Capt. Creighton Ward fishes almost exclusively with live shrimp. “They maximize opportunities under almost all conditions. I firmly believe that,” he said.
Shrimp are hooked by impaling a #2 kahle hook under the horn on top of the head. Although he dispenses with it in shallow water and under calm conditions, most of the time he clamps a medium-sized split shot on the line 8 inches above the hook to keep the shrimp from swimming to the surface.
The hook is tied to a 24- to 30-inch 30-pound test Trilene Big Game monofilament leader. Each reel on the boat is spooled with 50-pound test PowerPro braided line. “We don’t lose many fish,” he grinned in understatement.
He uses nothing but Boat Monkey floats, calling them “the most durable float in the business.” Oval-shaped floats are his preference for speckled trout fishing. It offers less water resistance than does the scoop-faced version. “Trout fishing involves a lot of casting and retrieving. Some fishermen get sore arms after fishing all day.”
On the other hand, he feels that scoop-faced floats are a better choice for redfish fishing. They make more noise and are better at attracting redfish. The floats also don’t move much with each pop. “That’s important when you want to keep your bait near the shoreline, where redfish feed.”