Fishing Report Archive
January
Happy New Year, its January but it still feels like November with the water temp’s hanging close to 70 degrees. The bite hasn’t really slowed down much at all since early fall, but we are heading into the coolest months of the year. I think I’ve only had to ware my foul weather gear twice this whole season, it’s been nothing but shorts and t-shirts for me so far.
As for the fishing, well depending on how the fronts line up, you could be catching Snook one day, Trout or Reds another or all three in the same day. Bait has still been hanging around some of the flats and the fish are responding to them very well. All of the creeks and even the flats have been on fire which should continue this month as well, providing we haven’t any major changes in the temperatures.
Snook
Normally this time of year the linsiders are laid up on some dark bottom soaking up heat or in a deep canal and not interested in food at all. Lately they have been feeding like they do in the spring time. It’s too soon to tell if this will last since we are still in mid winter, but in the mean time it’s an added bonus to catch Snook this time of year. If you’re not able to catch live bait, the Snook will hit just about any artificial lure or Shrimp.
Top waters are very fun to use when the fish are feeding the way they have been and it’s an awesome sight to see one blast that plug out of the water. Residential canals with plenty of dock structure will be holding Snook willing to suck down top water lures. As always, handle the fish with care before releasing them.
Trout and Redfish
Just about every creek and canal is loaded with Trout of every size, and with the opening of the season for the south west region, anglers can start keeping a few. If the water temperature does start to drop you can count on the Trout to really turn on. Slow trolling swimming style jigs down some of the deeper creeks works very well for locating and catching Trout. Shrimp and jigs will work just fine for the Trout during the next few months.
Reds have been schooled up on the outer edges of the flats for those willing to put the push pole to use. If you don’t have the means to stalk these fish, the creeks are holding plenty of reds also. The fish on the flats are hitting jigs, flies and spoons while the ones in the creeks will eat just about any live or fresh cut bait fished on the bottom as well as artificial. Most of the reds in the creeks will be small with a few decent slot fish mixed in.
Best of the rest
The water has been clearing up as it always does during the winter months. If you ever wanted to see what you keep getting snagged on or what was holding all those fish in your fishing hole now is the time. You can also find new places to fish on the extreme low tides we get this time of year. When a front blows through the area combined with a falling tide, any water left on the flats will be in holes and in swash channels that fish use as under water highways on and off flats and in and out of creeks.
It’s time for Sheepshead to start schooling up around bridges, docks, rock piles and any other kind of structure. Land based anglers can be part of the action fishing from bridges, docks and seawalls. The Sheepshead will eat a variety of crustaceans such as shrimp, fiddler crabs and muscles, but they do take a special touch in hooking them. Keeping a tight line at all times is the key, slowly lifting and dropping the bait at times then only set the hook when you feel weight at end of the line. .
Silver Trout should be moving into deep holes and channels by now, so break out the ultra light tackle. Gulp shrimp and other small jigs will have you catching them for hours when you find a school.
December
It seems as if the last couple fall seasons have spoiled us a little bit. Last year at this time there were only a few light cold fronts that had passed through our area, but then the weather would warm back up and prolonged the early fall bite. This season however, the action was heating up back in October, then cold air moved in and dropped the water temps and they never recovered The cool down caught most of the fish in mid transition but this surely isn’t anything to be alarmed about, it just means it’s time to switch tactics.
The cool weather has moved most of the bait off the flats into nearby holes and channels, so spend a little extra time chumming before throwing the net. If you want to avoid the time spent trying to find and catch bait, live shrimp and lures are a good alternative when the fish start to slow down. A few good choices for lures are gold and silver spoons, Mirro Lures, top waters and jigs.
Snook
The season might be closed and the bite may have slowed down a little but we can still target Snook in December. We are at the end of the fall transition and most of the Snook should be in or close to their winter haunts. Targeting them can be difficult on cold days or during a cold front. If we experience a warming trend between fronts, they will respond well to a slow moving easy target such as a shrimp, top water plug or jerk bait.
All of the residential canals on the east shoreline from the Howard Franklin to Gandy hold Snook during the winter months. These canals are an excellent place to work top water plugs around the various docks and other structures that line the sea walls. Noisy top waters that have prop blades or that rattle work the best to draw the fish out from deep water and docks. When one of these fish hits the plug, wait until the line pulls tight before setting the hook.
Redfish
The Redfish bite has been very hot for the last few months and we should have plenty around to sight cast to this winter. The low winter tides will have the fish concentrated in holes and way out on the deeper edges of the flats. It doesn’t take very much water for the reds to swim in so you should start shallow and work your way out until you find the schools.
When the reds are in shallow water they will be very sensitive to any kind of noise, so a stealthy approach is a must. The further away you are from the fish the better, and having tackle that you can make long casts with will increase the odds of catching them. Weather will play a big part in how the reds feed and respond from day to day, so having an assortment of jigs, spoons and even some live shrimp should have you covering all the bases.
Trout
We still have another month before we can keep Trout here in our region, but the catch and release action is still going strong once you find them. Trout are schooling up in residential canals and in the deeper holes of the creeks. Root beer colored jig tails seem to be a favorite here in the upper bay and will help to cover an area and locate the fish. If the water is cold use lighter weight jig heads since the Trout will be moving slower. Just make sure to have plenty of tails on hand in case the bite heats up.
Best of the rest
The Sheepshead should be schooling up anytime now around the bridges and any rocky structure you can find. Green Muscles, Oysters, Fiddler Crabs and shrimp will all be on their menu. Finding them will be easiest on days when the water is clean and calm. For anyone just looking to get out and bend a rod or entertain the kids, the Silver Trout will be schooling up in the shipping and residential channels. Gulp baits or jigs tipped with pieces of shrimp will have you catching them as fast as you can get them in the water.
November
Fishing started to get red hot here in the Upper Bay this last month and it’s not going to slow down anytime soon. If you’re looking for good quality bait the flats have been loaded during the day and the bridges are holding plenty under the lights after dark. As we head closer towards winter, most of our shallow water game fish will start feeding more aggressively making them easier targets for the average inshore angler to have a successful day on the water. Since the fish will have such huge appetites, it will allow anglers to catch them using a wide range of artificial baits.
This is the perfect time for kayak anglers, which have become more and more common around our area, to explore the far reaches of the backcountry maze of creeks that line the Upper Bay shore. Many of these creeks are to narrow for most boats to access, but not for a stealthy Kayaker. In fact, one could spend an entire day back in these areas and not even see another boat. Another advantage for Kayaks is the extreme low tides we will experience in the coming months where most boats will be totally cut off to the creeks.
The only problem that Kayaks pose for most boaters is trying to navigate in and out of the main channels going into the larger creeks. Two examples would be Double Branch and Rocky Creek both of which have very narrow and shallow channels. There’s not so much of a problem on higher tides, but when the tide is low the only way for boats to make it through the channel is on a fast plain. If there’s a Kayak or a boat for that matter fishing in the middle of the channel, the only choices for boaters is to either back down and get stuck or blast past them which is very rude.
I personally go out of my way to be as courteous as I can to everyone on the water since we all have a right to enjoy this fabulous resource. If one chooses to fish the creek channels by all means have at it, just pull off to one side or the other if it’s in a narrow area so others can make their way back and enjoy their day as well.
Snook
November is when things usually start to come alive around the Upper Bay and Snook are #1 on the list. The fall transition has started and we are catching Snook on just about every shoreline and in every creek. Night fishing for Snook has been very good along the rocks on both ends of the Howard Franklin using Scaled Sardines and Threadfin. The best bite has been at the beginning and end of the tides. The mouths of the creeks are also holding plenty of fish and if we get a little cooler weather they will explode with action. Snook have been responding very well to top water lures and on a recent day out I watched an angler work a shoreline and catch several in a short period of time. This is our last month to keep a few Snook for dinner since the season will be closed the 1st of December.
Trout
We are coming into my favorite time of year when the huge gator Trout will start working their way into the backcountry. Theses fish will be in concentrated schools in many of the deeper holes of the creeks making them easier to locate especially when the tide is low. They will eat just about any live bait that happens to find its way into these holes with the aid of an angler’s rod and reel. After the 15th of this month it will be catch and release only for Trout in our area until the New Year.
Redfish
The reds have been schooled up and biting very well. In fact they have been our #1 target species for the past couple of months. Fishing dark patchy bottom close to shore has been the key in finding the reds, especially if the mullet are school up. Although chumming has had some effect, it hasn’t seemed to make much of a difference since the fish have responded well most days without chumming. Most of the reds have been holding close to the creek mouths and outer shoreline. Look for them to start schooling up in many of the same holes as the Trout. They can be caught using the same methods as well.