A slight whine was heard over the muffled exhaust of the Honda four-stroke as Capt. Vic raised his motor to avoid the jagged oyster bed inches below the surface as we navigated through a winding maze of blackish water off Cedar Point Creek in search of redfish and trout. With the tide rapidly falling, creating a current around the numerous oyster beds along the saw grass, we knew the time was right to take advantage of the situation with a couple of top water lures. As the first Top Dog Jr hit the water, it wasn't long before the rhythmic motion caught the attention of our first redfish. With a nerve-shattering explosion of water, the fish was on.

Using top water lures in salt water can be a challenge for several reasons. Natural bait is more readily available and between the increased murkiness of the water and greater risk of structures like oyster beds, top water lures require some careful attention for success.

Varying the working of the lures, even the speed and jerks on the same retrieve can produce very good results. Slowing down on the retrieve and even hesitating for a second or two may convince a potential target that the bait is injured. Believing the bait can't escape, some fish will strike harder.

Don't set the hook just on the strike. A fish may head butt or tail slap the lure to injure it further. Or, sometimes a fish will hit a few times before taking the bait. Wait until the rod bends before setting the hook. If a fish is going to miss the lure altogether, you don't want to pull the bait out of reach and prevent a second strike from happening.

To target redfish, concentrate on the grassy edges over oyster beds, creek mouths, grass islands and points or changes along the shoreline. Finding a location in an oyster bed where high water leaves a depth of 3' to 4' around the bed, may mean good fishing. Try casting the lure over the top of the bed to target the hungry fish waiting in the deeper waters. Many of these fish haunt the same spot, waiting for the natural bait that often occurs there.

In shallow water or low tide, try casting 15' to 20' ahead of the fish's wake. Wait for the fish to get about 5' from the lure and then work it in a fast walk-the-dog fashion to create a reaction strike. Sometimes watching the fish to see where they're swimming before casting works well. If the fish keeps pushing up wake in a certain area, then ease in gently just enough to reach with a cast. Wait for the fish to pass again to avoid spooking it, then cast into the strike zone and work the lure. Redfish anatomy means they have to either come out of the water to bring their mouth above the lure or turn on their side to gulp it.

Speckled trout can be targeted in deeper water around the bend of a creek or point. Watch for places where the water current boils. Baitfish and shrimp don't maneuver well in the tumbling current, and become easy prey for the waiting fish. Using a floater-diver lure can imitate the disoriented movement of the baitfish though they don't bring on the heart-pumping surface strikes that you find with top water lures.

Speckled trout are well-built for top waters. With a mouth opening at the end of the head, it's possible to generate some real excitement. Sometimes it may seem you've wandered into a school of small trout, but at this time of year, you're likely to find a few big females hanging around the smaller males.

A great fighting fish with a light bite is the sheepshead. Understanding how sheepshead feed will help you catch more of these scrappers. Similar in shape to bream, sheepshead are significantly larger. Their teeth are made to eat fiddler crab and shrimp and they actually crush a meal before they eat it. Setting your hook as soon as you feel the bite will mean you miss your fish. Let the sheepshead crush the bait first, waiting for the telltale tick-tock and then heaviness at the end of your rod before reacting. As the fish crushes the lure, slowly raise your rod tip and let the sheepshead gulp the hook out of fear that the bait is drifting away. Look for sheepshead around rock banks, bridge and dock pilings, covered oyster beds, and inlet jetties. As water temperature drops below 70 degrees, usually around the first of October, the small males start biting. Two weeks later, the larger females join in. After water temperatures dip below 55 degrees around the middle of December, they tend to stop biting and head offshore. As temperatures rise again in mid-February, they come back to the inlets to spawn and feed. They'll feed until the end of April as the water warms back up to 70 degrees. These fish tend to be much larger after feeding offshore for several months, making them a prize catch.

Most fishermen will contend that topwater lures offer a rewarding, yet challenging method for taking reds and trout from Jacksonville's backwaters. Just don't forget to pack some shrimp or fiddlers if you want a real challenge.