Size is a critical factor in lure selection

Trout green water you can see your toes in, bait so thick you could walk across it to the other side, light winds barely ripple the surface and the major feed is just around the corner. These images conjure up a great picture for fishermen from Baffin to Calcasieu and all points in between, all the right factors are in place and it’s only a matter of time until the whole place goes nuts. Fast forward a couple of hours ahead only to find our angler who had everything going their way still has an empty stringer, what gives?

We have all had the perfect conditions not pay dividends, everything seems to be right but the results just don’t show anything for the effort. This scenario plays itself out many times over during an angler’s career, especially in the summer. During extended periods when rain and runoff get scarce and the water clarity gets so good it borders on ridiculous many fishermen have a hard time catching fish. Upper coast anglers especially struggle with these conditions because they are not anywhere close to normal for the water we fish. In situations like these it pays to down size your offerings, smaller baits are often just the ticket to get fish to bite.

For the angler who desires to catch a little bit of everything, big fish and numbers, the junior sized plugs like the Mirr-o-lure She Dog and Rapala Skitterwalk Junior are extremely tough to beat.

The smaller profile on these plugs will catch more fish in clear water on a day to day basis than just about anything else this side of a bait stand.

According to Texas Parks and Wildlife surveys of stomach contents from both speckled trout and redfish the average size food found in these fish was 3 inches long.

Sure trout and reds will eat bigger offerings, but they rarely turn down that size bait when they a get a chance.

For my own personal preference I would rather throw the smaller plugs, they seem to give me better results all the way around on both numbers and big fish.

If you really think about it throwing the smaller plugs makes plenty of sense, you can easily throw a bait that’s too big but it’s tough to throw one that’s too small.

The clear water small plug presentations that really shine on the lower coast can be used effectively on any body of water. On Calcasieu during the summer months when the trout are shadowing big schools of shad you can bet the smaller plugs are going to produce. I have seen fishermen who just took their offerings and scaled them down one size literally save fishing trips. Back off the big plugs and get small if you want to really put the odds in your favor.