76 JANUARY 2018Venetian Causeway and Rickenbacker
Causeway, I use smaller-lipped divers:
Rapala X-Rap Saltwater (SXR12 and
SXR14), X-Rap Jointed Shad (XJS13G)
and Bomber Magnum Long A’s.
While these lures are expensive
and losing some is inevitable, I’ve
recently reduced the number of lost
lures by changing out treble hooks to
single in-line hooks (Owner 3X 4102-
139 and VMC ILS Inline Single 4X
ILS#3/0BNPP). I was concerned about
decreased hookup ratios, but I’ve found
that the single hooks work just as well,
and they are easier on fish to be released.TACKLE FOR
INSHORE TROLLING
High-visibility braided line is a
must when trolling diving lures. The
sensitivity and strength allow for a
controlled presentation in low-
light conditions around structure.When it comes to choosing plugs,
I think it’s really true: You get what
you pay for. The results achieved from
fishing premium-brand lures justify
the higher prices they fetch. Larger
sporting-goods stores might offer their
own copycat models of diving plugs
sold for a few dollars less than the
brand-name lures, but I don’t waste my
money on them. These knockoffs are
made with inferior components: soft
split rings that fail, cheap hooks that
straighten out or plugs with bodies
that lose their integrity — and their
proper swimming action.
My own go-to plugs for applications
deeper than 8 feet: Rapala CountDown
Magnum with a metal lip (CDMAG11,
CDMAG14 and CDMAG18) and
X-Rap Magnum plastic-lipped
plugs (XRMAG15, XRMAG20
and XRMAG30), MirrOlure 25+, and
Bomber CD series (BSWCD25
and BSWCD30). I’ve also had good
success with Halco Laser Pro 160s
(LP160 D, LP160 XDD). For shallow-
water applications (less than 7 feet),
fishing near rock piles and bridges,
such as Miami’s 79th Street Causeway,Above: This jurassic tarpon took a trolled
Rapala Magnum 18 in a mullet color under
Miami’s Bear Cut Bridge. Right: While treble
hooks might offer a better initial hookup ratio,
fish like tarpon are more likely to throw them
than a single hook once it’s found purchase.