Dolphin(Coryphaena hippurus)

Dead bait consists of many different types of bait that is no longer alive. Dead bait is still attractive to many fish as they are normally feeding by smell and dead bait is the ticket for smell. Fresh cut fish, dead shrimp, half crab, shucked clam, cut squid and all popular examples of bait that will catch a wide variety of fish. Many sport fish that are predators, will gladly take the opportunity to slurp up a fresh dead bait. A redfish is equally happy to chase down a baitfish or slurp up a dead shrimp on the bottom. Dead bait has the benefit is being easy to obtain, maintain and transport, as opposed to live bait which takes livewells, quality water control and can be harder to obtain.

A style of fishing that utilizes a unique type of rods and reels. Long rods and simple reels allow for the presentation of “flies”, which are lures made of feather, fur, hair and synthetics. Different from conventional fishing, the weight of the line is used to carry the "lure" out whereas conventional methods use the weight of the lure to drag the line out. Flyfishing is said to be addictive and is growing in popularity.

Live bait is a term given to many different types of fish, crustaceans, insects and worms that are popular food items for fish and used by fishermen for bait. There are many benefits to live bait as well as a few cons. The pros normally out weigh the negatives, and live bait is widely used. The biggest benefit for fishermen is that they are using the real thing and often puts a fish's guard down. Small fish, crabs, shrimp, clams, crickets and the good ole earthworm are all used to entice a fish to the hook. The only negatives to live bait is just that, keeping it alive. Sometimes catching it can be a challenge, as only some species can be bought as live bait. No matter how you get it, live bait is a great way to target many types of fish.

The process of slowly searching the water and spotting fish, that you then present a bait too. Takes stealth and patience, but the visual reward is awesome. It is practiced on the flats for redfish as well as coastal areas for cobia and tripletail.

Topwater fishing refers to the working of lures that are designed to float on the surface and twitch, splash and swim like a wounded prey. The visual aspect of the bite makes this a very popular way to fish. Most predatory fish will crash a topwater plug at one time or another. Early morning, evening times are traditionally better in freshwater and inshore saltwater fisheries. Offshore for pelagics like tuna, it is more about getting in range of feeding fish and working the lure in the zone. Hang on!

Trolling is the presentation of lure and/or baits from a moving boat. Many types of predatory fish are caught this way in both fresh and salt water. Speeds and presentations vary greatly depending on the target species. One may troll a small beetle spin for crappie with trolling motor in the lake, or charge around oil rigs at 15 knots with a high-speed wahoo spread. Trolling ballyhoo offshore is one of the most common, broad spectrum ways to catch all types of gamefish. Again there are many different methods to choose from.