Fishing Lido Key Products Page
Capt Jim Klopfer has been a full time fishing guide in Sarasota since 1991. These are the products and equipment that he uses to catch fish every day. While he does make a small commission on each sale, he created this Fishing Lido Key products page so that anglers who are interested in purchasing the rods, reels, and lures that he uses can find everything in one location.
“Fishing Lido Key is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ”
2500 Daiwa/St Croix spinning outfit
The outfit that Capt Jim uses is a Daiwa Black Gold 2500 spinning reel on a matching 7′ St Croix Triumph rod. This is a terrific rod and reel combination for just about every inshore application. It retails for around $220. Capt Jim uses it with 10-20 lb braid and works great for casting jigs on the flats for trout and other species as well as snook fishing in the back country. This is an excellent combo for anglers fishing inshore saltwater. It is very light, but strong.
Anglers can shop at Amazon for a Daiwa Black Gold reel and St Croix Triumph 7′ MF rod spinning combo in this link.
Penn Squall 30 light conventional outfit
This Penn Squall 30 combo is a great entry level outfit at a very affordable price. It has a level wind, is great for light tackle trolling with up to a #2 planer as well as bottom fishing. It is light enough to be fun but stout enough to handle a decent fish.
Anglers can shop at Amazon for a Penn Squall 30 rod and reel in this link.
Jig and grub combo
No other artificial lure catches more fish for inshore saltwater anglers than does the venerable jig and grub combo. It is simple, yet very effective. Jig head weights and grub tails can easily to be changed to match conditions and forage. Capt Jim primarily uses a 3/16 or 1/4 ounce head for most of his fishing. The Strike King jig head comes in 3 colors, several sizes, and has the correct hook size for speckled trout and other species found on the deep grass flats in Florida and beyond.
Anglers can shop at Amazon for Strike King jig heads in this link.
Gulp Shrimp
Capt Jim uses a 3″ Gulp Shrimp on a 1/4 ounce jig for most of his jig fishing. Gulp Shrimp are almost like using live bait with the advantage of covering a lot of water. Pearl white/ chartreuse and New Penny are his two favorite colors. He finds that the shrimp lasts longer; small fish will bite off the curly tails on the other Gulp products. He also likes the 5″ Gulp Jerk Shad for bot the flats and snook fishing.
Anglers can purchase Gulp! Shrimp at Amazon in this link.
Anglers can purchase Gulp! Jerk Shad baits from Amazon in this link.
Bass Assassin Shad Tail Grubs
There are applications where Capt Jim uses a shad tail style grub. These have excellent action and works well when fishing in clear water for aggressive fish such as bluefish and Spanish mackerel. The 4 1/2 inch bait fished on a 1/4 ounce jig head is the combo that Capt Jim uses most often. Glow/charteuse is the top color with red/gold shiner working better in murky water.
Anglers can shop for Bass assassin Sea Shad baits on Amazon here.
Rapala X-Raps
Capt Jim uses the #8 Rapala X-Rap Slash bait to catch a variety of species. They are very productive when either trolled or cast. Ghost and olive are the top colors in clear water while gold works best when snook fishing in the darker river waters.
Anglers can shop for #8 Rapala X-Raps at Amazon in this link.
Hooks
These hooks have been around a long time and work well in most angling applications. Capt Jim uses the #1/0 size on 90% of his Sarasota fishing charters. He will drop it down when snapper and sheepshead are fussy.
Anglers can shop at Amazon for Mustad hooks in this link.
Fishing Line
Capt Jim uses Stren clear monofilament fishing line on his outfits. He uses 10 lb line most of the time.
Anglers can shop for line at Amazon in this link.
Capt Jim uses Power Pro Braided line on his outfits that use braided line. He uses 20 lb line as a good all round size.
Anglers can shop for Power Pro fishing line at Amazon in this link.
Seaguar 30 lb Leader
Anglers can shop for Seagar flourocarbon leader at Amazon in this link.