How to Target an Inshore Slam

Written by Mike Readling | 12 October 2009

Capt Doug Creek with Jordan Ingman and a big Charlotte Harbor redfish found under a dock in Punta Gorda.

One of the biggest dangers of fishing in any tournament is overconfidence. Knowing you can catch that one fish that will lead you to a win leads you to overlook that fish until it’s too late.

Capt. Doug Creek is a fishing guide specializing in the inshore waters from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor and he knows all too well the danger of entering a tournament and putting one species on the back burner while he tries to upgrade another species.

When it comes to fishing Charlotte Harbor in the fall, Creek said the species that will most likely trip up most anglers is the trout.

“The snook and redfish are definitely doable,” Creek said. “The toughest species right now would be the trout. You think to yourself you can go anywhere and catch a trout. I’ve got caught doing that myself. But what happens is you try to upgrade your snook, or catch a bigger redfish and you end up running out of time and then you can’t get that bite. Sometimes, that’s all the difference in a tournament like this.”

Creek said fishing in any tournament requires an early start. First stop: Bait.

“The bait is pretty easy to find in the fall. There is bait on most of the flats around Punta Gorda,” he said. “I like to catch mine in 3 to 4 feet of water.”

The whitebait is thick in the harbor this time of year, but Creek said he still likes to chum them up and concentrate them to minimize the number of times he throws the net. Chum can be anything from Purina Tropical Fish food to wet cat food or jack mackerel mixed with sand.

Get to the flat just before day light and start chumming to bring the school behind your boat. When the sun gets up high enough to see the fish, thrown the cast net and fill your wells. There is no such thing as too much bait during tournament time.

Kristen Miller with a big snook found close to the Caloosahatchee

The first fish on Creek’s checklist is the snook. Especially if the tide is moving pretty strongly in one direction or another.

With the high fall tides, Creek targets mangrove shorelines that open onto flats. He likes to throw his bait along the edges of the mangroves and let it drift with the tide. The entire time he’s fishing the edges of the trees, Creek is live chumming with smaller baits, waiting for fish to disclose their locations by popping the free-swimming baits.

“You’re going to catch you bigger snook generally in the early morning or later in the afternoon,” Creek said. “If the mangroves aren’t producing, try the bigger holes that are off those islands.”

Capt. Doug Creek and Pfc. Max Garrett with a snook. Max had caught a snook, redfish and "tail-less" trout only two hours into his trip.

With his snook in hand, Creek said the next stop would be anywhere he thinks redfish would be holding. That means grass flats adjacent to structure or a deep drop-off. Basically, any place the redfish can run when he feels threatened or is hooked.

“On the high outgoing tide or the low incoming tides, those fish are scouring the grass flats. Oyster bars are always a good bet, too,” Creek said. “Right now I’m targeting a lot of redfish in the same holes I’m catching snook. All you have to do is look for big schools of fish, figure out which way they’re headed and get in front of them.”

Creek said the closest he would get is just close enough to make a long cast to the moving school. The redfish in Charlotte Harbor are heavily pressured this time of year and very skittish.

One big redfish spot this time of year is the area near Pine Island. There are acres and acres of grass flats that will hold tons of fish and spread anglers out to reduce the anglers. Depending on the power of your boat, it’s about a 20- to 25-minute ride from Laishley Park.

Finally, Creek said he would go after the trout to complete his slam. He admitted he doesn’t target the trout so much this time of year because snook and redfish are so thick and willing to bite, but there are a few key tips that will lead to a nice-sized spotty. The trick is to look in the deeper grass beds, in 5-, 6- or 7-feet of water. If you’re fishing live bait, put it under a cork to slow it down, but you might want to consider switching to artificials.

“I do better with jigs and any kind of soft plastic,” Creek said. “Sardine imitations work well, as do hard baits that swim just below the surface.”

The good news is, once you find the trout, there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to be into them for a while. Creek said the best reports have come from down south of Charlotte Harbor on the grass flats.