When Capt. Travis Paige fishes Mississippi’s Gulf Coast for trout he has three go-to lures: a MirrOlure Provoker, a Paul Brown Corky and a MirrOlure TTR.
Mississippi has more deeper water than the vast salt flats of Texas so Paige has made a few adjustments as well as added the MirrOlure TTR to his arsenal.
“We have a lot more deeper water here than they do there,” he said. “We’ll fish some sinkers or actually add weights to them.”
Paige will insert a finishing nail or even a short piece of copper wire into a Corky to fish the deeper flats and grass beds. The MirrOlure TTR fills the bill in depths greater than four feet. He fishes the MirrOlure Provokers on a 1/8 to 3/8-ounce jig head, depending on the depth. In Texas, where the water they’re wading is typically knee-deep or less, he will use a 1/16 to 1/8-ounce jig head or fish it on an offset worm hook without a weight. This is also the case when fishing grass beds at Mississippi’s barrier islands.
Paige uses an Abu Garcia Orra Inshore reel spooled with 20-pound braid and a 6-foot, 15 or 20-pound fluorocarbon leader, teamed with a 7-foot medium action Abu Garcia Volatile rod. He uses a loop knot at the business end of his leader to tie all of his baits.
“I use a loop knot on everything,” Paige said. “It just gives it so much more action. That’s with any bait: top water, suspending baits, jigs, and plastics.”
Paige recommends wading with two rods. Two rods allow an angler to have a backup rod as well as allow him to change baits quickly without having to retie.
“Wading with two rods can be a pain but it’s proven itself to be worth it,” he said. “A lot of times if you’re working a Corky or a jig and you miss a fish, you can’t get him to come back, so you do the old bait and switch technique. Reel that one in and flip the other one out there. A lot of times you can coax that fish into hitting the second bait.”
Paige uses a wading belt that holds a Plano tackle box to stow his Corkies, TTRs and Provokers; D-rings to clip his Boga Grip and attach a stringer or fish basket; pockets for pliers and other accessories; a drink holder; and a couple of rod holders.
He recommends a pair of comfortable stocking-foot waders and lace up wading boots. Make sure your waders are roomy enough to layer your clothing if the temperature drops, and that your boots fit well to prevent blisters.
Be the first to comment