A charter skipper I used to mate for showed me a great shallow water bucktail method. Its similar to the float or egg method used to carry out small teasers or droppers you see the schoolie fishermen using:
Simply take a small atom popper or the like and remove the hooks from it, tie 2-3 feet of 30-50# mono to the tail loop, then tie your bucktail on the end. The popper helps your casting distance and keeps the jig just off the bottom. The popper body also serves as a "gaff" to control the fish once you get it close, just grab the popper body when you can reach it. I used to use this method on the shallow flats off chatham and south cape beach with very good success. You can either pop the thing or retrieve it slowly.
It's not the bait
At the end of your line
It's the fishing hole
Where all the fish is blind
A charter skipper I used to mate for showed me a great shallow water bucktail method. Its similar to the float or egg method used to carry out small teasers or droppers you see the schoolie fishermen using:
Simply take a small atom popper or the like and remove the hooks from it, tie 2-3 feet of 30-50# mono to the tail loop, then tie your bucktail on the end. The popper helps your casting distance and keeps the jig just off the bottom. The popper body also serves as a "gaff" to control the fish once you get it close, just grab the popper body when you can reach it. I used to use this method on the shallow flats off chatham and south cape beach with very good success. You can either pop the thing or retrieve it slowly.
WOW thanks for posting. I know where I'm going to give it a try.
^ I should add you don't need to use heavy jigs, either. Put something on that settles down but doesn't pull the popper under water. 1/4 to 3/4 oz works best with a small popper.
Also, its not strictly a schoolie rig...
It's not the bait
At the end of your line
It's the fishing hole
Where all the fish is blind
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