Stop Burning Boat Gas: Redfish & Trout Spots Everyone Drives Past
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Tips, Inshore Fishing, Salt Strong Podcast
If you run a boat, you know how quickly the fuel gauge can start dropping once you push the throttle down.
It’s easy to launch, fire up the motor, and start running miles away from the ramp because that’s where you assume the fish are.
Luke and I used to do the exact same thing.
But over the years we’ve learned something that still surprises people when they see it happen.
Some of the best redfish and trout spots are sitting in areas most anglers idle right past without ever making a cast.
Featured Software:
Mentioned Gear:
- Lure 1: Polk County Tweaker – Black Silver
- Lure 2: Flea Flicker
Key Takeaways:
-
You do not need to run far to find fish. On one recent trip we caught an inshore slam within about a mile of the boat ramp.
-
Structure is more important than distance. Look for areas where multiple types of structure come together such as oyster bars, seagrass, mangrove shorelines, potholes, or depth changes.
-
Overlooked spots can be the best spots. Many anglers run miles away from ramps which leaves nearby areas less pressured.
-
Use maps before you leave the house. Tools like Smart Fishing Spots make it easy to identify oyster bars, depth changes, and ambush points before you ever launch the boat.
-
Ambush predators need structure. Redfish, trout, snook, and flounder rarely sit over flat sand. They position near structure where bait naturally funnels past them.
Final Thoughts
If you own a boat, it is really easy to fall into the trap of thinking farther is better.
Luke and I did it for years.
But once you start focusing on structure instead of distance, you will realize how many productive areas are sitting within sight of the ramp.
Not only will you save gas, you will also spend more time fishing and less time running the boat.
And sometimes those overlooked spots end up being the best ones of the entire trip.
IMPORTANT REMINDER
The 2 core benefits we promise to Insider Club members is to be able to find and catch fish easier than ever before while saving money on fishing equipment.
So I am including links to the quickest ways to achieve each:
1) Finding Fish System
2) Insider Club’s Group Discounts
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish ever trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Good news for kayakers. We like the close-in spots
I put in at the Medway river and go out about five miles to get to St. Catherine Sound. It’s brackish water. Can I catch reds and blues and sea trout around there?
See now thats one thing I rarely do is travel very far from the ramp to my spots especially in the millcove area of jax fl there are alot of grassy islands literally a couple hundred yards from the ramp that I fish alot but I know what you mean in i see alot of anglers wissing on by me early in the morning usually in the summer months right as the sun has come up when im at one of my last spots that im fishing after night fishing all night and plus the fact that this is great advice in that with trumps war with Iran gas prices are not nearly as cheap as they had been this same time last year so it pays to not travel that far if you don’t have to although sometimes it can be necessary in that the fishing pressure can be alot close to the ramp especially around sunspot when anglers are launching I also thought I should mention that one of my spots that I fish in the winters months there is a certain creek that is lined on both sides with oysters along shallow grasslines but when I put the oyster layer on in smart spots it only shows about 2 oyster mounds which I found odd because other creeks in the area that I know have numerous oysters in them the smart spots app shows these oysters but not in the one creek anyways looking forward to some spring fishing because I sucked this winter I couldn’t buy a fish to hit if my life depended on it even though I saw plenty of reds so it wasn’t like I wasn’t in the 90/10 zone because i was obviously anyways that’s why its fishing and not always catching and am glad im not competitive in that I would be getting mad in not catching but since I don’t I still enjoy being on the water and like the old saying goes better luck next time because until im dead or Jesus returns there always will be a next time thanks for the great sence making intel and all you guys do😉👍
Thnx Good stuff. I’ll be in Tarp Sprns beginning of April. Looking forward to applying to wade fishing… no boat but a couple days with Wader Dave and solo the rest of the trip. I’ll post “all my Slams”😎
Interesting that you believed you had to go at least 5 miles to catch fish. After 10+ yrs.of preparing weekend game plans and spot dissections, at least you’ve come around to a different view. For those who value their fishing time, time savings may be more beneficial than fuel savings. Another point is driving distance to boat launch as that often gets the person close to where they want to fish. When it comes to unnecessary fuel usage, don’t need a 24′ bay boat and large outboard to fish inshore. Offshore is different, as certain species may require navigating longer distances to find depth, reefs, weedlines, etc. A topic that could be directed in a variety of ways.
I have always referred to the PCT as a her/female. You said “his flip flops”…..interesting.
this is true. guy lives on lake and go to other side. guy on other side goes to 1st guys side.
fish are everywhere and right in front of your nose
I’d laugh when I used to jetty fish. Guys on the rocks would mostly cast out as far as they could; guys on the boats would cast as close to the rocks as they could.
Old lesson of less is more !!
Thanks for sharing , Farther is not always better !!
I will say one of the best spots I fish for trout and redfish is less than 1/2 mile away from boat ramp
thanks for the info