Should I stay or should I go?
Also, if you're not doing anything at an inlet, how do you know if the fish are there? My guage is the bait. If there is a lot of bait around and popping, I know fish will usually be on them. That's not the whole picture. Many times you will see bait running in and out on the sides because the current is usually a little less intense there. You won't see anyting popping or on the surface at all. You have to train your eyes to look for them. Sometimes that's difficult in fast moving water. It's something I don't believe you can teach to someone. You have to learn to recognize it at your own pace to get good at it.

My intensity and focus on fishing a place becomes more directed when I see lots of bait. However, there are times when you will see no bait and fish will still be holding.

Jigging and bucktailing:
That's where the bucktailing comes in, or throwing rubber jigs. A lot of guys will make a few casts at an inlet, move around once or twice, convince themselves because there are no fish busting on the surface that it ain't happenin that night. Sometimes they're right, but I always remember a simple rule an old-timer taught me years ago:

"The fish are on the bottom"
If you don't probe the bottom as part of your fishin that night, you will never know if you missed the fish by not being deep enough.

As the current strengthens through the tide, it's an effort for a fish to not get swept in or out. So many bait fish will hold to the sides, and bigger fish hold on the bottom, away from the stronger.

Another reality is that the bigger fish move with the current. Striped bass love current. You have a higher chance at catching a big bass in strong current than you do on the flats somewhere.

The key is realizing that a bass will move during the tide stages up or down an inlet area to find the combination of water they can comfortably swim in, ambush food, and not get swept away.

Current is less strong on the bottom, so that's where the big predators will sit during strong parts of the tide. Or they'll find a ledge, a seam, or crease in the bottom to sit and pop up once in awhile to nab a juicy enough baitfish.

Bucktailing/fishing rubber:
Your job bucktailing or throwing rubber is to find where those fish are sitting. Learning creases, ledges or seams is good if you have a boat with a depth finder. From shore you have to do your own prospecting.

If you're jigging, you'll lose bucktails and jigs. Never buy expensive bucktails or rubber when starting out. Buy stuff in multi-packs, or at flea markets. If you have a friend who makes bucktails and likes to trade, that's golden.

The functionality of a bucktail doesn't depend on how much you paid for it or how artistic it looks. It's all about how you work it in the water. I have seen old timers fishing next to other guys outfish them 3:1 with the same bucktail. At times I've been the one outfished 3:1 as well. When that happens to you, you will quickly try to learn the subtle differences.

The best advice I can give you about beginning bucktailing or jigging is to:
1. Read a good book on bucktailing (Skinner's comes to mind)
2. Buy a lot of cheap or used bucktails at shows
3. Learn to bounce the bottom.

As you become more proficient and get into bigger fish, the quality of the bucktail hook becomes more important. You will tend to learn which ones to stay away from if you lose a big fish when a hook pulls. Big fish don't just break your line, they break your heart! You don't need to worry about that much in the beginning, just work on your technique.


Fish with mono in the inlets first when learning. As you lose jigs it's not cool to put a lot of braid out there on the bottom. I can recommend sufix tritanium 17 or 20lbs for inlets. We have gotten jigs stuck on the bottom and been able to retrieve them with that line.