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Inshore Outing with D.O.A. Lures

Catching snook and trout in the Indian River
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Meet the Original 3-inch D.O.A. Shrimp, a longtime favorite lure for pretty much every inshore species that swims in Florida and beyond. I’ve been using these babies for decades now, but was attending my very first D.O.A. Writer’s Event, an annual outing hosted at the River Palm Cottages in Jensen Beach, Florida. It was beyond a swell time! Mike Mazur
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The action got started immediately. After arriving in Jensen, a few of us decided to head out for a little nighttime action with our friends from Hobie, who’d brought several of their MirageDrive-powered kayaks to the event. I was lucky enough to try out Hobie’s newest model, the Mirage Pro Angler 12 (the yellow boat in the front-left). It’s an absolute gem, nimble, stable and supremely comfortable. Mike Mazur
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Morgan Promnitz, Hobie’s fishing product manager, preps his boat at the launch ramp. Before long… Mike Mazur
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…the sun is down, and Morgan is on the water, working a good dock light for snook and sea trout. Mike Mazur
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Local expert and D.O.A. marketing director Jerry McBride joined us on this kayak outing. Jerry’s incredibly proficient working these waters and often finds that hopping out of his yak at night around shallow-water docks can be deadly. He didn’t score a fish on this particular light, but… Mike Mazur
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…he nabbed this nice snook at another while back in the Hobie, just before we called it a night. Ben Holtzclaw
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The next morning, I was lucky enough to fish with another top-notch Jensen Beach guide, Capt. Ed Zyak. No one’s more knowledgeable at catching big trout and snook in this area — and, no, his boat’s not broken down in this picture. Like Jerry McBride (and many other top anglers here, such as D.O.A. founder Mark Nichols), Ed often prefers to hop out of his Gheenoe LT25 and wade. Mike Mazur
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Once he finds a flat to his liking, Zyak deploys his Minn Kota Talon from the stern of his Gheenoe and then starts working edges and sandy potholes. Mike Mazur
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It usually doesn’t take long for Ed to get hooked up. This fish turned out to be… Mike Mazur
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…a nice trout. A fine way to start the day. Mike Mazur
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We were soon joined by Minn Kota field promotions manager Sam Heaton (right), who nabbed this nice snook. What did it hit? Mike Mazur
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A D.O.A. Shrimp, of course! (in the Glow/Gold Rush Belly color). But Sam was just getting started, and soon, he… Mike Mazur
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…latched into a very nice trout that sparkled in the morning sun. Mike Mazur
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They don’t call them snaggletooths for nothing. Mike Mazur
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Soon, fellow guide, Capt. Joey Spoerle, joined us for some fun. He caught a dandy little flounder right off the bat, and then proceeded to… Mike Mazur
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…hook into yet another nice snook. This one wacked a C.A.L. jerk bait in a Nite Glow color. Mike Mazur
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The fishing on this flat was really turning on this morning and producing some surprises as well — even this little barracuda couldn’t pass up a C.A.L. jerk bait fished a little deeper on a weighted jig head. Mike Mazur
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Another bent rod… Mike Mazur
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….another snook release. But soon, Ed hooked into something larger… Mike Mazur
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…he fought this fish for several minutes before getting it within sight. At first, we thought it was a big snook. But then we realized… Mike Mazur
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…it was a gator trout that ate his D.O.A. shrimp. Mike Mazur
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Ed’s caught many trophy trout, some of which have weighed into the teens. This one was no slouch. We estimated her at between 9 to 10 pounds, a trophy in anyone’s book — and a great way to end the day! Mike Mazur
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