Inshore — red drum, trout, flounder

Long enough to cast a light jig across a flat, soft enough to keep a trout pinned. This one rod covers reds, trout and flounder.

Sealed drag matters more than gear ratio in salt. Rinse it every trip and it'll last years.

Braid has no stretch so you feel the bite; fluoro leader is what the fish sees. Two to three feet of leader, joined with an FG or double uni knot.

The single most productive inshore rig on this coast. The pop imitates feeding shrimp, and a soft plastic or live shrimp hangs 18–24 inches under it. Deadly over grass on a rising tide.

1/8 oz on the shallow flats, 3/8 oz when current picks up in the ICW. Carry both — using too heavy a jig in skinny water is the classic mistake.

Paddle tails in white, chartreuse or root beer. Scented shrimp imitations work when the bite is slow. Match the water: light colours in clear water, dark in stained.

Gold for red drum over grass, especially tailing fish on a flood tide. Weedless so you can throw it right into the cover.

First and last light over shallow grass. The strike is the reason people fish inshore. Don't set the hook until you feel weight.

When the artificial bite dies, live bait still works. Mud minnows for flounder, live shrimp for everything. Local bait shops beat anything you bring from home.

Trout have teeth and flounder have more. Pliers get the hook out fast so the fish goes back healthy.

Rubber mesh doesn't strip slime or tangle trebles. Both matter if you're releasing.

For live bait. They set in the corner of the mouth instead of the gut, which is the difference between a released fish living and not.