Golden Shiner Topwaters and Big Baits
If you’ve spent any time fishing in Florida, you know that the fickle Sunshine State bass love nothing better than a “mule ear” golden shiner. It can be disconcerting: You’re flipping down a bank with your favorite creature bait or craw and doing pretty well, but then you come up to an anchored shiner guide who is catching far more fish than you. Furthermore, they’re average size is larger than the biggest fish you’ve seen.
As many of you head to Florida in the coming weeks to get the rust off of your tackle, you might not want to use live shiners. Perhaps you don’t want the hassle of keeping them alive, or you simply prefer artificials or you’re fishing in a tournament. No matter the reason, it’s still possible to “match the hatch.”
Of course there are a ton of gold or gold foiled lures with black backs, but here are ten that specifically call out their intent to imitate golden shiners:
