show me a pretty face...

and I'm hooked...

Just a beautiful day, sunny and warm, a nice breeze.  Perfect for sailing.  And I had to work.  But at least the job took me over through Hampton right by the Bass Pro Shop where I picked up the CW Crab lure above.  This floating/diving lure will be just for trolling behind Spartina as I sail alongside the marshes on the upcoming weekend walkabout.
It is, as the fly fishermen say, matching the hatch - using a lure that matches what the fish are after.  Juvenile blue crabs are a common sight along the marsh and I know they are a favorite target of both puppy drum (aka redfish) and speckled trout.  So why not give the blue crab lure a shot?

My eyes are usually the only things that lures catch (while shopping in the tackle store), but lately I've had a little bit of luck out on the water.  I've used the floating/shallow diving minnow, above, trolling on Chesapeake Bay, catching bluefish, below, and striper.  Both made for some good meals on my trip last fall.

Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay is, at least for me, a different experience than fishing in the sounds of North Carolina.  The Bay has deeper water - from a few feet to over 100 feet - and the fish feed in schools out in the open water.  In the sounds of North Carolina I skirt the edge of the marshes, sailing in only a few feet of water.

The trout and puppy drum wait along the edges of the marsh for crabs, shrimp or small bait fish.  In the past Bruce and I have caught a few flounder, puppy drum, and trout down there - but not with regular success.  I've wanted a lure to troll along the marsh and this might be the one.

As per suggestions on the package I changed out the treble hook - with three hooks I know one of them is going to hook me - for a single circle hook.  And I also pinched down the barb on that red circle hook to do less damage to me or an undersize fish that would be released.

Will it work?  I don't know.  But I'm gonna have fun finding out.

steve