When fishing for any of the species that make up the inshore slam, some anglers use the same equipment and some vary slightly. Capt. Addison Rupert uses rods rated as medium with fast tips in the 6-foot-6 to 7-foot-6 range for the majority of his inshore slam fishing. He sticks with spinning reels in the 2500 to 3500 sizes. His choice of line sizes vary somewhat, but he usually sticks with 15- to 20-pound test on the reel, with his leader in the same range.
The exception, he said, is when he’s targeting redfish. Fishing for them around piers and bridge pilings, he needs to get them away from the structure quickly, so he beefs up his line and uses 4000 to 5000 class reels spooled with 60- to 80-pound line on medium-heavy rods.
Hooks in 2/0 to 3/0 sizes are the norm, no matter which of the three species is targeted; he’ll use leaders from 12 to 18 inches long. Rupert also said when targeting speckled trout, he almost always opts for popping corks, which he does not use when trying for flounder or redfish.
“You can certainly catch redfish on popping corks, and catching trout on a bottom rig is not at all uncommon, but if I’m specifically going after trout, I will use a popping cork,” he said.
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