Using modified lures can put more fish in the boat

Multiple-bait rigs, adding spinners to jigs are just two examples

In the Carolinas, the cool, fall weather brings out anglers from just about every nook and cranny to catch some of the popular coastal fish. Both speckled trout and redfish have food on the brain. And that makes for a perfect opportunity to leave the live bait in the water and stock up with a regiment of artificial baits. Anglers looking to put more fish in the boat can build variations of traditional rigs and unique accessories.

During the fall, specks and reds are filling up as much as possible to prepare for the arrival of winter. This gives anglers a huge advantage. And while artificial lures reign supreme, anglers can out-fish traditional rigging methods and techniques under the right circumstances.

Because reds and trout are ready to feed throughout the day and night, any type of lure or technique that gathers a fish’s attention quickly will produce better under fall conditions. And that includes using live bait.

An angler using artificial lures can easily catch more fish than an angler using live bait. That’s because most artificial lures can be fished faster and over a larger area. No doubt, live bait will become dinner at the right moment. But the basic technique is flawed.

Artificial lures cover more water, more quickly

When using live bait, the presentation is much slower, and bait stealers can easily strip an angler’s hook. An artificial lure is fishing between the time it enters and exits the water on each cast.

Changing color is the first step to getting more bites. Lure companies produce baits in just about every color of the rainbow. But fishermen can further change their colors by dipping them in lure dyes. One of the most popular is Spike-It’s Dip-N-Glow. Red and chartreuse are extremely popular colors.

Sometimes anglers need to go the extra mile by altering lures in an unconventional way.

Capt. Mark Stacy of Ocean Isle Fishing Charters thinks out of the box frequently. His latest creation combines a spinner with a lure that’s already hot. This increases his chances of picking up feisty redfish along the edge of some marsh grass.

“Just recently, I paired up a gold spinner with a Vudu Mullet, and the results have been very positive,” said Stacy (910-279-0119). “The lure, by itself, looks great in the water. But the gold flash and vibration just gets the attention of the fish much faster than the Vudu Mullet alone.”

The Alabama rig, originally created for catching largemouth bass, is another potential crowd pleaser for fall speckled trout. It simulates a single baitfish lagging behind a small school of fish, and it can be trolled or cast.

Click here for tips on catching inshore fish on artificial shrimp.