“Bill Scholze Fishes for Saltwater Fish with the D.A.R.T. and the RT Slug”

Part 4: Be Very Quiet when Wade Fishing

Editor’s Note: Bill Scholze of Stuart, Florida, tournament pro and member of the Mister Twister Pro Staff team, has competed in redfish tournaments using the RT Slug and the D.A.R.T. He also fishes for snook, speckled trout and other saltwater fish for fun using these baits. “There’s hardly a fish that swims inshore along a coastal area that won’t take the Mister Twister Exude RT Slug or the Exude D.A.R.T.,” Scholze says.

Question: Bill, each day we’ve discussed a specific fish species you catch on an RT Slug in a specific color. For redfish, speckled trout and flounder, what color RT Slug do you fish?

Scholze: For a mixed bag, I’ll use pumpkin-pepper with a silktreuse tail. If I just want to catch fish, I’ll fish the RT Slug in two-different ways. If I’m fishing deep water, I’ll use a Mister Twister jighead or a Mission Fishin’ jig head in silver. I’ll fish the RT Slug rigged with a jighead in water depths of 3 to 5 feet. I’ll let the RT Slug fall all the way to the bottom, but swimming the bait with the walk-the-dog action (twitching the rod so the bait darts to the left and then to the right) from 8- to 12-inches off the bottom is very productive.

I’ll often use this same rig to catch flounder on a high tide. I’ll usually take flounder while I’m wade fishing. I’ve caught flounder as big as doormats in 6 to 8 inches of water on a high tide. Flounder will follow the water line up on an incoming tide. So, the flounder will be in extremely-shallow water up against the bank where the bait runs.

When I’m wade fishing for flounder, I’ll start fan-casting from the bank out to deeper water. I’m very quiet and stealthy as I walk down the beach. Many wade fishermen wade out and cast in front of themselves. But I’ve learned that most fishing activity is from the beach out to deeper water. So, I walk parallel to the beach, fan-casting from the shore to deeper water in a half-moon circle. I’ll often catch flounder in the first 6 to 18 inches of water on the beach and continue to cast until I’ve cast all the way around the spot where I’m standing. Then I may take 15 steps and start fan-casting again.

When I wade fish, I may not fish 100-yards down the beach. To effectively wade fish, be extremely quiet. I’ve had fish blow-up right next to me, while I’ve been wade fishing. I’ve caught 10- and 15-pound snook I’ve hooked that have swam right between my legs. I’ve had tournament-sized redfish swim so close to me that I knew I couldn’t cast to them without spooking them. So, I’ve let the redfish swim past me before I cast my RT Slug out to catch them.

If you want to effectively catch speckled trout, redfish and flounder while wade fishing, remember to be as quiet as possible and move as little as possible; cast right up against the shore; then continue to fan cast out to deep water; and realize a good number of your fish will come in mid-thigh to waist-deep water all the way up to the shoreline.