| I have been a fisherman for over 50 years and | | | | Herring jig or some other lead jig to the |
| a charter boat captain since 1977. No matter | | | | bottom. Allow the jig to flutter to the |
| how often I go fishing I can never accept | | | | bottom then rip the bait up sharply and allow |
| fish are not biting. Every fisherman knows | | | | it to fall again. Maintain this action while |
| that fish especially bottom feeders like | | | | watching your line as your bait falls. |
| grouper and halibut seem to refuse to feed on | | | | Invariably a fish will become aggravated and |
| certain days or on certain tides. When these | | | | strike the falling bait. Often when I get a |
| days or times occur I start emptying my | | | | hookup I will allow the fish to remain close |
| tackle cabinet for some magic bait. While the | | | | to the bottom for a short period of time and |
| magic bait is yet to be discovered I have | | | | often other fish will get interested and |
| found a few techniques that will produce at | | | | start to bite for fear all the food may be |
| times cut bait or even live bait fail. | | | | eaten by others. Grouper, snapper and halibut |
| | | | can all go from lockjaw to biting everything |
| My favorite way of catching fish like | | | | in site almost instantaneously. From famine |
| grouper, halibut or even large mouth bass is | | | | to feast often in an instant because jigged |
| to irritate them to the point they lash out | | | | Crippled Herring, constantly creating |
| at the annoyance. For fish like largemouth | | | | attention, aggravated one fish to strike. |
| bass a rapidly retrieved rattle or spinner | | | | |
| bait will induce a strike. For bottom fish | | | | I like using heavy lead jigs for halibut with |
| like grouper, a little more persistent | | | | rubber grub tails, buck tail jigs of all |
| presentation is needed. Often times | | | | sizes based on the depth but the most |
| repeatedly banging your sinker on the bottom | | | | dependable and reliable bait I have used is |
| will attract fish, especially halibut. This | | | | the Luhr Jensen Crippled Herring in all |
| sonic vibration caused by the bait thumping | | | | sizes. |
| or banging on the bottom will cause fish to | | | | |
| start feeding when other methods fail. | | | | Remember when the bite gets tough, open up |
| | | | the tackle box for something, like a lead |
| An even more effective method of catching | | | | head jig or Crippled Herring, to incite those |
| finicky bottom fish is to drop a Crippled | | | | finicky fish into biting. |