Thread: Little Lagoon Pier Fishing

We're staying at Sea Oats Condominiums out West Beach Blvd, and the complex has a couple of piers on Little Lagoon. What could we catch from those piers this time of year? I'm also open to suggestions on how to catch them. I'd love to catch some flounder, but I'm not sure where/how to catch them.

Thanks for the help,

For flounder, I'd fish bull minnows on a Carolina Rig fished on the bottom. For redfish and speckled trout, I like a 3 1/2" paddletail plastic bait. You have to experiment with the speed of your retrieve to find out where the fish are and how they want it. You may do well with white trout and croakers on the Carolina Rig with small pieces of fresh-dead shrimp.

Originally Posted by eym_sirius

For flounder, I'd fish bull minnows on a Carolina Rig fished on the bottom. For redfish and speckled trout, I like a 3 1/2" paddletail plastic bait. You have to experiment with the speed of your retrieve to find out where the fish are and how they want it. You may do well with white trout and croakers on the Carolina Rig with small pieces of fresh-dead shrimp.

Or Fishbites, the croakers seem to love it, white trout also.

If the dock has lights, fish it at night for specs & reds.

If you like casting, a 3" new penny gulp shrimp on a 1/4 oz red jig head dragged rrrreeeeaaallllll slow on the bottom will catch all of the above. I suggest light line. I like to use 6 lb. with a 2 foot leader of 12 lb. fluorocarbon.

4-5 inch shallow-diving crank baits with a rattle work very well for speckled trout. Larger baits will help you avoid some of the smaller white trout and croaker which are quite numerous. The new penny gulp shrimp on the 1/4 oz red jig head that Spottedbass mentions is the way to go to catch just about everything that swims in the lagoon. The white trout stick to deep water during the day and the croaker are in the shallows typically. When you find a school of the white trout, they can be caught on about every cast at times. I have never caught a flounder there but haven't used the recommended Carolina rigs either.

Night time is the right time for piers and docks on the lagoon. If you have lights, lucky you. Turn them on early, and fish late. Free line live shrimp just out side the light and don't set the rod down. A white gulp shrimp on a red head jig doodled around the dock poles will give a good chance to catch a few flounder - or drag said Carolina rig with a bull minnow around the dock edge.

You will catch bigger trout after midnight when the youngsters and drunks have gone to bed. Live shrimp will catch them but the small bait robbers are thick right now. Small beetle spin and other finesse type minnows will work too. The little menhaden minnows will work great right now if you can catch some in a cast net. If the surf is calm go across the street and fish the beach with a small Zara spook or badonkadonk top water at daylight. Throw the 3" paddle tail after the sun gets up. There should be a few slot reds cruising the beach right now too.