How To Find Feeding Inshore Saltwater Fish (Like The Pros)
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
Have you ever wondered how professional saltwater anglers catch more fish than everyone else?
Luke and I recently got to go snook fishing with world-record holder, Capt. Peter Deeks.
It was an eye-opening (and drag-screaming) experience.
Not only did he know exactly where the fish would be, but he also knew exactly when they would start to eat.
We pulled up to the spot early, waited around until he said the fish would start biting, and then it was on like Donkey Kong!
And the sad thing is, there was another boat close by that left right before all the action started!
Can you imagine sitting in a spot for an hour with nothing to show for it, then leaving right when the fish started feeding?
You might already be doing that without even knowing, so tune into this podcast to see what separates the world-class fishermen from the weekend warriors.
You can watch the video version of this podcast below, listen to the audio version by clicking the play button underneath it, or listen to it on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
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How To Find Feeding Fish Like The Pros [VIDEO]
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How To Find Feeding Fish Like The Pros [PODCAST]
Note: Don’t forget to subscribe to the Salt Strong podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
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Related Podcasts:
- LIVE BAIT UNDERWATER STUDY (SHOCKING RESULTS)
- HOW TO CATCH TROPHY TROUT USING LIVE BAIT (WITH CAPT. PETER DEEKS)
How The Pros Find Fish
The pros know and pay attention to the little details that most other anglers are completely unaware of.
Because Capt. Peter is on the water often and has a network of anglers who fish the same area, he knows exactly what the snook are doing in that area every single day.
He knows the macro trend, which is that snook are close to inlets during the summer, and the micro trend, which, in this case, is that snook like to feed near these docks at the end of the incoming tide.
So if you want to really step up your fishing game, start taking notes about what’s going on on the water and start building your fishing network.
Of course, that’s a lot of work, so if you want a short cut to doing that, join us in the Insider Club.
You’ll automatically have access to a network of over 15,000 anglers and you’ll be able to see years worth of reports and trends.
You’ll also get our Weekend Gameplans where we tell you exactly what the trends are right now so you can go out and catch more fish right away.
Click here to learn more about the Insider Club.
2 Common Fishing Mistakes
We touched on two big mistakes that most anglers make:
- Approaching the fish poorly
- Ignoring current trends
Most times if you’re in a good spot but not catching anything it’s because you approached the fish poorly.
It’s usually not a lure problem (which is what most people think).
It’s probably that you either came in too loud and alerted the fish that danger was in the area, or you’re presenting your bait or lure the wrong way.
If you’re in a good spot, leave the fish for 20-30 minutes to settle down, and then return and make sure you’re retrieving your bait or lure with the current.
The other big mistake we covered is that people often ignore current trends.
This is an easy mistake to make, and even Luke makes it sometimes!
Here’s the example he gave:
Let’s say you’re catching fish near the deep side of a dock, but then the bite eventually slows down.
What do you do?
Well, the trend for the day is that fish are feeding in deeper water, so you should go find some more docks near deeper water.
However, many people go to a spot they’ve caught fish previously at, even if it’s an area like shallow mangroves (which is the opposite of what that day’s trends are).
To stop making this mistake, be sure to take note of what’s happening now and stick to those trends.
Why GPS Spots Are Practically Worthless…
This might be confusing…
Capt. Peter Deeks had his spot that produced a ton of fish, so how can you say that spots are worthless?
Well, if I told you the exact spot, but didn’t tell you what time of year or what tide, then most of the time you go to that spot, you’d not catch anything.
It’s all about the trends.
If you know that big snook like to feed under deep docks near inlets and passes in late summer at the end of the incoming tide, then you can take that knowledge and go catch fish.
Live Bait Myths
Here’s a big misconception: when you use live bait, every fish will want to eat it, you just need to get it in front of them.
That’s not true!
There’s actually more game fish than you think, and big fish are smart so they know when something isn’t right.
Unless your bait looks natural, you have a slim chance of catching anything, so be sure to use appropriately sized hooks and weights when rigging up your bait.
To learn more about how to rig live bait so you can catch more trophy fish, check out the brand new course Capt. Peter Deeks recently created.
It’s called Underwater Bait Forensics and it’s full of videos showing how baits actually look underwater, so you know the best way to rig them in different scenarios.
Learn more about Underwater Bait Forensics here.
Conclusion
What separates the pros from the amateurs is paying attention to the little details and being in the right spot at the right time.
To step up your fishing game, start taking notes of what’s happening on the water and build your fishing network.
And if you want a shortcut to doing both of those things, join us in the Insider Club.
You’ll get:
- An instant network of over 15,000 anglers, including several guides like Capt. Peter
- Access to hundreds of reports, so you can see previous spots and trends
- Access to our Weekend Gameplan where we literally tell you the trends of what’s happening on the water now
- Discounts to our online tackle store
Click here to join us in the Insider Club.
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Great stuff Guy’s… You were talking about people finding spot’s with all the elements and not catching fish. I see it on every trip that I guide. Presentation of the lure is such a huge part of being successful. I am constantly telling my clients that you have to hit the spot and work your lure into the zone…. Even when your on biting fish, if you don’t get your bait into the zone your not going to be successful… Keep up the great work… Tight lines
My biggest problem with finding the right time to fish is when I find a good Oster bed or any area. How do I get around all the needle fish. I have a couple of sweet honey holes but a lot of times it’s loaded with needlefish and other junk fish.
I have found that the “right” time for a spot has less to do with the specific time of day (e.g. 10:07 am), and much more to do with tide phase (beginning, middle, end, current speed & direction), water temp, etc.
Luke when Joe comes in with “like diamonds” to me brings a smile to me everytime and I get pumped for the next episode..i love it! Screw everyone that complains! But anyway it’s amazing learning with you guys and Captain Deek’s experience makes total sense. I never understood the concept on trends, and you guys are 100% right. There’s never a secret perfect spot…which i proved as well to my friends that swear on their spots. They listened to me. And guess what…they caught crazy fish on a slow day…i recommended to switch a spot that felt right to conditions according to what I learned ever since I joined the insider club. And let me tell you my friend fished all their lives…but they stick to old routines. Now they see fishing styles that I enhanced them to see with your help. They don’t know where I get my intel…i want to always one up my knowledge.I will forever thankyou guys to gain a passion i never had. Theres always room to learn and will always keep learning.
Like Diamonds!!!! Thank you Franklin
Joe, I’ve been following you guys for four years now and you said something early in the video that’s really got me perplexed. It’s really quite a paradox that I’m still trying to wrap my brain around.
Is it possible for Luke to have “one of the best mullets…”??!!? I keep repeating it to myself but the answer eludes me.
I’m embarrassed that I was so unaware of this facet of Luke’s expertise. I dearly hope that Luke is working on a mastery course for this. 🙂
Hahahaha. This is epic.
Guys, about a month ago you loaded a video where you’re talking about the Smart Tides in the insider club and Joe made specific mention of a new feature he called “Striking Spots”, He even showed it on the video.
This feature was supposed to have some spots marked already (with red lines) on a specific area as the ideal spots for that specific day / location according to the Smart Tides.
I’m I correct on this ? is there such a thing as the “Striking Spots” feature anywhere in the insider club? cause I cannot find it.
Thank you
Coming very soon!
I love the insight you two provide…
Thank you for all of your support, Mark!
Great advice. Very cerebral fishing. My only question is what are the GPS coordinates of that spot? 😎👍🏼
Capt. Deeks will cut off our fingers if we tell…