You say you can’t decide whether you want to focus on flounder, concentrate on cobia, or dedicate the day to black drum? One of the coolest things about fishing at the CBBT is that if you play your cards right, you can reel up one species after the next on one cast after the next. Naturally, you’ll do best if you tailor your tactics to one specific species. But if you come here properly prepared and with the right mindset you can enjoy a mix-matched adventure that can’t be matched anywhere else on the Bay.
Loading for Bear (and Squirrel, and Goose, and Grouse)
Going on a mixed species mission means coming prepared to employ a number of different lures, tactics, and baits. It also means grabbing more rods than you usually might so you can cover the different classes of fish as well as the different techniques. Before leaving for your adventure make a mental list of the different species that have been biting recently (check the Way South fishing reports for the latest intel), and sketch out a mini-plan for each. Then gear up accordingly.
Let’s say the recent reports have mentioned bull redfish, cobia, flounder, Spanish mackerel, and cutlassfish. That’s quite a nice mix, but catching each of these (excepting the Spanish mackerel/bluefish team) requires very different methods and gear. You might choose to grab:
- A relatively heavy fast-action rod and reel in the 4500-ish size range for casting ounce-ish lures to the reds and cobia.
- A slightly downsized rod and reel with a slower action for drifting baited Fluke Killer rigs for flounder and light-tackle trolling for cutlassfish.
- Jigheads and large paddletails for reds.
- Live eels and the appropriate rigs for cobia.
- Minnow and squid for the flounder.
- Small swimming plugs and casting spoons for the cutlassfish, mackerel, and bluefish.
The exact choices will vary from angler to angler since we all have our own favorite baits and tactics, but you get the picture—paint yourself a mental picture of the different options you’re likely to encounter through the course of the day, and gear up in such a way that you can cover all the bases.
Mixed Species Fishing Frame of Mind
The critical element here is making sure you don’t become hyper-focused on any one species for too long. Tell yourself that if you fish for two hours for any single species and come up empty-handed, rather than sticking with it be willing to let it go and move on. Different fish bite differently from day to day, and when you’re drawing a blank on one species there’s every chance in the world that a different one is feeding hard just a few feet away. The sheepshead refuse to bite? Rather than waiting them out put away the crab baits and shift to targeting flounder. You can’t find the schools of bull redfish? No biggie, those birds on the horizon tell you that if you tie on small spoons you’ll soon be reeling back Spanish mackerel or blues. Bob, weave, and embrace the change.
On the flip side of the coin you may have a very different problem to address: a bite so good you never want to leave. This is a great problem to have, but let’s say you found a school of slot reds chewing hard and have a half dozen in the box. Do you really need to keep banging on them until you hit your limit? Or, is it time for a round of high-fives followed by moving on to a different species? It’s hard to leave the fish biting, no doubt, but if you begin the day by reminding yourself that the goal is species diversity rather than raw numbers, shift gears can lead to a completely new micro-adventure of the day.
Which Way the Wind Blows
To enjoy this sort of open-minded adventure it’s also important to follow Mother Nature’s lead. Maybe you planned to start the day by casting to monster redfish gathering on the east side of the fourth island on an incoming tide, and arrive to discover that a stiff south-east breeze has turned these areas into a washing machine. It’s a constant battle to keep the boat in position and no small chore to remain standing as the boat bobs and rolls. Why fight it? Instead, head for the edges and drops near the first island where you’ll be sheltered from the wind and have a good shot at flounder.
There are plenty of other curveballs Mother Nature might throw your way. Heavy cloud cover can dash your plans for sight fishing. A too-strong current can make sheepshead fishing tough. Word of a hot bite can draw a thick crowd of boats to one spot or another. The bottom line? Rather than trying to force the issue and battle with Mother Nature, shift to a spot, a species, or a style that’s in harmony with her and your chances of success go way, way up.
Is deciding to embark upon a day of mixed-bag fishing going to produce epic trophy fish? It’s always possible, but it’s certainly less likely to than focusing in like a laser beam on one specific target. If what you’re after is an angling adventure, however, the results may well be epic indeed.