Live Bait vs. Slam Shady: Flats Fishing Case Study
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
What do you think would catch more fish?
Natural, smelly pinfish…
Or the Slam Shady?
We recently filmed this on-the-water podcast on how to easily catch fish during bad conditions, and we learned a really important lesson:
Always have lures ready for action even when planning to fish live and/or cut bait.
I was using the Slam Shady while Luke was using pinfish he had just cast netted right next to me.
Our goal was to catch a ton of fish in a short time and one bait definitely reached that goal, while the other failed terribly.
Check out this video to see which bait caught more trout (while the other caught lizardfish and catfish).
You’ll also learn:
- How and where to catch a ton of fish in a short amount of time (even if conditions are bad for fishing)
- The summertime fishing trends you need to know
- How to avoid catching catfish
- And much more
You can watch the video version of this podcast below (which I definitely recommend since there was a lot of fish catching footage), listen to the audio version by clicking the play button underneath it, or listen to it on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Live Bait vs. Slam Shady [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
Click here to get the Slam Shady paddletails
Live Bait vs. Slam Shady [PODCAST]
Note: Don’t forget to subscribe to the Salt Strong podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Click here to join the Insider Club
Click here to get the Slam Shady paddletails
Mentioned Podcasts & Videos:
- HOW TO CATCH SPECKLED TROUT IN THE SUMMER (BEST SPOTS, LURES, & MORE)
- 2 TIPS FOR CATCHING KEEPER-SIZE INSHORE MANGROVE SNAPPER
- DAIWA EXIST SPINNING REEL REVIEW (PROS, CONS & UNBOXING)
Gator Trout Eats Small Trout! [VIDEO]
This was nuts!
As I was reeling in a small trout, a gator trout came up and inhaled it!
I didn’t hook him and he let go once he realized what was wrong, but it was still awesome.
How To Quickly Catch A Lot Of Fish
Here’s how to catch a lot of fish in the summertime:
Anchor up on the edge of a grass flat where there’s current flowing through.
Cast a paddletail (the Slam Shady is proven to work in these situations) up current, and retrieve it down with the current through potholes and near the edge of the flat.
You’ll notice that as Luke was getting the chum block ready, cast netting bait, and cutting bait up to cast it out, I had already caught several nice trout before he even wet a line.
Then, when he did finally hook up, he caught lizardfish and catfish!
So throwing paddletails along the edge of a grass flat is a fun way to get a lot of action and avoid catfish.
Always Have A Plan B
The original plan for this trip was to set up the chum slick, cast net bait, and then cast the bait out to see what we could catch.
I did some fan casting while Luke was setting everything up and since I was catching some nice trout, I just decided to keep doing it!
As you can see from this video, our original plan didn’t work out very well, so always have a Plan B.
Of course, a pack of Slam Shadys and a pack of jig heads don’t take up much room, so it’s easy to always have them on hand.
Conclusion
If you want to catch lots of fish fast, anchor up on the edge of a grass flat and toss out a paddletail.
Sure, live bait might work, too, but in the time it takes you to chum it up, cast net it, and rig it, you could already have several trout in the boat.
Plus, with live or cut bait you’re much more likely to catch slimy catfish.
You can get the Slam Shady 2.0 here.
Have any questions about catching a lot of fish with artificial lures?
Let us know down in the comments!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store (where we sell these jig heads)? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
Related categories:
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).
Went fishing about a month ago up near pepper fish north of Horseshoe in northern Fl. I was throwing the Zman Slam shady 5″ paddle tail on a 3/16 oz Zman redfish eye. We also had live bait out. I caught a 26″ red and two trout, one was 24″ the other was 22″ along with a few smaller trout and reds. My buddy caught nothing until I finally convinced him to try the Slam shady, then he started catching as well. Live bait was a complete bust that trip, so it goes to show that you just never know what the fish are feeling on any given day on the water. Thanks for the videos and sharing your experiences.
How awesome!!! Thanks for sharing the knowledge of how effective lures can be with your buddy.
This is a question from 6 months ago that you did not answer. Could you reply to it? Thanks
Jimmy King
6 months ago
Great job with the podcast. I’m seeing things that I can do since I have no trolling motor or power pole either. I need some clarification on your setup though. Normally you set up and retrieve the lure with the current so it will appear more natural, but here it seems joe is doing some cross current cast but will also cast down current and retrieve against the current. If he is retrieving the lure against the current Is that different because of the chum?
So sorry that we somehow missed the earlier question… Here’s the answer:
Retrieving the lure with the current is preferred, but it’s not a hard-rule that must always be followed (especially if the current is not very strong). In this case, the current wasn’t very fast so it didn’t matter too much. And whenever chumming fish, it matters even less because the chum is kicking off a feeding frenzy up and down the food chain.
what were the details of the spot you chose to anchor up to?
We anchored up on the edge of a big grass flat as it dropped down into a deep channel.
Hi gentleman, great to see the “real” filming without the edits showing fish after fish video, “The Real Husbands of Tampa Bay”. The first time I had a gator trout eat a smaller trout, I was dumbfounded. My personal best trout was 11 lbs 3 oz, that’s the east coast for ya, and I got it on a 6″ mullet fishing for Snook. So I am familiar with their carnivorous behavior. The area where that happened most often, is now a dead zone due to fresh water dumping that killed our grass making it really discouraging.
At the head of the article I see a TA (Tactical Angler) clip on the slam shady. If I use hardware, it’s the only clip I will use. I was actually quite surprised to see it as we are all so prone to using a loop knot. I didn’t see an article about their use but I would love to see a comparison done because they are very helpful in certain situations. Great video on chum use and keep up the good work. Hope to see ya’ll soon. My best to the whole family.
where can I get that chum?
Hey Richard,
It’s actually been very tough to find (only feed stores and some random tackle stores seem to have it), so we’re looking into seeing if we can buy some in bulk for our Insiders. Stay tuned!
I feel half the battle is developing confidence in an artificial, any artificial. I’m going to have to force myself to only take a couple pieces of tackle and work it till the hook ups come.
Very true… confidence is crucial for using artificial lures because most casts result in no strikes, so it’s very easy to start second guessing the lure before the ideal retrieve speed/tempo is found to generate the most strikes.
Great video and topic. I know a lot of people are giving artificials a hard time, however I would much rather catch fish consistently with artificials than using live bait. You guys have proven on this website that you can catch fish consistently with artificials and even catch some big boys, which I really appreciate. I fish offshore a ton, and can tell you that using live/cut bait can be excruciating, with all the blood and guts that get everywhere, the constant bait stealing, and on a tough day it can really be discouraging. All that being said, I love being able to go out with an artifical lure and catch fish and appreciate what you guys prove and show with that. Live vs. Artifical will always be a hot debate, however at the end of the day whatever you are able to have the most fun doing at any given time is what’s most important. Thank you guys for all you do, and I’m proud to be Salt Strong!
Great feedback, Nicholas! We’re blessed to have you in the Salt Strong family!
Trout are sight feeders, catfish are scent feeder.
For clear water, to be expected.
Heavily coloured water will put trout down anyhow.
Using feeders with lots of minced up smelly bits really brings on the scent feeders.
Trout do tend to be cannibals.
Rgds.
Malcolm Hayward.
Great job with the podcast. I’m seeing things that I can do since I have no trolling motor or power pole either. I need some clarification on your setup though. Normally you set up and retrieve the lure with the current so it will appear more natural, but here it seems joe is doing some cross current cast but will also cast down current and retrieve against the current. If he is retrieving the lure against the current Is that different because of the chum?
How are you come ting on this? You are not a SaltStrong member.
I am a salt strong member 🤔
Does it show I am a member now?
Hey guys great video, just loved it. As you said “real and unedited”. Not a 3 day expedition piled into a 20 minute show with commercials! I could watch it all day. Love the total transparency. As far as live bait -vs- artificials. My catch percentage per trip went up 75% once I stuck with the artificials and as you pointed out in an earlier lesson, learned the idiosyncracies of the ones I now use all the time. Still love live bait fishing and when it’s easy to come by will sometimes have it as an option, especially offshore. Hey, fishing is still fishing and there will always be some uncontrollable varibles.
Again, great video and it’s obvious you guys had a blast. I smiled through the entire thing. That’s what it is truly all about. Well done and thanks again. Randy Jones
How are you come ting on this? You are not a SaltStrong member.