As with other waterfront property, all shorelines are not created equal. Prime bushwhacking territory is ripe with overhanging mangroves that shadow the shallows. This cover is best when pocked by numerous nooks and crannies that stretch way into the nether reaches, maybe to the shoreline or better yet to a remote drain pipe or mosquito-control ditch. Combine these attributes with grass-to-sand bottom transitions, close proximity to slight dropoffs or trenches, an endless supply of bait and hungry gamefish and you'll likely hit pay dirt. Other areas worth investigating are oyster/mangrove points protruding from shorelines. Not only will these waters hold fish on higher tides, such points are brushed by currents and often have backeddies and depressions on the downtide side. After the tide drops out of the bushes, redfish and snook frequently take station in these submerged dips.
Equipment needs for working mangrove shorelines are fairly basic. An 8-pound spinner attached to a stiff, fast action 7- to 7 1/2-foot rod is the outfit most often chosen for this pursuit. Baitcasters are another option for anglers who possess the ability to fling them accurately without backlash after backlash. Fly fishers usually go with a 9-foot, 8-weight rod and a reel spooled with a floating line, and many prefer shorter sticks for this work. Length of cast is not as important as bullseye accuracy. Rarely are casts more than 50 feet, so choose tackle that you can cast with pinpoint precision.
For lures, soft-plastics get the bushwhackerÂ’s nod. Why? You can rig plastics weedless, cutting down on hung-in-the-tree time. To hide the hookpoint, simply "skin" the tip of a wormhook into the topside of the bait. Topwaters have their share of devotees, too. But be forewarned, multiple treble hooks snag everything in sight, especially low-hanging mangrove branches. Other popular lures are plastic shrimp and lightweight skimmer jigs.
On the fly side, Grassett goes with Clouser Minnows for the bulk of the work. His go-to colors are chartreuse-and-white, olive-and-white and gray-and-white. He switches gears and flies for low tide. When the bottom drops out, this skipper opts for Clousers sporting smaller hooks and lighter eyes to keep them out of the bottom or changes fly patterns completely. Synthetic fiber flies such as the Enrico Puglisi or a deerhair, so-called MirrOlure fly that suspends just below the surface get the call. Other suitable fly patterns include Sea-Ducers, Deceivers and Bendbacks. He recommends pasting on prominent eyes and adding weedguards to flies.
I first sampled the bushwhacking technique on Florida's Gulf Coast. Paige and I fished mangrove shorelines in northern Sarasota Bay and lower Tampa Bay. Both areas feature thick bottom grass and sandy potholes abutting mangrove cover, and they are accessible to those without skiffs. Mangrove reaches stretching both the east and west sides along the south end of the Sunshine Skyway beckon waders.
Grassett took me to his Sarasota backyard, focusing on the mud-and-shell bottom terrain found in Little Sarasota Bay near the closed Midnight Pass. Once flushed by moving tides, this area now features more backcountry than pass characteristics. Redfish inhabit the waters year-round. Snook move into the area during fall and winter, ambushing bait schools along shadowy banks and low-tide points.
Don't limit your bushwhacking to just this stretch by any means. Wild West gunslingers rode the range, as should you. This technique produces redfish from Mosquito Lagoon down to Everglades National Park up to West Central Florida. Everywhere reds and snook bang mullet and baitfish under mangroves is prime territory for anglers out to catch 'em by surprise.
