How To Effectively Fish Nearshore Reefs With Artificial Lures
- By: Sean Person
- on
Where do you start to fish a nearshore reef with artificial lures?
I had a few hours to quickly get out and hit a nearshore reef after picking my dad up in my boat.
Reefs are always fun and usually, you can catch a TON of different species!
Effectively Fish A Nearshore Reef With Artificial Lures [VIDEO]
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Gear Used On This Trip:
Shrimp Jig Setup:
- Rod: Custom Prototype – Medium-Heavy Power
- Reel: Daiwa BG MQ 3000
- Line: 20 lb J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: 30 lb Ande Monofilament
- Lure: Power Prawn USA Original rigged on 3/4 oz Hoss Weedless Football Jighead
Metal Spoon Setup:
- Rod: Custom Prototype – Medium-Heavy Power
- Reel: Daiwa BG 2500
- Line: 20 lb J-Braid 8 Grand
- Leader: Wire trace into 30 lb Ande Monofilament
- Lure: Spoon Prototype
The goal was to bounce shrimp rigs along the reef to see what we could pick up.
I had both sizes of the Power Prawn USA to try for some tripletail, snapper, or grouper.
Then we were also testing out a new spoon design for kingfish or some Spanish mackerel.
I wanted to be sure I had the right gear to cover way down to the bottom as well as the middle water column.
We started fishing in about 30 feet of water.
So we let our lures fall for at least 10 seconds using a 3/4 oz. weight to get down to the bottom.
The good news is we hooked into fish immediately, but the bad news was all the fish were small.
We kept on moving across the reef to find pockets with bigger fish.
Spanish mackerel were chewing right through my leader and slicing up the Power Prawn so I tossed that new spoon down to see what would bite.
I ended up hooking into a decent blue runner that would make for an excellent kingfish bait.
One of the most effective ways to fish a nearshore reef is to bounce lures and jigs while also having a live bait setup in the water.
I put a hook in the top of the blue runner and let that freeline behind the boat.
Increase your odds of catching fish any chance you get!
After exploring a bit more of the reef we had to pack it in and head home.
Nearshore Reef Jigs
We caught nearly everything using the Power Prawn USA on the NEW Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads.
You can confidently bounce this jig right along the reef in and out of any type of structure.
As far as nearshore rods and reels go, I have the Daiwa 3000 BG MQ spooled with 20lb braid and tipped with 30lb monofilament leader.
The rod I was using on this trip is a new custom prototype coming SOON.
Also, I had some success using the new spoon prototype lure we’re working on as well.
We’re still doing some testing to perfect these products before they’re in your hands!!
Conclusion
We didn’t get the HUGE drag-puller that we wanted but we caught a bunch of different species and found a pretty consistent bite.
That’s FOUR consecutive nearshore fishing trips with cobia success!
Nearshore reef fishing has been a new frontier for me but I’ve had a ton of fun with it and will definitely scope out more reefs near me!!
If you haven’t tried the NEW Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads yet, grab yourself a pack today!!
Please go ahead and ask any questions you may have down in the comments!!
Get Hoss Weedless Football Jigheads
Finding The Fish Help
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. Weekend Game Plans (updated weekly)
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2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. Community Reports (live feed)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
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Hey guys! Did y’all come to a conclusion on the ulterra for the bay boat? If I recall you got tired of waiting for the motor guide to get repaired so you took what was available which was the auto deploy ulterra. You wanted to get the terrova I believe but it wasn’t available. You still like the manual steer motor guide for the skiff I presume? Thanks happy new year!
Just curious. You guys talk a lot about swapping out treble hooks on hard lures with in-line hooks, but the new spoon on this video has a treble hook. Are spoons the exception?
Good to see you fishing with your dad Luke. Nice quick video with good information. I plan on only fishing the inshore areas. I had work in the Gulf of Mexico for 24 years of my long career before retiring and I did a lot of good fishing from the crew boats and from the platforms.