Category
Saltwater & Coastal
The ocean gets a vote. Surf, jetties, inlets, flats, nearshore and offshore water all change the scale, the tackle and the safety margin. This is the saltwater side from the beach out to water where Montana feels very far away.
Everything filed under this heading, newest first.
Worth opening first
- Redfish or Black Drum? One Look at the Barbels Settles ItBarbels, spot, tail. Get the identification wrong and the regulation still applies.
Tarpon Breathe Air, Which Is Handy When You’re Looking for One
Tarpon roll up to gulp air, and that roll tells you a fish just used that water. After that it’s about finding the lane adults travel and ending the fight before a shark does.
Spotted Seatrout Have Fangs and Still Tear Easy
Spotted seatrout mostly stay in the estuary they grew up in, hunting grass edges, creek mouths and oyster. The canine teeth make the mouth look tough, but a gill-hooked trout rarely survives.
Red Drum Show You Their Tails While They Root for Crabs
A redfish tail over shallow grass means the head is down working the bottom for crabs and shrimp. Slot fish live in the estuary; the bull reds in the pass are the spawners worth getting back in the water.
Quillback Rockfish Can Be Older Than the People Catching Them
Quillback rockfish can live about 95 years, don’t mature until around 11, and stick close to one reef. Learn the dorsal fin before you keep a rockfish, and have a descending device rigged for the ones you can’t.