# Fish are there and will not bite



## kingCHASER31 (Jul 17, 2012)

I fished a set of lights last night and the trout and redfish were tearing up the small shad. I matched the hatch the best I could (ttf small glow speck rigs, mirodines...etc) but had no hits on the lures. I did manage to get some small live shad but only caught rat reds. What do y'all do when there is so much bait in the water? I saw a lot of good sized fish but they just wouldn't bite.


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## DCAVA (Aug 5, 2013)

Prolly wrong presentation of the lure, not working it right.

Glow speck rigs work uder the lights, no matter where u are, for trout @ least.


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## LongTallTexan (May 19, 2009)

That will happen sometimes. You'll see 'em stacked up in the light, but you can't buy a bite. Usually a change in tide or current will set them off, and they will start to feed.


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## kingCHASER31 (Jul 17, 2012)

Yeah i don't know. Usually when the fish are there I'm catching them. I just find it hard to compete with the amount of bait i saw last night.


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## robolivar (Oct 7, 2011)

LongTallTexan said:


> That will happen sometimes. You'll see 'em stacked up in the light, but you can't buy a bite. Usually a change in tide or current will set them off, and they will start to feed.


yes to both of the comments made. buuut it is alll about PRESENTATION. try to net some sizeable shad and freeline em ...works for me. sometimes when they are feeding on smaller shad, it takes bigger, more vulnerable shad to get results


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Try a bait called thin fin.


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## txfisherman35 (Mar 10, 2014)

Glow swim baits always work at night for me.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

I also have had them turn their nose up at lures when they are hitting bait hard. sometimes I think there is so much bait in the water that they ignore lures.


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## En Fuego (Jul 26, 2006)

My dad would say "You're not holding your mouth right"
I had the exact same thing happen in Chocolate bay this last weekend. BIG flounder busting the water everywhere chasing little shad - I threw everything I had at them short of dynamite, and could not beg a bite.


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## Aggie87 (Jun 2, 2010)

glow shad and yo zuri 3D minnow in pearl color will work everytime


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## MARK MACALUSO (Sep 29, 2010)

I have had that trouble lately and with all the bait fish I put on a topwater and I guess that Pi$$es them off because they would kill it. Try it .


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## tspitzer (Feb 7, 2013)

x 100 En Fuego if my Dad said it every time we went hunting or Fishing!!!

try a George little fishy in a three inch --works well for me...
and I like to fish the edge of lights seems the bigger ones are there.


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## Zeitgeist (Nov 10, 2011)

MARK MACALUSO said:


> I have had that trouble lately and with all the bait fish I put on a topwater and I guess that Pi$$es them off because they would kill it. Try it .


 A highly respected and referred guide on here once told me, "Why in the world would you want to _match the hatch_ and your bait get lost in the crowd?" Try something different.


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## scotthawk55 (Jun 27, 2006)

I happened upon several redfish tailing a couple of weeks ago and threw everything i could at them including live shrimp with 0 success. i killed me to see them and not be able to even get a bite.


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## duck commander (Sep 19, 2005)

Time to pick up a fly rod...


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## big3slayer (Jun 29, 2008)

you aint holding ur lip right


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## robolivar (Oct 7, 2011)

big3slayer said:


> you aint holding ur lip right


Haha...my ol man always says that..."u aint holdin ur mouth right"
In my experience, when the bait are tooo thick, matchin the hatch always produces best..ur rigging will make the biggest impact in this situation. A wounded vulnerable bait with the right action makes for an easy PREFERED meal.


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## Psychogatortrout (Jul 22, 2014)

yozuri 3d minnow


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## skltex (Aug 13, 2005)

Ran into this situation in Sabine channel several weeks ago threw everything finally tried this Storm lure that was ticket. Have since stocked up on Usual Suspects.

http://www.rapala.com/storm/soft-ba...lor=Glass Minnow&start=1&cgid=storm-softbaits

http://www.hhlure.com/collections/saltwater-lures/products/swagger-tail-shad


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## kingCHASER31 (Jul 17, 2012)

Thanks for all the comments guys. I will put y'alls advice to work friday if it doesn't rain.


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## wos (Oct 12, 2009)

*Your location?*



kingCHASER31 said:


> I fished a set of lights last night and the trout and redfish were tearing up the small shad. I matched the hatch the best I could (ttf small glow speck rigs, mirodines...etc) but had no hits on the lures. I did manage to get some small live shad but only caught rat reds. What do y'all do when there is so much bait in the water? I saw a lot of good sized fish but they just wouldn't bite.


Where are you located, makes a difference on "matching the hatch"? wos


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

duck commander said:


> Time to pick up a fly rod...


Yessir...I know fly fishing isn't for everyone, but those fish will hammer small baitfish and shrimp patterns under those lights. A clouser usually does the trick. I have watched friends throw everything in the book at them. I'll put the fly rod together with a small baitfish pattern and catch dozens. Typically after you catch a few they tend to scatter. Wait a while and they will re-group. If a fly rod is out of the question I would go as small and light as you can. Maybe even some panfish or crappie lures on a light spinning rod. They wont expend energy chasing and digesting large prey if there are several small and easy opportunities available. If you were offered a whole brisket on one plate and another plate with slices of brisket, which one would you eat first?


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## kingCHASER31 (Jul 17, 2012)

wos said:


> Where are you located, makes a difference on "matching the hatch"? wos


I'm fishing the kemah/clear lake area


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## baron von skipjack (Jun 23, 2009)

got no skills brother...lost your 'mojo'...just kiddin,better luck next time


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## Psychogatortrout (Jul 22, 2014)

Fish get finicky in the lights. As stated throw something really small. Academy sells panfish assassins. Use the small glow ones in tandem rig on 1/16 or 1/32 oz small crappie jig heads and put them under the lights before you cast them. Should catch whatever is in those lights.


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## Jack's Pocket (Jul 16, 2014)

kingCHASER31 said:


> I fished a set of lights last night and the trout and redfish were tearing up the small shad. I matched the hatch the best I could (ttf small glow speck rigs, mirodines...etc) but had no hits on the lures. I did manage to get some small live shad but only caught rat reds. What do y'all do when there is so much bait in the water? I saw a lot of good sized fish but they just wouldn't bite.


I have had luck with Bomber Long A's.


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## wos (Oct 12, 2009)

*Try this!*



kingCHASER31 said:


> I'm fishing the kemah/clear lake area


You might try a small plastic shad in glow or silver with black back. Use a 1/16 oz. jig head with medium to small hook. Also use about four feet of flouocarbon leader (14/20 LB) with no swivels ( knots on both terminal ends). This is my go to bait when trout get lock jaw under my pier lights on Baffin. Good luck. wos


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## ShawnQ (May 21, 2004)

My pier lights are tough sometimes. I typically wait until i pinpoint a specific fish feeding, and cast at him far enough away to not spook but close enough so he can see it. I typically move the bait very quick and erratically so they dont get a good look at it. Mirrodine, sea shad, rapala divers, etc. Just careful with the small hooks...they're weak!
Sometimes though , they just don't eat


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## Jean Scurtu (Dec 6, 2011)

:texasflag

Fishing night under light at ROLLOVER PASS ,if the bait in the water was shad i have better result fishing in tandem with Mr. Twister sassy shad 2"different color.
All the time on my fishing i use braid+fluorocarbon leader.


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## SKIPJACKSLAYER (Nov 19, 2013)

Go to the freshwater isle at academy there's these little tiny plastics called panfish assassins. Find the smallest jig heads you can and make a spec rig or just throw a single out there. These are the closest thing I've found to a real glass minnow and they have worked for me under lights at times when nothing else will get a bite.


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## WillieT (Aug 25, 2010)

Kylegont06 said:


> Go to the freshwater isle at academy there's these little tiny plastics called panfish assassins. Find the smallest jig heads you can and make a spec rig or just throw a single out there. These are the closest thing I've found to a real glass minnow and they have worked for me under lights at times when nothing else will get a bite.


I agree here. Sometimes a very small bait will catch fish when nothing else will. I experienced this in Sargent 2 years ago. Get some 2" very thin plastics (I call the finesse baits) and a small jig head and give them a try. It worked for me and the advise was given by the owner of the house I was renting. He is a 2Cooler, 1fisherman with numbers by his name. He has a nice home down there for rent now also. His name is Michael.


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## SaltMan (Jun 15, 2012)

duck commander said:


> Time to pick up a fly rod...


Right On! The soft presentation of light fly will make all the difference on finicky fish in the lights and the marsh...Not to mention its a blast to get bowed up on one!


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## Team Burns (May 6, 2008)

Another soft is the Lake Fork baby shad......


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## Psychogatortrout (Jul 22, 2014)

Team Burns said:


> Another soft is the Lake Fork baby shad......


Yeah the bass assassin crappie assassin's are pretty much the same. Get the glow ones or clear and do work. You don't need to bust out the fly rod, but if you have one and are good with it you can do that too.


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## Totally Tuna (Apr 13, 2006)

live shrimp!


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## cfulbright (Jun 24, 2009)

Got to go small, FIN-S fish 2.5"


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## Jean Scurtu (Dec 6, 2011)

Kylegont06 said:


> Go to the freshwater isle at academy there's these little tiny plastics called panfish assassins. Find the smallest jig heads you can and make a spec rig or just throw a single out there. These are the closest thing I've found to a real glass minnow and they have worked for me under lights at times when nothing else will get a bite.


I can tell you when i start to fish at ROLLOVER PASS in the fall of 2003 the first flounder catch by me was on 1/32 oz. jigs(EAGLE CLAW)with FIRELINE ORIGINAL SMOKE 4 lb.+10 lb. fluorocarbon leader using "BASS ASSASSIN CURLY SHAD"chartreuse silver glitter,the same line and rig use by me to catch white bass below the LIVINGSTON DAM..
That time the name was not "pan fish",was "BASS ASSASSIN CURLY SHAD" and in the package was 15 plastic ,not 10 like now and was cheaper!!!!
I can show you some flounder catch in the day time(6 November 2003) by me with one 16.4 graphite "TRIANA" (from Italy)telescopic pole change by me in spinning rod(bolognese type),and some specks,red fish catch for my first fishing ,night under light at ROLLOVER PASS in tandem of BASS ASSASSIN CURLY SHAD 2" on 1/32 oz. EAGLE CLAW jigs.

From 2003 until today i was catching a lot of specks(day and night under light) at ROLLOVER PASS,but changing the jigs with 1/16 oz.,1/8 oz. GAMAKATSU crappie jigs ,size 2.

In many fishing report posted by me on 2coolfishing i was telling about my rigs with tandem of "BASS ASSASSIN CURLY SHAD" 2" used by me day and night under light to catch specks.......

The picture when i am landing one flounder was taking by ED SNYDER,another are taking by me.


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## Flounder Face (Jun 20, 2012)

A lot of proclamations for the success of small bait, and yes, sometimes small baits will be the ticket, but the big girls like the big bait. I recommend having both, and sometimes the only keepers I caught were on the big bait, and small fish were hammering the small stuff. Dilemma. Catch 22 small fish and one keeper, or catch 3 keepers? That is why I love fishing. Catch one, catch 22, does not matter. Because you are fishing. But a variety, and being flexible, will assist on those days when action is all around you but they did not bite yet. Reel faster. Reel slower. twitch, big bait, small bait, hahhaha .... it is a beautiful thing....


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## Jean Scurtu (Dec 6, 2011)

Flounder Face said:


> A lot of proclamations for the success of small bait, and yes, sometimes small baits will be the ticket, but the big girls like the big bait. I recommend having both, and sometimes the only keepers I caught were on the big bait, and small fish were hammering the small stuff. Dilemma. Catch 22 small fish and one keeper, or catch 3 keepers? That is why I love fishing. Catch one, catch 22, does not matter. Because you are fishing. But a variety, and being flexible, will assist on those days when action is all around you but they did not bite yet. Reel faster. Reel slower. twitch, big bait, small bait, hahhaha .... it is a beautiful thing....


:texasflag

You right ,normal the big girl like big bait.For this reason at ROLLOVER PASS in the spring i start fishing for specks with 3",4" plastic ,but if i don't have bite i use another spinning rod built by me on Chinese graphite 10' telescopic pole,with FIRELINE ORIGINAL SMOKE 4 lb.+14 lb.fluorocarbon leader,GAMAKATSU crappie jigs and "BASS ASSASSIN " 2" chartreuse silver glitter.With this rod i was catching a lot of nice specks 24 inch- 29 inch .
In this picture you can see one 8 lb. specks catch by me with this telescopic ,cheap rod ,at ROLLOVER PASS in 22 April 2013 :


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## duck commander (Sep 19, 2005)

If you wanna stand out you could always try the glow maniac mullet or crazy croaker


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## soloman1 (Nov 6, 2011)

*Night Lures*

Try a tandem rigged Bass Assassin curly tail shad in chartreuse glitter. I got that from the old timer that fishes rollover pass. It produces every time I go out if the fish are there. Those produced fish at night when live shrimp wouldn't.


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## H2OhMan (Aug 11, 2013)

A few suggestions;
Heddon Tiny Torpedo clear color.

Next option is a fly, 'Clouser minnow' or 'Silver Shrimp', fished behind a clear torpedo float (this float is clear and teardrop shaped with an eye one each end) on about an 18" leader. I use 10lb spinning gear and do not have any problem casting this bait combination.

I have also put a treble hook on the back of clear flot and fished it like a topwater. 

When you find the clear float make sure the eyes are secure in each end. A little dab of super glue may reduce your use of adjectives.


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