Master of Illusion

Go ahead; imagine with me for a moment. You're methodically working your favorite shallow-water estuary looking to pick a fight. It's late in the afternoon; the sun is slowly creeping down the distant horizon as the gentle, late spring breeze whisks away all your worries - perfect conditions for creating a little added commotion. Now is when you think to yourself, "What could possibly attract more attention than a noisy top-water plug chuggin' across the otherwise serene surface..."?

I can see it now. Pop…pop…chug…pop…pop…WHAM! Appearing out of nowhere, a chunky linesider erupts on your offering. Surprisingly, the hungry fish ignored your bulky top-water plug, and instead chose the sleek imitation trailing in its wake. Maybe it’s because the predominant forage in the area has been tiny grass shrimp, or maybe it’s because the keen-eyed fish simply couldn’t resist the easy kill. Whatever the reason, you’re hooked up and you’re lovin’ life!

The concept of adding a teaser to an already inviting artificial is nothing new. It’s simply utilizing two fakes rather than only one to create the illusion of a realistic feeding scenario. We see it all the time on the offshore scene where multiple-bait daisy-chains and tube and spoon combinations have been in use for decades. What’s really exciting about implementing this same strategy in Florida’s fertile shallows is that the combination of artificial baits is nearly endless.

Captain Ron Bielefeld, a full-time Indian River Lagoon guide and one of Florida Sport Fishing’s very own field reporters, specializes in fishing East Central Florida’s prime skinny-water habitat. He regularly trails tiny twister-tails behind top-water plugs with consistent results – especially when specifically targeting trout. After reporting on the nifty approach in a recent report, I’ve since done a little experimenting of my own and have come up with a pair of combinations that you, too, should implement in your overall bag of tricks. Tying either of these rigs is self-explanatory.

Don’t hesitate to experiment with the concept of inshore teasers even further and see what attractive illusions you can dream up. It is often the angler who looks way outside-the-box that stays connected!

Spook & Shrimp combo: Dreadfully delicious for gator trout, a Super Spook or similar top-water plug with a soft-plastic shrimp imitation trailing in its wake is a sneaky trick that seldom disappoints. As the noisy surface bait settles after each ‘splashy’ twitch, the inviting shrimp flutters toward the grassy bottom. The combination creates the illusion of a helpless crustacean attempting to escape from a juvenile predator attempting to devour it. When nearby gamefish home in on the commotion, their natural instincts kick in, forcing the fish to snatch the tantalizing offering before it’s too late!

The Deadly Duo: The same philosophy of adding a teaser can be applied to baitfish imitations as well, though with a slightly different twist. Rather than the secondary, teaser bait trailing behind the main offering, it is rigged slightly ahead of it. Maybe it is the extra flash, the aesthetic appearance of two tasty choices rather than one, or maybe it’s the illusion of a minnow trying to escape from a killer hot on its tail, but the Deadly Duo triggers savage surface strikes!

Work either of these combos the way you would normally retrieve any top-water plug. The secondary teaser baits are insignificant to the erratic action imparted on the lure. They simply dart in different directions with each sharp twitch of the rod tip. You may need to experiment with different size, type and color teaser baits and precise leader lengths, but when you perfect the illusion, the time invested will all be well worth it!