MirrOlure plugs are dependable, sturdy

The mild winter has some anglers still fishing while others are shopping at boat and tackle shows. Right now speckled trout and redfish can be caught in the shallows of Brunswick County. Meanwhile, many folks are buying tackle in preparation for the spring fishing season.
Very few speckled trout and red drum fishing fanatics lack a collection of colorful MirrOlures. The sturdy and dependable plugs are the traditional hard bait associated with sea trout, as well as redfish, and for good reason.
MirrOlure plugs have been hooking trout for decades and today’s inshore angler has more options than ever when it comes to choosing the right MirrOlure.
MirrOlures are a flashy, durable type of saltwater plug manufactured by the L&S Bait Co. out of Florida. The shine of a MirrOlure in the water imitates baitfish like mullet or menhaden on which trout and redfish feed heavily. When worked correctly, MirrOlures mimic wounded or disoriented baitfish, bringing aggressive strikes from specks and redfish looking for an easy meal.
MirrOlures have great casting weight, which allows anglers to throw them long distances. This is effective inshore when you don’t want to spook the schooling fish, and it also makes MirrOlures a great choice for surf anglers casting in the whitewater of an ocean beach.
MirrOlures also tend to catch a larger size fish than the popular scented soft baits used by so many trout and redfish anglers today.
Classic MirrOlure plugs such as the 52MR, the TTM and the 7M dive a few feet and are perfect for shallow and medium action. An important key is to fish your MirrOlures slowly as they were designed to be fished.
Anglers can use a pull-and-pause technique or fish the Mirrolure as a twitchbait, but you should make the retrieve relatively slow compared to retrieves used when fishing hard plugs for speedy bluefish or Spanish mackerel.
MirrOlures are often best fished with the pull-and-pause method, which imitates a live baitfish.
When you look at a baitfish, like a mullet, in the water you don’t see them speeding in a straight line. Instead they are darting side to side, pushing forward and pausing, as they fight against the current or try to make themselves bad targets for predatory fish, crabs and birds. You want your lure to move along the same way.
In some conditions, such as cold water where the current is running well, you don’t need to move your MirrOlure much at all. Just give it enough of a twitch to let the lure flash and imitate a wounded baitfish. When it’s time to retrieve the lure, reel in the line with a couple of quick pops, then let the lure lie still for a few seconds.
The L&S Bait Co.  also makes some popular topwater models that work great when the speckled trout bite is on in the morning. The MirrOlure TopDog and the smaller, popular SheDog are great hardbaits to use as topwater targets by retrieving the plugs in a side-to-side “walk the dog” method.
To use the “walk the dog” technique, retrieve the plug in a side-to-side motion. The topwater bait will cause a commotion on the surface, which can attract trout or redfish from a great distance.
The SheDog adds additional sonic attributes as it rattles and will bring speckled trout and redfish from a distance. The SheDog MirrOlure is a great lure to use in tainted or choppy water, as you are combining visual appeal with auditory enticement.
When tying on your MirrOlure, always use loop knots to tie the plugs to eliminate line twist. MirrOlures operate most efficiently with a minimum of hardware, so leave the steel leaders and swivels in your tackle box. For best results when stalking speckled trout and redfish, you should choose a rod that’s a little on the stiff side, such as a 6-foot, 6-inch fast tip inshore or a 7-foot medium action rod for surf fishing.
You don’t need to go out and buy every
MirrOlure at the tackle shop. Most anglers build up their collection slowly. Get several sinking and a few topwater models and then start experimenting to find what works for you.

Jeffrey Weeks, author of “Surf and Saltwater Fishing in the Carolinas,” is a fishing columnist for the Beacon. You may reach him at saltyweeks@gmail.com or follow updated fishing reports on his blog at http://saltyweeks.blogspot.com.