Getting Rid of Loops in Your Braid

Nothing can put a halt to your fishing like the dreaded wind knot.  Often times they can start many casts before you realize it and by then it's too late...or is it?

The beginning of a bad wind knot often times starts with a loop that gets buried under your line on the retrieve.  In the past we have discussed the easiest way to eliminate that is by closing the bail by hand and giving a slight pull on the line to insure it is sitting on the roller.  You can watch the video on How to Prevent Wind Knots here. 

But what happens when you find a big loop or when your line gets tangled at the reel because it caught a loop and has pulled that loop out causing a mess?  If you try to gently pull the braid off your reel it will continue to twist around the loop and the mess just keeps getting worse.

Here's a trick that our friend, Paul Van Reenen from Unfair Lures showed me on a trip last year.  Simply loosen the drag all the way, open the bail, and instead of pulling your line off the end of the spool, pull it to the side!  You will do this until you reach the loop and it will unwind itself with no tangles at all.  Then just tighten your drag back down and you're back to fishing!

David
Treasure Coast Tackle

Choosing the Proper Hook or Jig Head for your Monster 3X Baits

By now you have probably heard about the most productive, most durable soft plastic on the market today, Monster 3X.  Once you have selected which bait to use, your next decision will have a tremendous impact on your success with these baits.  Do you choose weedless hooks or jig heads and what size do you choose?

First we will look at the T&A Bullhead Jigs.  They are available in 1/8, 3/16 and 1/4 oz sizes and all of them are designed with a 3/0 wide gap hook.  Almost all of our flats fishing, when we use jig heads, is done with the 1/8 oz Bullhead Jig.  If the wind is strong we will move up to the 3/16 oz for a bit of extra casting distance and to stay in contact with the bait better.  In water over 4 feet deep, if the goal is to fish on the bottom we break out the 1/4 oz.  When choosing which size would best work for you, just keep in mind where you are trying to fish in the water column.  At night in the dock lights, for example we stick to the 1/8 oz even though the water depth can be up to 10 feet, we are trying to stay just under the surface, not on the bottom.

Next are the T&A Weedless Belly Weighted Hooks.  These hooks have been responsible for taking the versatility of Monster 3X baits to a new level!  They are available in 2 sizes, 3/0 and 4/0 and the weights are 1/16 oz, 1/8 oz, 3/16 oz and 1/4 oz.  The most important thing to remember here is to use the 3/0 size with the 3 3/4" X-Move Shrimp, the 3 3/4" X-Swim and the 2 3/4" Slimshad.  Use the 4/0 with the 4 3/4" X-Move Shrimp, 4 3/4" X-Swim, 3 3/4" Slimshad and Ultrasoft Shrimp.  Using a hook that is too small on the bigger baits doesn't give enough penetration to get a solid hook set.  If you remember nothing else remember this:  Small hook for small baits, big hook for big baits!  The best all around weight for the Weedless Belly Weighted Hooks is by far the 3/16 oz.  Since the bait falls more horizontally, the sink rate is slower than the same weight jig head.  But again, experiment and find the size that fits your style of fishing.  The push pin on the hook makes rigging a breeze and being able to present these baits in heavy cover makes them a fish's nightmare.

If you're not sure how exactly to rig these baits that's okay, we have videos on our YouTube Channel that will have you rigging like a pro in no time!

David Jouppi
Treasure Coast Tackle

4 Questions to Ask Yourself that WILL Help you Catch More Fish

Are you tired of seeing the same guys catching fish day in and day out when you look at Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram?  Do you find yourself wishing you could be that "lucky"?  Do you want to know the "secrets"?

4 Questions to Ask Yourself that WILL Help you Catch More Fish

1.  Are There Fish Where I'm Fishing?

First and foremost, in order to catch fish, there has to be fish where you're fishing at!  If you're not getting any bites and you're not seeing any action, chances are the fish aren't biting at the time you're fishing.

2.  Do I Know the Tides? 

If you're fishing near the end of the tide cycle and are fishing through the slack portion, chances are you're not going to catch many fish.  However, if you're fishing when the tide starts ripping, you're very likely to catch the fish.  Often at the change of the tide, it's almost like someone rung the dinner bell with all the activity you start seeing and the bites you start getting.  There are a lot of good tide charts online, we prefer Tides4Fishing.  You can put in your specific area and get an accurate chart for the whole month.

  

3.  Am I Using the Right Bait?

Not knowing what type and size of bait to use can be problematic.  Options for anglers can be overwhelming to say the least.  If you know what size bait the fish are feeding on this will help your decision tremendously.  Here in Florida from Winter through late Spring, we tend to use smaller lures and during Summer through Fall, when the water is warm and the fish's metabolism is high, we like bigger lures to target the big fish looking for the biggest meal they can get!  Having said that, we will downsize if we find them spooky or not feeding heavily.  Our "go-to" baits are undoubtedly the Monster 3X baits.  If you would like to know why or read more about them, you're going to want to check out this article we did:  Introducting the New Standard in Soft Plastics, the Monster 3X!

4.  How are my Casting Abilities? 

How good are you at skipping or casting your lure under docks and mangroves?  The biggest fish will usually be hanging in the shadows waiting for an easy meal to drop in front of their face.  If you're two feet from them they won't chase it and you're left thinking there are no fish there or they just aren't biting, when it's your presentation that's the problem!  Practice casting your lures as close to the structure as you can without hitting it.  Learn to do this and you WILL catch many more fish!

Conclusion

To catch more fish, the 4 things you MUST know are:

1.  If there are fish where I'm fishing
2.  Your tides
3.  Use the right bait
4.  How to skip or cast your lure under docks and mangroves

Do these 4 things and you "hoping" to catch more fish will become a thing of the past, you WILL catch more fish!

David & Erica
Treasure Coast Tackle

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All About the Monster 3X X-Swim

By now you have probably heard of the hottest soft plastic bait on the market, Monster 3X!  Most likely though, the bait you have seen and heard the most about is the X-Move Shrimp.  The X-Move Shrimp is by far the most popular of the Monster 3X line up, but we aren't here to discuss the X-Move.  Right below the shrimp in popularity is the Monster 3X X-Swim.  This bait incorporates a segmented tail and may be even more versatile than the X-Move Shrimp.  The X-Swim is a perfect bait fish imitation that gives the angler an array of options in not only saltwater but freshwater as well!

We rig all of our Monster 3X products on the T&A Bullhead Jigs or the T&A Weedless Belly Weighted Hooks, they are the only hooks and jigs designed specifically for use with the Monster 3X baits.

 Here are just some of the ways you can use the X-Swim to put more fish in the boat:

• Use a sharp upward snap of the rod to jump the bait off the bottom like a struggling bait fish.
• Use a medium speed retrieve with steady rod twitches to imitate a fleeing baitfish.
• Use a fast, steady retrieve and the X-Swim's tail will kick side to side just under the surface.
• In freshwater, rig on a T&A Weedless Hook (1/16 oz-1/4oz) and pitch along cover.  The X-Swim has a subtle action when sinking using very little rod movement, making it a great bait for bass fishing.

Next time you need the perfect bait fish imitation, pick up either the 3 3/4" or the 4 3/4" Monster 3X X-Swim, you won't be disappointed!

David
Treasure Coast Tackle