First trout of the year! Mud minnows paired with popping corks were the ticket. As the tide fell, the trout stacked up in front of creek mouths waiting to pick off bait. Great action until the water slowed then we moved to docks and worked on redfish. Redfish ate cut mullet as well as mud minows. Spring is here!
Spring is here! With days full of sun and temperatures holding in the 70’s, our fishery is quickly evolving with signs of new life. Trout and flounder have entered the mix and anglers now have several species to target instead of simply redfish. Our waters are filing with bait and the fish are ready to go!
When targeting redfish, a great tactic is to throw chunks of fresh blue crab. Blue crab is redfish candy and bait that is rarely turned down. Remove the top of the shell, the pinchers and the legs and cut the remainder down the middle. I use size 3/0 circle hooks and place the hook through the bottom flipper hole. This rig will work under docks, on the flats and anywhere redfish are holding. Put the rod in the rod holder and don’t touch it until the reel is zinging!
The trout bite should begin in earnest this April. With water temperatures rapidly rising, the trout will become aggressive feeders before too long. The preferred rig of live bait under a popping cork is a go to option. Live shrimp is now available and will give you another option than mud minnows. It’s a good idea to start carrying your cast net and see if you can find some finger mullet which are a great choice as well.
Often considered our best tasting fish, flounder are frequently targeted. We’ve been catching them when fishing with mud minnows on the bottom or mud minnows under popping corks. You’ll need to focus on structures when searching for flounder. Old pilings and docks are great places to prospect. Remember that flounder will sit on the bottom in hopes of ambushing their prey, so you’ll need to keep that bait down in the water column.
See you on the water!
Chilly days are quickly fading away with temperatures rising well into the 60s and sometimes pushing into the 70s. Warmer water temperatures will wake the fish up and get them feeding! Trout should be ready to go in mid-March. It’s time to break out your reels and rods and get ready for a great season!
Having spent the last few months laying low and avoiding dolphins, redfish are now focused on eating instead of simply surviving. Low tide will be the best time to target large schools of redfish that can number in the hundreds. These fish are still skittish, so a quiet and subtle approach is quite important. On many days, it pays to stay in one spot when you find a school and wait for them to come to you instead of scaring them away.
As these reds are nervous, I’ll try to disturb them as little as possible by minimizing my casting. This is a great time to fish with bait on the bottom. I’ll put a chunk of frozen mullet or blue crab on a size 3/0 circle hook and just let it rest until the redfish swim over it. Make sure the barb of your hook is fully in bait and the point is cleanly exposed. Place your rod in the rod holder and get ready for it to whip over once the circle hook sets itself!
As trout begin to feed, popping corks cast along grass banks and over oyster beds will be a good bet with mud minnows attached. I usually pair a 18”-24” fluorocarbon leader with a size 1 circle hook. While there is no shortage of options, I use oval shaped corks that are heavier and can cast further. When using a popping cork, do your best to keep slack out of your line and when that cork drops under just reel without lifting the rod tip. You’ll find that the circle hook rarely misses as long as your line is tight.
See you on the water!
Fishing this Fall has been great so far and we can expect more of the same in November! Colder mornings remind trout and redfish that they better eat soon or it will be a long few months without any food. Artificial lures have become very productive as natural bait leaves our waters. Make the most of sunny days and go catch some fish!
As water temperatures decline, redfish have begun their regular Winter habit of forming large schools. Schools of fifty redfish or more will become common and they can swell to be as large as 100-150. Redfish are more skittish this time of year and lures can spook them on the flats. As opposed to casting directly at the schools, we will cast out as many as three lines with chunks of frozen mullet on 3/0 circle hooks. Eventually the redfish will find the bait and bend your rods over with some astonishing hits!
For trout, artificial lures are working just fine. Trout hang together and when you catch one there will likely be others in the area. Lures in hues of gray and blue are performing the best when paired with a 1/4oz. jighead. Remember to move your lure slower than usual as the fish don’t move as quickly with the cooler water temperatures. Try to bounce the jighead off the bottom and wait until you feel the pull of a striking fish.
Popping corks are still great options for both trout and redfish. I’ll attach a two to three foot leader to the cork and a size 1 circle hook on the other end with a split shot a foot above the hook. Cast along grass banks, over oyster beds, and at creek mouths and watch for that cork to drop! It can be difficult, but when that cork disappears, reel as fast as you can and let the circle hook set itself. A big hook set can rip your bait right out of the fish’s mouth!
See you on the water!
The Hamilton party joined me for the third morning this week with our sights set solely on big reds. We had a perfect low tide that would concentrate schools of reds on the flats. Once we posted up and put out chunks of cut mullet, the rods started whipping over! Sharon’s seven pound personal record was the fish of the charter.
The charter began as the tide just turned and started falling. Fished the duration of the trip with popping corks and mud minnows. Wherever we could find current and bait, the corks kept dropping as reds and trout kept hitting. Highlight was this 8lb red that ate so close to the boat we could literally see it rise up and inhale the minnow!
Fall has arrived with cooler weather and shorter days. We’re about to experience the best fishing of the year so don’t put away your boat just yet! Fishermen can continue to succeed with live bait but artificial lures should become increasingly effective. Make some time to get out fishing, you won’t regret it.
After a couple of tropical storms, the weather has settled down and water clarity is improving. Redfish have begun to form larger schools and sight fishing should be great. We are casting jerk shad artificial lures about 4″-5″ in length and in hues of silver and blue. I pair these lures with size #3/0 flutter hooks that provide great action in the water.
Artificial lures have begun to really produce for trout. I’ll fish a 1/4oz. jighead and tie a loop knot to give the lure even more action. As you search for pockets of fish, vary your rate of retrieve. Just like the jerk shad, we’ve been staying with artificials whose color mimics the baitfish in the water. Try putting a piece of shrimp on the hook to make your lure even more attractive,. You can try pieces of live or frozen shrimp and it will add a scent trail on your lure that is hard to resist.
Even with artificials becoming more productive, keep using those popping corks. Live shrimp, mud minnows and artificial shrimp have been working fine when suspended about 18″-24″ below the cork. Trout and redfish alike will eat these baits as they pass by suspended in the water column. Corks have been working best cast along grassy banks at mid and high tide.
See you on the water!
