New lights = 1 trout

[awendel]

Finally got some electric run to the dock and got a couple of the par 64 stage lights mounted this weekend. Put one up Saturday and fished it that night. First cast and a little 12" speck nailed it. The trout were chasing bait and popping the surface everywhere that night. But they were really small, maybe 8-10"s long. Sunday I put up the second light and fished a little last night. Same small specks were there but never did hook up with any. They were just bumping my lure. I put up a picture showing how the lights hit the surface. Should I leave the space apart like they are now with the dark space between them. Or should I move them closer together to make one light on the water?

[trophytroutman]

When we had our place at Matgorda, we turned them to make one light. Just about everyone down there did that.

[rtoler]

Ditto for trophytroutman. The biggest trout I ever caught was in the dark around a pier light, 29.75". I had a big shad looking critter on a #7 J hook going for shark in Galvestion Bay back in my first years of saltwater fishing. I ate it...... Thought I would catch more that size.... LOL

[trophytroutman]

Yep your bigger trout are gonna be in the dark and right outside the lights.

[Flounderpounder420]

I stack the light beams when I fish with them. Put one beam as far out as you can cast and put the other just under that one making a longer beam. That's the way we set up ours when we fish the lights.

[Root Canal]

Nice lights set-up. I like the way you made the support to remove them
easily when not in use. Only comment I have is point them down at a sharper angle.
You will get deeper water penetration.

[Hopper]

I have mine sitting on tripods closer to the water and join the two beams in the middle. All seems to work well but, when the trout are in there I am not really sure how much any of that really matters. To me it does seem that the bigger ones like to hang out on the dark edges and then make a dash into the light to make the kill. The reds like to kinda do that to.
I have been getting lots of dinks with an occasional 15" or 16" inch. Have not had a Skipjack invasion yet but, they love to hang out in the darkness.

[awendel]

Last night I changed them up a bit. I rotated the bulbs to make a horizontal beam which spreads out the width of the dock. I faced them down as low as I could go without getting the dock in the way. Water is about 8' deep under the lights at a normal tide. Right now it's probably closer to 10 or 11' with all this high water being blown in.

Caught my first red in the lights also. Hit a speck rig about 5' out from the dock. So if I catch a flounder now, does that mean I've got a Texas threeway or threesome or whatever it's called?

[mgstei1]

Damn Nice!!
Stay on em and add a flattie and a blue crab and you have a total slammer.

[mgstei1]

Go deeper for the bigger specs. Deeper water(saltier) is better for them that far up and especially if your pier is going into or coming out of a sharp bend where there is a deeper pocket maybe by just a few inches that the lights will bring baits to.
I know you are pitching arties but try a freelined live shrimp with a small lead shot pinched on to take the shrimp down slowly.
No hits bring it up and try again.
bait there=fish there.

[awendel]

Hey Mike, Just from one corner to another on my deck is 4' difference in depth. It really drops off quick from the bank. Gotta be careful out in the deeper areas. The bottom is full of tree limbs and trash that has claimed a lot of tackle so far. Mostly grandkids hanging up with dead shrimp on the bottom. With this wind now, there should be plenty salt up around me. If we get this rain they say we are, it's gonna create some mighty high water here. It's already within a foot from the bottom of the deck.

Got plenty of small gar to keep me company though. They will chase a speck rig too. Just can't get a hook to stay in that needle of theirs.

[mgstei1]

Only good thing about the high tides is a good flushing of the bait sanctuaries and keeping the county mosquitos sprayers working.
We gonna see some hordes of them once the tides come up and the rain that is expected.
Just like ol school.

[awendel]

Speaking of mosquito sprayers, when I lived in Alvin, I maybe saw them once a month during season. Now out here in Liverpool, I swear they come down my street once a week. I still have plenty of skeeters to swat though.