Capt. John Ward of Affinity Charters positioned his boat near a the mouth of a finger creek, fishing the falling tide. As the water level plummeted, redfish started to back out toward deeper water, making any holes great fishing spots.
That’s part of his equation for good April fishing. One exception might be if an incoming tide was bringing in “new” or clear water that the fish might seek out.
“Look for oyster banks along the pluff mud and also notice areas with a hard, shell bottom,” he said. “Any holes you find may hold fish, with a 7-foot depth or deeper being the best, because any currents churn in these pockets and create upwellings, which the fish probe. Creek bends can be hit or miss, so stay with the shells and the holes.”
Casting ahead of a hole, Ward let his bait sink until he felt it reach bottom, then he ever-so-gently started his retrieve, letting the redfish mouth it until he’s ready to “give it to him.”
In quick work, Ward “gave it” to five smallish redfish, then hooked up with a red that had plenty of “shoulders.” It was a beauty that measured 29 inches and broke the 8-pound mark by eight ounces.
“Notice the blue coloring on the tip of the tail of these redfish, which is something that we see more when the water is cooler,” Ward said.
The baits Ward was fishing were Z-Man lures, made in Ladson, S.C., by a company that has been making plastic skirts for name-brand fishing lures for 20 years. Only recently has a branding campaign helped launched Z-Man’s own lures, which feature “ElaZtec,” a material that has proven to be 10 times tougher than other soft-plastic baits, resistant to cuts, tears and nicks. They keep their color and remain fishable a lot longer than other brands, according to Daniel Nussbaum, an attorney turned tackle-shop manager who joined Z-Man to run the company and keep each branch of its operation humming along.
“Our ElaZtech baits get hit hard, but they stand up to the toothy fish very well, and word is spreading about their durability,” Nussbaum said.
Are the new ElaZtech baits are too tough?
Not according to Ward, who said, “It takes a little getting used to running your hook into an ElaZtech bait, but it’s just like anything else that is just starting out; some will try it, while others will be hesitant.”
Ward likened it to the transition fishermen made from using monofilament to braided line — slow but steady.
Ward, 35, said the new management at Z-Man, like Nussbaum, was younger and seemed really invigorated about bringing their lures to the next generation.
“We need to get more of the college-aged kids and younger involved in hunting and fishing, instead of video games and technology,” he said.
The line of inshore products includes a swimbait, the SwimmerZ, two tubes, the SwimToobZ and ToobZ, the UltraShrimp and UltraCrabz, the MinnowZ, the StreakZ soft-plastic jerkbait, and a curlytail grub, the GrubZ.
For more information, check out the company’s website, www.zmanlures.com.
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