# Artificials for SW Florida backcountry?



## rovster (Aug 21, 2018)

Hey all, haven’t fished many artificials since my bass days 20+ years ago. We mainly fish live shrimp and whitebait in SW Florida and I wanted to start dabbling with artificials. We mainly target reds with occasional trout and snook and whatever else is swimming out there. I know soft plastics like gulp and Zman are popular since most of the bait shops are loaded with them.

I was hoping for some suggestions on particular brands, colors, sizes etc. I would also like suggestions on rigging and use (jig head 1/4, 1/8, weedless, those weird weighted hooks.

Thanks all appreciate the input and pics would be great!


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## rovster (Aug 21, 2018)

Forgot to add, we do some sight fishing and also cover ground with trolling motor casting to the mangroves.


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## SWFL_Gheenoe (Aug 24, 2017)

Im by no means a professional, so take this with a grain of salt...
my go-to rod 99.5% of the time has a 1/8oz or 1/4oz weedless jighead and a zman jerk shad on it. 
Other honorable mentions are 3-4" paddle tails with a 1/8 or 1/4oz weighted hook, great search baits and can cover some big water with them.
New penny, rootbeer, mullet or a dark silver w/ black or green top are my favorite colors. 
Lately been using 20lb leader, but 30 is a pretty safe bet if youre around some sketchy docks or mangroves.
Keeping some heavier jigheads isnt a bad idea too, once the current starts ripping 1/4oz wont do all that much if youre fishing slow


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## Seawoods (Feb 4, 2019)

Same as bass fishing, the choices are endless and are many of the same lures. Here is my not very short list: 1. For me it is impossible to beat a 1/8, 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 oz jig head (depends on the depth and current) with a white gulp 3" mullet tail. 2. DOA Terroreyz (1/4 or 3/8 black and silver or green and silver) if I'm not using the Gulp. These have worked great for me around mangroves, passes and the beach. 3. 1/8 or 1/4 weedless gold spoon. 4. Spook Jr. in bone. 5. Mirrolure 21 propbait, (the 5M, black or green back and silver sides, works great too, but I like the smaller size). 6. Bomber long A, size 14 - 2 hook size - with silver sides.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

1/4oz jig head with a gulp shrimp skipped under the mangroves will get you something.


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## sjestok (Sep 17, 2019)

I'm personally very partial to a specific brand of soft plastic, as they are tough as hell, last forever, and I've caught a bunch of fish on them, but certainly not an expert either. If I'm throwing soft plastics, I'm either throwing a Slayer Inc. Sinister Swimtail 3.5" in either Pinfish or Bounty Hunter on a Z-Man Trout Eye jig head in 1/4 or 3/16oz or the other I'm throwing is also by Slayer Inc. 5" twitch bait in Houdini on a 1/4oz 4/0 weedless worm hook with twist lock


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

I'm in the Big Bend (have fished SW FL quite a bit), but these lures are the ones I most often have tied on:

Rapala Skitter Walk topwater plug. I prefer the smaller version for trout and reds in black/chrome, white/red head and gold variations. Tie on with a Lefty Kreh loop knot to fluorocarbon leader (20-pound for my area, you will probably want to bump to 30 at least with snook possible)

DOA 1/4-ounce shrimp. Near clear, gold flake/glow, holographic and root beer. Kreh loop and slow twitches. Rigging one under a clacker-style cork is also deadly.

Aqua Dream weedless J-hook spoon. Gold is the standard, but the chartreuse works well in clear water, pink in stained. I downsize to the 1/4-oz in the winter and 3/8-oz the rest of the year. Reds, trout and snook will all eat them.

I do have other lures in my bag, including DOA swim/jerk baits, plus some MirrOlure and Unfair Lures hard plugs. The DOA 2.75 shrimp in new penny is a good one for sight-fishing with a quicker descent and I've also been using some Trout Support Grasswalker jerk baits in various colors with good success.


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## Featherweight (Jan 7, 2020)

All above are good. Don’t forget gulp shrimp new penny. Sebile super swim soft jerk baits. 

Buck tail jigs white and brown are fairly essential


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Get a few bags of Down South Lures original and smaller burner shad sizes in Chicken of the C color and fish with a light (1/8-1/16oz) jighead. It catches fish from south Texas to Florida, I’ve done it.


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## NealXB2003 (Jun 8, 2020)

Zman redfish spinnerbaits are hard to beat. Regular bass spinnerbaits will get the bites, but won't hold up to anything larger than a rat red.


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

For folks who are somewhat new to using artificial baits, I might suggest the Berkley GULP Swimming Mullet in white. Rig them on an 1/8" jig head and toss them near the mangroves, lay downs and other structure. Just a slow steady retrieve, or a jigging motion--twitch and pause. The tail really does all the work for you. Great bait for snook, trout, small tarpon, black drum and reds. Just make sure you rig it straight. Good luck!


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## Zika (Aug 6, 2015)

Naw, the scent in Gulp does it. It's menhaden oil, designed and tested at the FSU Marine Lab at Turkey Point. Might as well fish bait.  You won't catch as much trash fish with the real McCoy.


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## fs18 (Dec 27, 2010)

A


NealXB2003 said:


> Zman redfish spinnerbaits are hard to beat. Regular bass spinnerbaits will get the bites, but won't hold up to anything larger than a rat red.


Are you catching redfish in SW Florida with a spinner bait? Man... I've tried that a few times with no luck. As for the soft baits just get a shrimp imitator, 3" paddle tail and 4" jerk bait. Put it on a 1/8 to 3/8 jig head or weedless. Also I have had pretty good luck this year with a ned head and a TRD TicklerZ. Mostly the super stretch baits are going to last longer against pinfish and puffer fish bite offs. Plenty of good colors out there...some of my go to's... white, baby bass, avocado with red flake and something with a chartreuse tail.


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## Snookicide (Oct 16, 2019)

Shallow flats/shorelines and mangroves are 95% of what I fish in SW Florida. The best bait by far is the one you have the most confidence in (because that you is what you will throw the most, remember time on the water, fishing), I prefer an Exude RT Slug on a 3/0 standard worm hook (I prefer Owner, as it is nice and light) and will rig it with the hook point in the pocket. Other rod has a jig head typically 1/8 oz. High quality with dual barbs and a shorter shank hook (Mission Fishin) and an RT slug or smaller profile paddle tail if bait around is smaller. Occasionally (and I can’t remember the last time I threw a 1/4) I will go with a 1/16 oz. jig head. For color I like gold tone baits, but will change to others if I’m not getting bit. The key is how how I will work the bait, trying to keep it in the Strike zone as long as possible while keeping it moving. I have fished Exude next to a guy fishing Gulp and outfished him 5 to 1, but then took the Gulp and the results were very similar. Remember most lures were designed to catch fisherman not fish. I do throw a fly, will rarely throw a hard bait (but did like a smaller bait with an action like a Zara Spook, but the name is escaping me, not the Spook Jr.), fish shrimp when less experienced are with me and can’t tell you the last time I netted whitebait.


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## Ben T (Jan 17, 2020)

I have been having good luck with VuDu Shrimp and white Slam Shady paddle tails in the Ten Thousand Islands area. Been catching trout, jacks and snook. If I had to pick one, it would be the white paddle tail.
Good luck!


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## rovster (Aug 21, 2018)

Thanks for suggestions heading to BassPro tomorrow to see what they have and stock up. Definitely some paddle tails and shrimp on the list. Fishing Everglades next week let’s see how it goes. Thanks all!


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Many of us use leadheads in the backcountry and along shallow, flats-type shorelines all of them with either Gulp or plastic tails. I began making my own leadheads (and bucktail jigs) years ago and quickly started making them for anyone that wanted them. Here's the advice about them that I provide when asked... 

For less than four feet of water use the 1/8oz. head, for four to eight feet of water - the 1/4oz. heads, for deeper waters -or where there's a current go up to 3/8oz lures. All of this is meant for spinning gear - plug casting may require you to start with a 3/8oz head then go a bit heavier or lighter depending on what your rod will work well with... None of this is hard and fast - there are days when a light 1/8oz head is perfect for a bit deeper water - provided you count it down into the strike zone before retrieving - or vice versa - some days a 1/4oz. head, worked quickly in relatively shallow areas does quite well - as long as you start retrieving the moment it lands.

Here's a pic or two of the heads I make... all of them are only $1 each in any size and the color is up to you... I have folks that buy them by the hundreds... 


























Each comes with a very sharp black nickel hook is powder coated - then baked for a few minutes to harden the finish..


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## DBStoots (Jul 9, 2011)

Bob's jigs are hard to beat--I have been using 1/8 oz (in chartreuse) and 1/4 oz (in red) pretty much as he describes. Highly recommend them!


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