Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

ok guys so one of my friends went with me today to a place where we were supposed to be getting some nice snapper. BUT we ended up fiding some mullet that at the shore and were all torn up but alive. I had a super flimsy rod and i hooked the only one that we found tried to throw it out.....well an monster cuda came and smashed it and just cut the line so fast i didnt even notice that it did.

i tried to get some mullet but they are all under a bridge and i cant reach them with my cast net so any advices on what to use for them (lures specifically) would be great thanks guys!

I have got them on large top waters and tubes. Bring extra tackle

As John said Tube lure aka Cuda Killer is my favorite

thanks guys I've seen many peaple fish with tubes but how do they work?
Side question: why do cudas like tube lures

?

You cast the tube. You retrieve the tube. The cuda bites the tube.

Cudas love anything that's moving fast. The tube lure in particular imitates a needle fish, which is a delicacy for big barracuda. The reason the tubes are so popular is because they're cheap and they are made out of indestructible materials so the cudas can't chew them up and destroy them. And even if they do manage to mangle the tube lure, tubes are super cheap and easy to make at home.

You can troll a tube lure along a bridge and do really well, or simply cast it out and bring it in with some haste. As long as the fish doesn't get a great look at it, it will get bit.

thanks now i understand but would a live needlefish be good???

grouperking wrote:thanks now i understand but would a live needlefish be good???

Very good bait in the keys anf piers

With the tube lure you can let it sink and jig the mammy out of it to the surface, they sometimes like that

Some of my most explosive hits have been on needle/houndfish. They are a fragile bait so be sure to have a rig setup and ready before you catch one.

Green Tide wrote:Some of my most explosive hits have been on needle/houndfish. They are a fragile bait so be sure to have a rig setup and ready before you catch one.

so u would hook them through the nose or something and just let them sit?

grouperking wrote:

Green Tide wrote:Some of my most explosive hits have been on needle/houndfish. They are a fragile bait so be sure to have a rig setup and ready before you catch one.

so u would hook them through the nose or something and just let them sit?

I hook them through the back and sometimes use a stinger. Cuda will launch air borne for this bait.

Green Tide wrote:

grouperking wrote:

Green Tide wrote:Some of my most explosive hits have been on needle/houndfish. They are a fragile bait so be sure to have a rig setup and ready before you catch one.

so u would hook them through the nose or something and just let them sit?

I hook them through the back and sometimes use a stinger. Cuda will launch air borne for this bait.

thanks a lot il try it next time

what kind of tubing is used to make the lures? and can barracudas be caught year round at dania/pompano/anglin?

Tube lures are the way to go for cudas. They can be caught year round and during time of the year when nothing else is biting, they can provide some pretty awesome action. The fish are seeing the silhouette of the lure and so I'm not sure the color matters. I always used pink though. You can make your own from surgical tubing, strong trebles, and wire. You can simply cast out and reel in pretty fast. If the cudas are around you'll see them chasing it. Sometimes you'll see 3 or more following the tube. They're more aggressive in groups - if one makes a slight move for the tube they all rush it.

You can tail hook a needlefish and freeline it out. As anyone who has fished near cuda spots can tell you, they'll eat anything really.

The Port Everglades jetty is a great spot for cuda tubing. They hang out the entire length, both sides although the bigger ones hang out in a certain area. I'll let you figure that one out. Another awesome spot is Bill Baggs. Follow the seawall to the left all the way to the fence near the lighthouse. As long as the current is moving the cudas stack up all over.

Here's one I caught in Jan a few years ago. Nothing else was biting but the cuda were stacked up.


A white zara spook with a red head is my next favorite cuda lure. It's also the best overall top water in general for keys fishing. You can catch snook, snapper, cudas, jacks, and everything else. Just make super long casts over the flats w/current moving, or along the mangroves.