Thread: Little Lagoon fishing

First off I just want to have fun and "catch some fish". I know that's not always guaranteed but I'll try.
So with that said what is the best way to target white trout, croaker, whiting, etc. inside little lagoon.
We are staying at Sea Oats and have 2 nice piers to fish from.
Went out last night and saw some action around the lights (fish breaking the top and skipping baitfish).
I've heard that late night under the lights is good when using live bait. What live bait is best (shrimp, LY's, bull minnows, etc) and should it be fished on the bottom (similar to Carolina rig) or under a float/popping cork?
Again, if I can use cut bait on the bottom and catch some decent fish that would be great and then I can target the better species with live bait.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'll be fishing again after the Bama game today.
Thanks again!
Toby

I also have a small minnow trap. Has anyone had any luck catching small minnows, etc., in traps? What should I use for bait? Thanks, Toby

Can of cheap cat/dog food with holes poked in it.....

Live shrimp hooked through the horn on a #10 treble hook under a float. Specs may hit a fluke style soft plastic minnow on a jighead. Fish under the lights after midnight and be extremely quiet on the docks so you don't spook the fish. If you want to keep specs to eat the size limit is 14" but I release anything under 18" since there is not much meat on them after you filet them. I would avoid cutbait since it is a magnet for saltwater catfish and fighting, landing, and releasing one spooks the specs. Hope that makes sense.

Just try both methods for fishing and see which produces. We can't give you a definitive answer because we won't know the conditions you will be fishing. With that being said, if you are seeing bait skip across the surface, that generally means some sort of predator is near. I would try a small cork with live shrimp/ly/finger mullet for one setup. The other I'd be throwing some kind of suspending lure like a 3-4" yo zuri, mirro lure, etc. Lastly I'd bounce the bottom with a jig of some sort, like a gulp shrimp on a jig head or a looney jig.

Live bull minnow or shrimp or small pin fish caught with tiny #16 hook or cast net: Under a cork for Specks. Carolina rig moved around slowly for flounder. Croakers in the lagoon tend to be very small as do white trout. Cut bait usually a waste of time in the lagoon. Finger mullet if you can get them are great for flounder.