Best Mirrolure for Snook, Redfish, Speckled Trout and Tarpon
Mirrolures are one of the best brands of top water and suspending hard baits that there is. Mirrolures catch snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, jack crevalle, blue fish, sharks and just about anything else that swims in the ocean.
My best is the Mirrolure Top Dog for morning snook around the mangroves. It is also great for fishing shallow grass flats for speckled trout and redfish around sunrise.
Tarpon also love to crush this lure in the tidal creeks around sunrise and sunset.
My favorite MirroLures are the Top Dog, the Top Dog Jr., the suspending mullet switch bait and the Popa Dog.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the mangroves and mud flats all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will show you simple tips and techniques to catch more fish. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more fish with MirroLures.
Mirrolures are one of the best brands of top water and suspending hard baits that there is. Mirrolures catch snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, jack crevalle, blue fish, sharks and just about anything else that swims in the ocean.
My best is the Mirrolure Top Dog for morning snook around the mangroves. It is also great for fishing shallow grass flats for speckled trout and redfish around sunrise.
Tarpon also love to crush this lure in the tidal creeks around sunrise and sunset.
My favorite MirroLures are the Top Dog, the Top Dog Jr., the suspending mullet switch bait and the Popa Dog.
I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida and have been fishing the mangroves and mud flats all over Florida for more than 40 years.
In the article below, I will show you simple tips and techniques to catch more fish. Let's get started.
Watch the video below and catch more fish with MirroLures.
Best Mirrolure for Snook:
Docks-- Docks are a great place to catch snook using Mirrolures. I like to get up early and make long casts that are parallel to the docks. The key is to get the lure as close to the dock as possible. If your lure is more than 3 feet away, then your much less apt to get a strike.
The sweet spot for dock snook seems to be within 3 feet or less of the actual dock pilings. The top water walk-the-dog Mirrolures like the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. are my favorites for this scenario. The Popa Dog is another lure if you think a popper chugger type of lure is what they want that day.
All 3 of the lures mentioned above will work best when the water depth is 4 feet or less.
The snook are usually hugging the bottom and more than 4 feet is a long way for them to go up in the water column to slam your top water lure. They will sometimes swim up that much when they are extremely active but it is rare.
When you are fishing around docks that are 4 feet deep or greater the suspending mullet twitch bait will work very well. You can get this bait down about 2 feet or so in the water column if you work it with a downward twitch of your rod tip.
This means that you can target snook in the water column down to about 6 or 7 feet deep around the docks. There are other Mirrolures that are weighted that can get down even further in the water column but I rarely fish in water that is more than 7 feet deep.
If you are fishing for snook in water deeper than 7 feet, then you can ask your local bait shop which Mirrolure works best for that scenario. I have never used one of the sinking types of Mirrolures so I can't really give you any advice on which ones work the best.
Watch the video below and catch more snook with top water lures.
Mangroves-- Mangroves are another great place to target snook and other game fish with Mirrolures. I like to use a walk-the-dog style of top water lure like the top dog. This works the best for a parallel cast within about 2 feet of the mangrove branches.
The redfish, snook and trout will most likely be tight to the mangroves. So if you are more than 2 feet away from the branches or roots then you will probably not be in the strike zone. The tarpon are everywhere in a tidal creek lined by mangroves BUT close to the mangroves is better.
I like a white or natural colored Mirrolures the best. A slow walk-the-dog retrieve early in the morning or later in the day is the best time for top water lures targeting snook.
I wrote another article that covers tips and techniques how to catch a snook. You can read that article by clicking right here.
The suspending finger mullet twitch bait can work extremely well if the top water snook bite is not very hot. I like to make a long cast with a very slow retrieve. Something like twitch--twitch reel 10 feet--pause--twitch--twitch--repeat....
Beaches-- The suspending mullet twitch Mirrolure is an excellent lure to catch the snook that are hunting in the trough just a few feet from the beach. The snook love to hunt the troughs created by the wave action at the beach for whiting and croakers.
You should cast your suspending mullet parallel to the beach to keep it no more than 6 feet away from the dry sand. The snook will usually be closer to the beach at the higher tides.
When there is a ground swell of maybe 2 or 3 feet and the water gets churned up and milky colored the snook will usually bite anything that you get near them. I like the twitch bait the best in this scenario but the Top Dog, Top Dog Jr. and the Popa Dog will also work if the snook are feeding.
You should cast your suspending mullet parallel to the beach to keep it no more than 6 feet away from the dry sand. The snook will usually be closer to the beach at the higher tides.
When there is a ground swell of maybe 2 or 3 feet and the water gets churned up and milky colored the snook will usually bite anything that you get near them. I like the twitch bait the best in this scenario but the Top Dog, Top Dog Jr. and the Popa Dog will also work if the snook are feeding.
Grass Flats-- The grass flats are another great place to target snook with Mirrolures. I like to use the walk-the-dog Mirrolures in water that is 3 feet deep or less and the suspending mullet twitch bait when the water is 5 to 6 feet deep. Most of the time that I fish the water is 6 feet or less in depth.
The first hour of two in the morning and around sunset are usually the best times for top water Mirrolures. Real cloudy days are another good time to use them. You can fish them all day long but they definitely work better in low light conditions.
You will want to target the sandy pot holes in and around the grass flats for snook. They like to hide in them and ambushing unwary prey items brought to them by the tide. Just remember to make your lure presentation from up current because the snook will be facing into the current.
Watch the video below and catch more snook.
Best Mirrolure for Redfish:
Oyster Bars/Mud Flats-- Redfish and oyster bars go together like Mardi Gras and drunk people. Redfish are one of those oyster bar specialists. They like to root around in the mud and flip over the oyster clumps to eat the shrimp, crabs and small fish that may be hiding in them.
Another thing to remember about redfish is that they are often the first fish to hit the mud flats when the tide turns from dead low to incoming. This is when I like to target them the best. You can often see the v wakes that they make as they hunt for prey. You can often see them tailing as they are vertical in the water column chasing their prey.
In the super skinny water during the lower parts of the tide is when I like to use the walk-the-dog Mirrolures. Make sure to match the hatch. This means if the baitfish in the area are large mullet then use the large Top Dog lures. If the bait fish are small finger mullets or large mud minnows then use the Top Dog Jr.
Redfish are not very good at attacking things on the surface of the water. They are built to pin things to the bottom and eat things that are beneath them. Expect the redfish to miss your lures repeatedly. Just stop the lure after a miss and twitch it a little bit. This will let them have a chance to catch up with your lures.
Watch out for a scenario where there is a channel or deep cut between two oyster bars or an oyster bar and a mud flat. This is a great place for you to fish for redfish because they will be forced to come right by you as they follow the tide in and out.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a redfish. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Cast your Mirrolure suspending mullet up current and twitch it slowly back to you and repeat. You might have to wait a while before the schools of redfish move through your area but the action can get hot and heavy once they do.
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Mangroves-- You can find a lot of redfish around the mangrove roots and branches during the higher parts of the tide. The suspending mullet twitch bait is a great one to use if there are finger mullet in the area. Make sure to get your lure as close to the mangroves as possible because the redfish will most likely be hugging the mangrove roots as they cruise with the tide looking for something to eat.
If the water is 3 feet or less by the mangrove roots then the walk-the-dog style of Mirrolures will work well. BUT remember that the redfish are bad at biting top water lures so keep it slow and steady with a few pauses during your retrieve.
Any small cut between the lines of mangroves is a great place to target redfish too. If the cut is less than 3 feet deep you should use the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. for best results. If the water is more like 5 or 6 feet deep then the suspending mullet twitch bait is a good choice.
Grass Flats-- The grass flats are another great place to target redfish. I like the lower tides to target redfish by sight fishing for them. They will often be tailing with their faces buried into the sea grass looking for something good to eat.
It can be hard to get their attention when they are tailing. They are focused intently upon prey items in the grass and mud so the low frequency vibrations of the Top Dog walk-the-dog Mirrolure will work.
Another good signal that there are redfish around is the characteristic V wake that they make when they are cruising the shallows on the grass flats. You just have to present your lure in front of the approaching redfish schools.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish with top water Mirrolures.
It can be hard to get their attention when they are tailing. They are focused intently upon prey items in the grass and mud so the low frequency vibrations of the Top Dog walk-the-dog Mirrolure will work.
Another good signal that there are redfish around is the characteristic V wake that they make when they are cruising the shallows on the grass flats. You just have to present your lure in front of the approaching redfish schools.
Watch the video below and catch more redfish with top water Mirrolures.
Docks-- Docks are a great place to target just about every inshore predatory fish. They are especially good structure for finding redfish. The older docks are usually the best ones to look for redfish around. The more growth on the dock pilings, the better for fishing.
I like to use Mirrolures for redfish around dock pilings. The Top Dog, Top Dog Jr., Popa Dog and the suspending mullet will all work well around the docks. Make sure to cast the lures as close to the pilings as you can.
The redfish and snook will probably be hiding around the pilings and waiting for the current to bring shrimp and small fish to them. You must keep this in mind when fishing the docks. The strike zone around docks is within 3 feet of the actual pilings. Any lure presentations further away than that will probably be ignored.
Best Mirrolure for Speckled Trout a.k.a. Spotted Sea Trout:
Grass Flats-- Grass flats are a phenomenal place to target speckled trout. These fish live their entire lives in and around the grass flats. They find their food and spawn in and around the grass flats all over the southern United States.
The shallow water grass flats are a great place to use top water walk-the-dog Mirrolures like the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. I like to use them when the water is no deeper than 3 feet. The suspending mullet twitch bait will also work in 3 feet of water but I like to see the top water strikes.
The deeper water grass flats are great for using the suspending mullet twitch bait to catch spotted sea trout. They work especially well when the schools of finger mullet are in the area.
A cast into a school of finger mullet with the suspending mullet lure will incite hungry trout to slam your lure. Your lure will be considered the weak one and the predators will key on that fish.
Watch the video below and catch more speckled trout.
Grass Flats-- Grass flats are a phenomenal place to target speckled trout. These fish live their entire lives in and around the grass flats. They find their food and spawn in and around the grass flats all over the southern United States.
The shallow water grass flats are a great place to use top water walk-the-dog Mirrolures like the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. I like to use them when the water is no deeper than 3 feet. The suspending mullet twitch bait will also work in 3 feet of water but I like to see the top water strikes.
The deeper water grass flats are great for using the suspending mullet twitch bait to catch spotted sea trout. They work especially well when the schools of finger mullet are in the area.
A cast into a school of finger mullet with the suspending mullet lure will incite hungry trout to slam your lure. Your lure will be considered the weak one and the predators will key on that fish.
Watch the video below and catch more speckled trout.
Oyster Bars/Mud Flats-- The oyster bar and mud flat environments are great places to target trout as long as there are grass flats near by. The trout will follow the tide and run up the tidal creeks in schools searching for shrimp and small fish.
They will compete with the redfish and the other predators that are following the tides. I like to find a choke point in the creeks that funnels the fish right to me. The suspending mullet Mirrolure seems to work the best in shallow tidal creeks filled with oyster bars and mud flats.
Make sure to cast up current and work the lure back slowly. The same twitch--twitch--pause technique mentioned earlier is probably your best bet. When the schools are rolling through you will get a ton a strikes for a half hour of so and then the bite will stop once the school moves through.
Shallow mud flats are a great place to use the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. The walk-the-dog top water lures work great next to the channels near the oyster bars and mud flats.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in much more detail how to catch a spotted sea trout. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Mangroves-- The mangroves are another hunting ground for speckled trout. They will stalk the pilchards, sardines, glass minnows and finger mullet that cruise the mangrove roots with the moving tides. They will be stalking these prey items right alongside with snook, redfish and tarpon.
The suspending mullet twitch bait will work well right next to the mangroves. Make sure to cast up current for best results. The slow retrieve works best for me but try a few different speeds and techniques until you find the one that gets the most strikes.
In the early mornings and towards sunset the Top Dog and the Top Dog Jr. are probably your best bets right along the mangrove line.
Docks-- In my area of Florida the sea grasses have been dying off at an alarming rate. I believe this has forced the trout to hunt around the docks more for their prey. Some of the biggest trout that I catch these days are around docks.
The docks with the biggest boats and those that are in deeper water seem to be the ones that perform the best for catching trout. All of the Mirrorlures mentioned will catch trout around the docks. The smaller Top Dog Jr. lures seem to catch the most speckled trout but the Top Dog usually is the one that catches the biggest trout. I guess it's true what they say, BIG BAITS CATCH BIG FISH.
Make sure to get the lures as close to the pilings as possible for the most bites. The strike zone is bigger for the trout. They are okay with being between the various docks and being 10 off of the end of the docks if there is bait around. They are not a structurally orientated like the snook, flounder and redfish are.
Watch the video below and catch more spotted sea trout.
Best Mirrolure for Tarpon:
Tidal Creeks-- My favorite spot to hunt tarpon is the tidal creeks with deep channels. Tarpon love to hunt around the mangroves and tidal creeks. The great thing about tarpon is that they breathe air. This means to you that you can find them easily as they gulp for air showing you where they are.
Once they gulp and submerge again you can tell which way that they are heading by watching which way the bubbles lead. You should present your Mirrolure to intersect the tarpon as they swim away from where they just gulped.
You need to intercept the tarpon before it changes course so it is important to get your lure in front of the fish and present it well enough to get a strike and a hook up. Tarpon have very hard mouths so it can be difficult to get a good hook set with a treble hook.
I like to change out the treble hooks for single hooks for the health of the fish and because a single hook has a better chance of burying deeply enough to not get spat out when the tarpon starts making its jumps.
The suspending mullet can be an amazingly effective lure for catching tarpon. Especially when there are finger mullets in the area. Cast your Mirrolure to the outside of a passing school of finger mullet for best results. The tarpon will be under the school scanning them for weakness.
I wrote another article on this website that covers in great detail how to catch a tarpon. You can read that article by clicking right here.
Your twitching mullet will look like a wounded or weak mullet and will be singled out by the tarpon underneath. The Top Dog is another great choice for a tarpon lure. In the scenario above, once you know where the tarpon is heading you can intersect their path with a walk-the-dog lure and wait for the explosion when the tarpon hits.
Grass Flats-- Grass flats are another great place to target tarpon with Mirrolures. It is usually harder to find the tarpon out on the grass flats because they are constantly on the move. In the tidal creeks they will usually be hanging out in the same basic areas.
You will want to look for bird activity and scared bait fish jumping out of the water to get away from a predator. Once you find out where the tarpon are you can cast to them and get a hook up. Just figure out which way they are heading and get your lure in their path.
The suspending mullet twitch bait is probably your best bet out on the grass flats. You can cover a lot of area with this lure if you can't actually see where the tarpon are. It is also a very easy lure to get good at fishing with. Reel it to you with a couple of twitches and a pause or two and you are good to go.
You will want to look for bird activity and scared bait fish jumping out of the water to get away from a predator. Once you find out where the tarpon are you can cast to them and get a hook up. Just figure out which way they are heading and get your lure in their path.
The suspending mullet twitch bait is probably your best bet out on the grass flats. You can cover a lot of area with this lure if you can't actually see where the tarpon are. It is also a very easy lure to get good at fishing with. Reel it to you with a couple of twitches and a pause or two and you are good to go.
Beaches-- Tarpon like to hunt the beaches for migrating bait fish. Any time there is a bait run of some sort down the beaches there will be tarpon unless the water is colder than 73 or 74 degrees. Anything above that and you will be able to catch a tarpon.
The glass minnow run; the mullet run; the sardine run; any sort of migration will get the tarpon going and you will be able to catch them right off of the beach. At the higher tides you can see 5 or 6 foot long tarpons within 3 or 4 feet of the beach slamming into the bait schools.
The suspending mullet will work wonders around the bait fish. Especially if the bait fish are approximately the same size as your lure. If seems that bait size is more important to the tarpon than color most of the time. ALWAYS match the hatch whenever possible.
The glass minnow run; the mullet run; the sardine run; any sort of migration will get the tarpon going and you will be able to catch them right off of the beach. At the higher tides you can see 5 or 6 foot long tarpons within 3 or 4 feet of the beach slamming into the bait schools.
The suspending mullet will work wonders around the bait fish. Especially if the bait fish are approximately the same size as your lure. If seems that bait size is more important to the tarpon than color most of the time. ALWAYS match the hatch whenever possible.
Mangrove Islands-- Mangrove islands with deeper channels next to them are another great place to target tarpon. Mangrove islands and mangrove tidal creeks are where I catch 90% of the tarpon from my kayak. The thing that both of these environments have in common is the deep channel and mangrove roots.
Tarpon like to be around deep water but small bait fish like to hide in mangrove roots as they move around in schools. The tarpon will hang out in the deep channels and then move under the mangrove branches to slam some unsuspecting bait fish and then move back out to the deep water.
This doesn't mean that you can't catch tarpon in the middle of the deep channel but a cast parallel to the mangrove lines usually works the best. The suspending mullet is again the best Mirrolure for this scenario.
The Top Dog will work just fine in the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset but the suspending lure will work as long as the fish are biting. This bait works especially well when the upper layers of the water column get too hot for top water action.
The water 2 or 3 feet down in the water column can be 5 or 6 degrees cooler. On a hot day every degree matters to the fish.
I hope this article helps you catch more fish or at the very least have more fun doing it.