There have been a lot of changes in the Carolina surf and inshore saltwater fishing game in the last three decades, but none are more pronounced than the explosion of artificial lures used for catching. There was a time when you were as likely to find a pair of tap shoes in a local red drum angler's tackle box as a selection of lures. Now things are radically different for local anglers fishing the surf and the backwaters.
Once the sports of freshwater bass fishing and inshore saltwater fishing were very different, but the lines blurred quite a bit over the years pushed by a new willingness of saltwater anglers to use lures. Many bass fishermen began to realize you could use lake and pond tactics in saltwater. In the last few decades throwing lures to catch inshore fish like redfish, speckled trout, bluefish, red drum, and flounder has become the norm instead of something unusual.
There were always a few standard lures ol' saltwater vets had in their tackle boxes. Common examples were big plugs like MirrOlures for speckled trout, pencil-plugs (like the original Gotcha brand) for bluefish, and gold or silver spoons for Spanish mackerel. Many of our grandfathers packed bucktail jigs and even some soft plastic lures for trout and flounder fishing.
There will probably always be those who question whether lures are as effective as live bait in saltwater, but there are fewer and fewer of those folks around. The demand and the market for inshore lures exploded years ago, and it keeps expanding.
Just head out to a coastal tackle shop or the local boat show now and you’ll see the results. They'll have rows and rows of every lure you could dream up. As anglers we now have hard lures, soft lures, lures that smell, lures that glow, and lures that vibrate.
It is hardly a secret anymore. The fishing guides were among the first converts, since they discovered you could cover more water quicker with lures than with bait and that scented baits actually were more effective. After that came the magazines, TV shows, book, and websites.
Of course, with the wide use of lures in saltwater comes the fun of debating about which models are the best. Whereas once the argument took place mostly among folks in pier houses and tackle shops now anyone can join in the debate on internet message boards and blogs.
A lot of the discussion centers around which lure feels and smells the most like a small fish to a big fish when the big fish bites down on it. A few years back, synthetic baits that closely replicated natural bait became the rage, and they are now the largest, most profitable lines for saltwater fishing lure companies.
This newest phase of lure development has led to the advent of some brands that are incredibly life-like and realistic. Gulp baits, DOA and Billy Bay Shrimp, Troutkillers, Fishbites, Livetargfet and many more similar brands are about as close as you can come to using natural baits without getting your hands dirty. They are making imitation shrimp now that look and smell like you could grill them.
Another element of the transition to lure fishing is that many lures reduce fish mortality for angler that practice catch and release. This isn't for every lure, but in genreal for fish like flounder, speckled trout, redfish, and ladyfish lures due a lot less damage than live bait rigs if you are just going to rlease them.
The trend doesn't seem to be slowing down with the economy, as buying live bait every time out is expensive and saltwater lures, although sometimes pricey in the short-term, save you money in the long run. Take a look at an saltwater inshore angler's tackle box today and you'll likely see a collection of effective, life-like lures our grandfathers couldn't have dreamed up.
For many more tips and secrets about Carolina saltwater fishing check out my book Surf and Inshore Fishing in the Carolinas
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