Vetted regulars, Doug and Chip, drove all the way from Charlotte, NC the morning of the trip and were still right on time at 7am. The cold snap the night before dropped water temperatures by three degrees and the bite slowed. It didn’t stop the duo from catching reds up to nine pounds! Almost all fish caught on mud minnows following the trend of the last few weeks.
Found a brief break from the wind and when combined with a nice mid morning low tide, conditions were perfect. The schools of fish were easy to see but still a bit finicky. We posted up and waited for them to come to us. The reds preferred cut mullet over mud minnows. Long time customer, Steele, set his personal best with a sweet 28″ red.
Spring has arrived! With days full of sun and temperatures holding in the 70’s, our fishery is rapidly changing with many new signs of life. Trout and flounder are entering the mix and anglers now have several species to target instead of just spooky redfish. Bait is filling our waters and the fish are hungry!
Redfish are no longer focused simply on preservation but are now feeding again. Anglers should consider using artificial plastic lures that mimic bait fish. One good choice would be “jerk shad” lures that have become very popular and are available in a wide variety of colors. I’ve been finding that silver hues have been working best although I’ll occasionally throw a darker color when water clarity is poor.
As trout become more active, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet paired with mud minnows and live shrimp. I usually use a 18”-24” leader and a size 1 circle hook. When working the popping cork, always try to keep slack out of your line and when that cork drops just reel tight to set the hook. You’ll find that the circle hook will do most of the work for you.
Often considered our tastiest fish, flounder are a frequent target. We’ve been catching them mostly when fishing with mud minnows on the bottom or mud minnows under popping corks. You’ll need to focus on structures when targeting flounder. Old pilings and docks are good places to prospect. Remember that flounder will hug the bottom in hopes of ambushing their prey, so you’ll need to keep that bait down on or close to the bottom.
See you on the water!
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