Hello
WeeWee,
That's a handful of questions… and it will take a few pages to answer those questions. In sake of time… I will give you a "general" overview and let's work from there….
1) How do you "work" these rips when a) water is incoming, b) water is slack, c) water is outgoing?
It all depends if the jetty is in the bay or ocean front…. But since we are using the Shinne**** Jetty as an example… here's how I would work it.
Incoming: I generally work the first and last two hours of the tide! Depending on what I use, I generally cast my offering west of the point and work the sweep (water flow) until the end of the bend (rod facing Northeast position). Majority of the hits will happen along the bend!
slack: Depending what part of the season I am fishing (lure selection) …this is the time where the fish are on the move and "presentation" is crucial! What do I mean by that? It's simple… Unlike the strong current where fish have little time to decide…Due to lack of current, the fish will follow your offering and have plenty of time to examine your offering! Therefore, a slow moving lure is key! Blind cast around because the fish can be anywhere!
Outgoing: Work the ledges and along the rip line! Once again… I am taking Shinne**** as an example and this is how I would work the ebb tide. I would cast my offering from NE point (outside of sweep line) and let the current take my offering along the rip line. Remember to work close to the bottom!
2) Preferred color for bucktail jigs and pork rinds for different times of the day? What "style" of bucktail is best (e.g., "smiling Bill" vs. "bullet head")? How heavy should we go (3 oz)?
To be perfectly honest with you… You really can't go wrong with a white bucktail tipped with a white pork rind during any given time of the day! However, if I were fishing a dark night (close to new moon) I would use a black bucktail tipped with a red pork rind. Also, during the first and last light of the day (sunrise & sunset)… I would switch it to yellow. As for how heavy I would go? It varies pending on the tide… but the "KEY" is to work it close to the bottom!
3) Best way to weight a live or dead eel to get it down into a rip?
There are MANY ways to rig a live and dead eels (pending on the tide and condition)… the most common is to use a simple big game hook and hook the eel starting from the bottom chin up and out of one eye socket. If the eel is dead… I would rig it! Again… there are MANY ways to fish an eel…… the key is to work it really sllllllooooowwwww!
4) What kind of rod, reel, line and leader (lb. test) setup is best to work with, especially in the dark of night?
This is a matter of preference and it also depends what you are tossing! Here are some of my general usages and you can work from it.
1) Big plugs & Eels - Conventional (11', Newell 332 or Amb. 7500c3 filled with 60lbs. braid with 60-80lbs. shocker leader)
2) Bucktail and mid size lures - Spinning (11' Lamiglas GSB or XRA 1322, VS 300 or 250 filled with 30-50 lbs. braid tipped with 40-60 lbs. shock leader).
In the event I am using heavier payloads (3 oz.+ bucktails and other heavy offering) - I will use a conventional outfit!
5) What influence do the moon phases have on jetty rip hunting?
I am not very sure what you are asking…
Can you be more specific? Just wondering… How do you know if the jetty is productive or not? What do you look for?
Also, keep in mind that each jetty is different and you still need to get a general idea about the surroundings if its a big fish ambush spot (cuts, rock pockets, next to a deep current, bait, etc…)?
"Crazy" Alberto
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