How-To — Sand Eel Soft Bait

There may not be a more difficult fish to catch than False Albacore feeding on Bay Anchovies. The fish can become so focused on anchovies that it’s not uncommon for them to ignore all other offerings. We have found using realistic soft baits, like the Hogy 4.6inch Light Sand Eel can hook up on fish that just won’t eat. Recommended Soft Bait: Hogy 4.6″ Light Sand Eel Recommended Rigging: Hogy 1/0 Weighted Swim Bait Hook Recommended Retrieve: A medium to fast paced retrieve is ideal to trigger a reaction strike. Casting along the edges of feeding blitz will present the bait within the...

If you’ve heard us talk about albie fishing, you’ll certainly hear about the 7-inch Hogy Original in amber again, again and again. I love that lure for albies. It’s my old standby. It never fails. Well, actually, it almost never fails.  The other day, I was humbled when I was fishing for the first time with owner and founder of Aubut Rods. I was excited to show him the power of the 7-inch amber and bragged about the lure the whole way out of Falmouth inner harbor. I quickly knew I was in trouble with the albies when I caught one on my very...

Author: Gene Bourque Most experienced striper anglers are well aware that the cooling water and decreasing sunlight of the fall season kicks the fall migration of striped bass into high gear. This can result in some of the fastest action of the year – if you play your cards right! As always, it’s all about bait. There is more forage for the bass at this time of year than any other time but the trick is to predict where it will be and if you do, you will most likely find the stripers. Always take into account wind direction. Those bluebird...

We spent 15 minutes on the phone with Capt. Michael Hogan, owner and president of Hogy Lure Company, to discuss cast and dropping to finicky bluefin tuna keyed in on sand eels with the Hogy Sand Eel softbait. Here's what we found out...   Capt. Michael HoganWebsite: www.hogylures.comInstagram: @hogyfishingFacebook: Hogy Lures Cast and Drop: In the spring of 2012, Hogy introduced the 7" Sand Eel. While this bait is hugely popular for striper anglers targeting striped bass feeding on sand eels, they are a deadly tuna bait. In recent years, finding a bait small enough to replicate a small sand eel, but...

We spent 15 minutes on the phone with Capt. John Meskauskas to discuss catching finicky summer inlet snook with the Hogy Sand Eel soft bait. Here's what we found out...  Capt. John Meskauskas Location: Stuart, Florida Tides: Both incoming and outgoing tides are worth fishing. When fishing the inlets, the incoming tide is generally cleaner and relatively free of debris. A strong outgoing tide can be really good as bait is pushed out from the flats, but the water may get choked up with grass making proper presentation a little difficult. Approach: Most of trips start at first light during the...