There are lots of tricks for catching puppy drum, but when it comes to catching them around piers some very specific tactics are in order. Ready to hook into more redfish? These tips will help make it happen.
- This pretty puppy was pulled out from under that pier.
- Don’t just cast near the pier, cast under it. This is often critical as the fish may be hiding in the shade of the pier to avoid a bright sun. At other times, they’ll be hunting the small crabs and critters that are literally hugging the pilings. Either way, you’ve got to get your offering in close – very close.
- Look for areas where the pier goes over a drop-off, and concentrate your efforts there. Even changes of a mere foot can hold fish, especially if they’re abrupt.
- Prospect piers with riprap along the shoreline. Reds like riprap and in many areas you’ll find that they transition from the rocks to the pier pilings as the tide falls. If the tide is high, of course, you’re more apt to find the fish up on the rocks themselves or on the pilings closest to them.
- Work along a pier with patience, dropping your jig in along each piling. Sometimes for no apparent or visible reason, all the fish will be clustered up in one spot. If you just take a shot or two at a pier you may miss the fish entirely. That said, once your lure is 10 or 15 feet away from the pier don’t waste time working the open water. Zip that lure in and pitch it to the next potential hotspot.
- Ideally, it’s best to position yourself at the end of the pier and retrieve your lure alongside one piling after the next. In many cases this won’t be possible because the pier has a T end or there’s a boat tied up to it. But when you can, look for the opportunity.
Beyond these specifics, remember that not all piers are created equal. In fact, if you’re working a shoreline with 10 or 15 piers, chances are that just one or two of them will hold most or all of the redfish in the area. But when you find that one…!