Greg Schlumbrecht likens bottom-fishing soft plastics on the Causeway to bass fishing.
“It is almost identical to casting a jig next to a cypress tree,” he explained.
This means typical bass-fishing tackle will work just fine.
Schlumbrecht spools his reels with 17-pound-test Vanish Transition fluorocarbon line, a pricy option.
“The expense is more than made up for by not having a leader knot in the line to hang up on,” he said.
Rods are important to him. His choice is a medium-action, 6 ½-foot Abu Garcia Veritas casting rod with a fast tip.
“I want to feel every pebble on the bottom,” Schlumbrecht said. “We are now in 17 feet of water, and the trout here have a very light bite.
“Most of the time, you don’t feel a strike. It feels like the jighead is stuck in the mud. Sometimes you get a light tap, like this.”
He tapped me lightly on one shoulder with a single finger to demonstrate.
For his reels, Schlumbrecht sticks with Abu Garcias. He likes the drag system and the 7.1:1 gear ratio on the Revo STX, which allows him to take in a lot of line quickly.
“You’re not working the bait back to the boat fishing structure,” he said. “Once I have worked a (piling), I want to get the bait back to the boat quickly for another cast.”
His biggest piece of equipment is the one his life depends upon — his boat.
“You need a big, safe boat — and even then you have to pick your days and keep an eye on weather patterns,” he said. “It gets nasty out here quick; 15 minutes from dead calm to 5-foot seas.”
Finally, Schlumbrecht calls a trolling motor “absolutely essential” because this isn’t anchor fishing.
