Topwater: Berkley HighJacker Saltwater
“I’ll use the HighJacker Saltwater most often for shallow-water fishing due to its higher pitch sound. I truly think it attracts more fish. Tie an Albright knot from main line to the. leader, and then a loop knot to the topwater for as much action as possible. My favorite technique is to work the bait fast and furiously. I use this bait a lot faster than most anglers probably do and I see a higher percentage of hookups with the bait having three hooks.” — Travis Land, Redfish Tournament Pro, Seguin, Texas
Jig: Buggs Fishing Curl-Tail Redfish Jig
“The Curl-Tail Redfish Jig so successful in shallow water for three reasons — it lands softly, looks alive in the water, and imitates a lot of what gamefish eat. Before your first cast, hold it under the water and squeeze the rabbit strips between your fingers. The rabbit hide holds little air bubbles. You only have to do this once, and only for about five seconds. When the rabbit strips get wet they look alive in the water. This jig will land hook point up every time. If you’re sight casting over sand or mud bottom, you can lead the fish and let the jig settle to the bottom. Any current or slight twitch of your rod tip will make the Buggs look alive. Give it some twitches along the way and you’ll engage the rattles on the bottom of the jig.” — Heath Hippel, Owner and Founder, Buggs Fishing
Swimbait: Z-Man Mulletron with ZWG Swimbait Hook
“The buoyancy of the Z-Man Mulletron lets me fish it in the shallowest water—over shallow rocks and grass, in particular. I make a long cast and with the rod tip at 10 to 10:30, I just give the bait a straight, relatively slow retrieve. The chin weight on the ZWG hook lets me bump bottom, transmitting bottom composition (rock, sand, shells, etc.) without hanging up. The floating nature of the Mulletron’s ElaZtech material means I can swim it within inches of bottom, or even slow drag it across the substrate, especially effective for redfish and seatrout. For snook, I simply speed up the retrieve bit and keep the bait up near the surface, where the lighter belly of patterns like Bad Shad or Pearl become highly visible to the fish.” — Capt. C.A. Richardson, Host of Flats Class TV
Shrimp: Savage Gear Manic Shrimp Weedless V2
“My favorite way to use the Savage Gear Manic Shrimp for shallow waters is sight fishing for redfish. This bait works because of its realistic legs and scent, plus natural color options. The bait is available weedless or with hook exposed. All of our coastal fish eat shrimp and this bait looks great. Cast the bait directly in front of a red and twitch it. I use 20-pound leader when fishing this shrimp, so I prefer to tie an improved clinch knot. In waters 3 to 6 feet deep, I rig it 20 inches below a cork and work it with a sharp snappy pop — not a long pull.” — Capt. Tommy Pellegrin, Owner of Custom Charters, LLC, Houma, Louisiana
