyramid sinker is employed in place of the bank type, and the leader is longer.

The list of natural baits for salt-water fish runs long and endless: bloodworms, sandworms, shrimp, minnows, clams, conch, and hundreds of lesser-known and lesser-used baits. As most salt-water experts put it: "Anything that moves or crawls in or near salt water is good bait... and the more it moves the better the fish like it." Bait is all-important in salt-water fishing (see Chapter 9 for sug­gested bait for various species) and you must be supplied with the quantity and quality and variety that the fish want. Don't skimp on it. Bait is the least expensive part of any fishing trip, so get the best and the freshest, even though you may have to get it yourself. Remember, too, natural bait deteriorates fairly rapidly in hot weather so keep it chilled and as fresh as possible.

Bottom fish are usually fairly easy to find once you know the type of bottom, the depth of the water, and the food they prefer. Unlike wandering game fish, bottom fish usu­ally tend to stay in one area for long periods of time. And unlike game fish, which chase bait fish, the bottom ones feed mostly on crabs, clams, shrimp, and similar slow-moving sea creatures which tend to congregate in a small area.

If you go out on a fishing boat or with experienced com­panions, you will, of course, depend on their knowledge to put you over your quarry. But if you are on your own, you have to become familiar with the area. Buy a United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Chart of the area you plan to fish. This map will show you the type of bottom found in any given spot, as well as the depth of the water and the location of the channels and shoals.

Inshore fish usually congregate around wrecks, rocks, beds of oysters, mussels or clams, reefs, banks, weed beds, wharves, and pilings. Most of these are shown on the gov­ernment charts just mentioned. You can often locate these spots by sounding or by drifting with a baited line over­board. When the strikes begin, anchor, and fish that area. Along our coasts it's usually a simple matter to locate the best inshore fishing spots during the height of the season. You'll see boats of all sizes and shapes standing over them. Anchor near by, making certain that you are not crowd­ing the early comers.

INSHORE JIGGING

Jigging is a time-honored method of fishing for weakfish inshore. It also takes other species—mackerel, striped bass, ling, and bluefish. As a matter of fact, jigging for blues in fast rips is one of the most productive forms of blue-fishing. In this method, regardless of the species, the quarry is located by drifting the boat over deep holes and chan­nels. In inlets and shallow water, small metal jigs—1 ounce or less—with a high shine are baited with worms or a strip of squid, or are left bare. In deeper waters, a heavy diamond jig is required. The line is stripped off the reel until the lure reaches the bottom. Then, with the boat drifting, the lure is "jigged" so that it bounces or dances through the water in a skipping motion a few feet off the bottom. This is accomplished by raising and lowering your rod's tip.

If you get no strikes at this level, repeat the procedure, but this time do the jigging a few feet higher; continue moving upward in the water until you connect. Jigging is usually a blind operation, without recognizable signs of fish. Diving gulls and terns often point out schools off-shore, but the inshore fisherman must find his own targets. You will ultimately locate your quarry at whatever level they are feeding. Mark the spot where the first fish hits, and remember how much line was out. Return to the spot and anchor (this is a good idea whenever you are drifting), jig at the same depth, and the chances are you will be working in a school. Where there is one fish there are usually plenty more.

INSHORE TROLLING

You can do light trolling with bay-fishing tackle, but these outfits are too light for many inshore or near-shore species. It is better to use a boat-fishing outfit which will handle anything likely to strike. Remember that some of those inshore fish put on real weight—tarpon frequently weigh more than 100 pounds, and 40- and 50-pound chan­nel bass are fairly common. You will need equipment heavy enough to stand up under the fast trolling of fairly heavy lures, a strain that would be too much for bay equip­ment.

For this heavy trolling, your leader should be stainless-steel wire in the smaller diameters., which will have all the test that you need. If you want nylon leaders, probably 15 pounds will be as low as you can safely go if you are after a big fish, with 30- and 45-pound test the best if you are trolling fast and expecting to take fish of 25 pounds or more. The length of the leader should be at least 4 feet, but many fishermen prefer to use a 6-foot leader to provide a wider gap between the line and the lure. Of course, the end of the leader next to the line must have a single-barrel swivel; snap swivels are good, placed next to the lure so that you can change lures quickly and lose less fishing time. Don't make the leader so long that you can't reel your fish near enough to the boat to net or gaff it.

Trolling lures are legion. Spoons, spinners, feather jigs, barracudas, plugs, strip baits—these you will probably use most frequently. One of the surest ways to take striped bass is with a smooth-running spinner whose trailing hook is baited with sea worms. Trolled slowly this is hard to beat. It will take weakfìsh, blues, and many others. Use a piece of pork rind or a thin strip of fresh-cut squid if you are caught without worms.

Your trolling speed should conform to the lure you use. You will note that each lure has its own best speed which gives it the most lifelike action. As a rule, you should troll fast (five to six miles per hour) for eelskin rigs and nylon or feather jigs. You'll need that speed to make the lure wig­gle in the water. Even then, working your rod tip up and down continually will give the lure extra dive and flutter. A good strip of cut bait will wiggle more slowly (three to five miles per hour) and is especially popular on the Florida inshore reefs. Many spoons like those used for fluke give their best action at slow speeds (one and one-half to three miles per hour).

In this chapter I have attempted to cover the major ways salt-water fish are caught. I have made no attempt, how­ever, to cover big-game fishing for marlin, swordfish, tuna, and sailfish for two reasons. First, less than one per cent of the angling public takes up this phase of salt-water fish­ing; second, the captain whose charter boat you use will explain the techniques required for landing the big ones.

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