Year of the doormats

[zwiggles]

Good eats right there!

How do they fight? I imagine they must put up a good tussle?

[SHaRPS]

Yes... I've been chasing them... but all I'm finding are shorts!! I will crack this code soon.

If you are getting shorts, you are in the wrong spot and your just going to work all day to find 1 or 2 keepers. Keep searching, get away from the crowds and do short tight drifts if you find a keeper. Color has been key this year as well.

[SHaRPS]

Good eats right there!

How do they fight? I imagine they must put up a good tussle?

Hey Z.

When you get small ones, less than 4lbs, they shake their head when hooked and then they come right up. Once you get to that 5-8lb range, you hook them, you kinda feel stuck on the bottom and then you feel a head shake as they come up. You get some cranking on them and then a solid pause as they fight you and neither of you are gianing ground until they tire out and maybe do that one or 2 more times. When you get over 8lbs, they do all of the above plus peel drag on you more than once. Heavy pull and sometimes feel like a striped bass of 20-30lbs. The big ones always have a way to let you loose as well and you get 1 shot at them with the net. Choose your crew wisely. lol

[lowaccord66]

They are aggressive fish.  Known to actually blitz at times on the surface and will eat a popper.  That is the extent of my fluke knowledge. 

[SHaRPS]

They are aggressive fish.  Known to actually blitz at times on the surface and will eat a popper.  That is the extent of my fluke knowledge.

Spot on. They are predators and not scavengers. We had one follow our jig 70 feet off the bottom last weekend. I would say that 60-70% of the time I can predict a bite by watching my screen. When they feed, they come off the bottom and you can see them prior to drifting over them with your bait. 

[Jethro]

If you are getting shorts, you are in the wrong spot and your just going to work all day to find 1 or 2 keepers. Keep searching, get away from the crowds and do short tight drifts if you find a keeper. Color has been key this year as well.

Sounds good, I'm going to keep at it!

[elevatorman]

Nice 👍