Reds and Specks by Starlight

MELTON'S BEST CATCHES

EDITOR'S NOTE: This week, Captain Jamie Melton of Foley, Alabama, will teach us why he believes the back bays in any coastal area are best by starlight and why you can catch more speckled trout, redfish and flounder after dark.

Question: What size speckled trout and redfish do you take at night?

Answer: The size of fish that you catch at night is one of the reasons I like to fish at this time. You can catch numbers of little speckled trout and redfish, and you can catch big bull reds and trophy speckled trout -- all mixed-in together. On one cast to the lights, you may catch a 12-inch throwback speckled trout. Yet, on the very next cast, you may catch a speckled trout that weighs over 5 pounds and measures more than 20 inches in length. When your bait hits the water, it doesn't discriminate. Whatever size fish can get to it first is the size fish you'll catch. I've learned, however, that for some reason speckled trout and redfish of the same size seem to school together. For instance, if you catch a 19-inch speckled trout on your first cast to a light,

more than likely the speckled trout you catch around that light will be within an inch (larger or smaller) than that 19-inch fish. If I pull up to a light and the first fish we catch is 12 inches, then I know that more than likely I should leave that light and look for a light that's holding bigger fish.

Question: Many novice fisherman motor their boats up close to lights, throw out their anchors to hold their boats against the tide and start fishing. How do you approach a light that's shinning down in the water?

Answer: I try to keep my boat as far away from the light as I can when I have my big engine running. Then I'll shut my big motor down and depend on the wind or the tide to carry my boat back to the light. I'll ease my anchor over as quietly as I can and anchor within casting distance of the light. I instruct my fishermen to be very noise-conscious as they move about the boat. I ask them not to drop the fish on the floor of the boat or let the fish flop around. All those sounds transfer into the water and can spook the fish we're trying to catch.

Question: What's the biggest fish you've ever caught at night?

Answer: My fishing parties and I have caught several speckled trout weighing over 8 pounds each and an even larger number of fish weighing 7 pounds or more. At night you can catch speckled trout as big as they grow, and your odds of catching the fish are much greater at night than they are in the daytime.

Question: What's the biggest redfish you've ever taken at night?

Answer: We brought a 35-pound redfish to the boat one night when we were fishing. We seem to catch the biggest redfish when we fish in Perdido Pass at night during the fall. At that time of the year, we won't fish around the lights because the big redfish will swim around the pilings of the docks and break the line. If someone wants to catch a really big redfish, I suggest that they fish in the pass at night in the fall, use heavy tackle and fish the open water where they can play a big redfish down. Those big reds will bite much better at night than they do during the day.

Question: Do you fillet the fish for your customers?

Answer: Oh, yes. When the trip's over, I fillet the fish, wash the fillets, put the fillets in Ziploc bags and give the customers the names of local restaurants that will cook their fish for them. So, when your night of fishing with me is over, you don't have to cook or wash dishes. You can just take your fish to a restaurant and enjoy the best benefit of night fishing -- eating your catch.

Question: What do you charge for a night-fishing trip?

Answer: For one or two people, the price is $275 for four hours. I charge $50 for each extra person and $50 for each extra hour. In other words, a two-passenger trip for six hours would be $375, and for eight hours, the cost would be $475.

For more information, contact Captain Jamie Melton at 309 East Verbena, Foley, AL 36535, or (251) 955-5713.