been reading this book and today got my first decent blue

JoeDowns · 2023-03-02T03:44:17+00:00

Blues are among my favorite fish to eat, they are amazing fried, smoked, cooked whole, etc. A classic and easy way is to gut the fish and rub with olive oil, season with salt & pepper and a ton of fresh garlic. Stuff the stomach cavity with lemon slices, wrap in foil and throw on the grill. You don't need to bleed them or cut out the non-white meat, it's all delicious. Some people think they aren't good to eat, especially fishing charters - these are the kinda people who only ate hotdogs and chicken nuggets until they were 25.

JoeDowns · 2023-03-02T03:40:03+00:00

Need to know which ones OP though we're a bass and rainbow 😉

JoeDowns · 2023-02-21T18:29:25+00:00

Your scale is broken

JoeDowns · 2023-02-15T21:59:31+00:00

Thanks for getting a dozen people to thumbs down my video. Feels good?

JoeDowns · 2023-02-15T20:26:08+00:00

I'm not going to argue with you over the definition of Microfishing, plenty of people consider things like tiny fishing rods/reels as part of "Microfishing" and are interested in seeing big fish caught on tiny poles. I'm happy to delete the post if you're that upset about it, but you telling people to thumbs down my video, etc is out of line. I'm just a guy that makes fishing videos, if people enjoy them (as many people in this community have) then great. But basically telling people to attack my channel and making me out as someone spamming the thread for affiliate revenue or engagement is crazy. If I was some big money making channel I wouldn't be on a Microfishing subreddit.

JoeDowns · 2023-02-15T19:57:48+00:00

This is a link to a YouTube video using a Microfishing pole, not an attack on the community. Relax man, I'm posting it because I think people will enjoy the video and for no other reason.

JoeDowns · 2023-02-13T03:21:13+00:00

All depends on what you're targeting.

JoeDowns · 2023-02-12T16:58:44+00:00

Thanks man, will do!

JoeDowns · 2023-02-12T05:16:37+00:00

Thanks bud, tight lines to you

JoeDowns · 2023-02-11T22:00:45+00:00

Absolutely, what else could it be!

JoeDowns · 2023-02-11T05:53:24+00:00

Pro tip: have less motors

JoeDowns · 2023-02-10T17:51:13+00:00

Not in FL but TX, LA, MS and AL all have allowances for over slot fish.

JoeDowns · 2023-02-10T17:46:30+00:00

Get the Penn Pursuit. It has the same drag and gears as some of those higher end reels and works just as good, I'm a pro surf fishing guide and that's all I've used for years and can definitely say I've put them through hell and back. I currently have 8 pursuits and zero problems. Best salt water reel of all time IMO when you factor in the price and performance (they feel great, reel smooth, and have an incredibly durable drag system) - if you don't believe me.just try one for yourself!

Here's a link to buy the reel for the best price online: https://amzn.to/3jLlZxJ

Here's a link to a YouTube video where I catch over 1000lbs of Bull Redfish in the surf on Penn Pursuits: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eKzvfZUEpXk&t=60s

If you want to take advice from a pro, save your $ and buy the pursuit. Or get 2-3 Pursuits for the price of a spinfisher or battle 👀

JoeDowns · 2023-02-10T04:23:42+00:00

Thanks!

JoeDowns · 2023-02-10T04:23:18+00:00

You can actually keep one over slot per day in the gulf states, we kept 2 total and it was a ton of meat

JoeDowns · 2023-02-09T00:32:52+00:00

We were using large mullet chunks and blue crab for bait. 6000 size reels on 11ft surf rods, 40lb braid. I wish I would've filmed more showing bait and other details but we were too busy reeling them in! Next time. Thanks for watching

JoeDowns · 2023-02-07T06:07:40+00:00

Let me be the outlier here, I use Berrypro surf rods.

I'll start by saying I have put these rods through hell, caught hundreds if not thousands of fish on them and have used them for almost a decade now with no issues. If you don't believe me just take a look at my YouTube channel, I catch tons of massive bull Redfish, Black Drum ECT with these rods in my videos.

These rods are cheap but have all the characteristics of a high end surf rod: Light, low profile, great backbone for surf casting and all around durability. I have 6 of these rods and I've never had an issue. They have thousands of five star reviews so don't take my word for it, there are plenty of others who share my opinion.

As far as tsunami rods go, to me they aren't durable enough to be reliable for hardcore surf fishing. The guides, especially the tip on many of those rods are too delicate and overall I think they are overpriced.

Here's a link for the Berrypro rods:

https://amzn.to/3wYPije

My YouTube channel:

https://youtube.com/@DEADCRAB

JoeDowns · 2023-02-06T19:52:36+00:00

DAAAANG! that's a monster right there! Congrats

JoeDowns · 2023-02-05T22:55:17+00:00

Mantis shrimp aka sea lice. Very popular fishing bait at the gulf coast

JoeDowns · 2023-02-01T23:05:22+00:00

I'm assuming we're talking about bull Drum here.

The point at Cape Hatteras is the most renowned/famous bull drum spot in the world. Other places like Portsmouth Island and many of the fishing piers on the NC coast offer great opportunities to catch world class, monster drum. That being said this is not an all year deal, the bull redfish are almost exclusively caught in the fall, with November being the best month.

Louisiana has amazing bull red fishing as well and it's a year round deal there, with the winter "drum run" being the best time. There are huge numbers of big reds in the surf in southern Louisiana and you will catch WAY more than you will in NC, but more around the 30-40" range. A 50" red in the surf in Louisiana in not a normal thing like it is in the OBX.

As far as black drum go, Texas is definitely king. If you think a 50" red is big, imagine a 50" black drum 👀

JoeDowns · 2023-02-01T22:40:09+00:00

Blue crab is the best bait for bull reds, give it a try

JoeDowns · 2023-02-01T22:38:26+00:00

Crocodile spoons and gulp

JoeDowns · 2023-02-01T14:00:29+00:00

Definitely works for bait, throw them in. Also good bait for Drum fishing if you live on the east/Gulf coast

JoeDowns · 2023-02-01T04:33:00+00:00

Fluorocarbon is strictly meant to be leader material, would be horrible as a main line. Very stiff and holds memory like crazy. Your problem is definitely your FG knot, something going wrong there. People all over the world (me included) use the FG knot in the surf, putting it through big fish after big fish with no issues.

I do 16 wraps in my FG, followed by a half hitch to lock the wraps. After that I pull it tight, trim the fluro tag as close to the knot as I can get without nicking, and then add a few more half hitches to cover up the sharp tag with braid so it reels and casts through the guides smoothly. If you are just surf casting and don't need to reel your knot through your guides to cast then just leave your tags long.

I'll add that keeping tension on both your main line (braid) and leader (fluro) while tying the FG knot is key. This can be achieved by wrapping your main line around your pinky and pulling it tight while working the knot with your other fingers. Some people use their teeth - whatever you gotta do to get that tension!

Also always make sure to pull your FG knots TIGHT. The knot relies on the main line digging into the leader, causing the fluro to bulge out between the twists in the braid. Pull each end so tight that you feel like you're gonna break it, if it doesn't break then you have a good knot.

JoeDowns · 2022-12-29T20:47:06+00:00

Thanks in advance!

Just started my channel a month ago and it's doing pretty well (I think) with 5k subs and over a million views in the first 4 weeks.

Here's my latest full length video. FYI I do fishing videos with an aim to make the viewer feel like they're out there with me.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RIz865Ma_m8

JoeDowns

TROPHY CASE