Fish bite still hot, despite cold weather
With water temperatures dipping into the low 70s, fishers are switching tactics to target inshore species. With live bait, such as shiners and threadfins, becoming hard to come by, the next best bait is live shrimp. Not only are live shrimp easily available, I think you’ll find that shrimp will work better for inshore fishing as the water temps get lower.
The fish we target are feeding on what is around at the time, so when all the baitfish are gone for the winter, shrimp becomes the obvious choice.
Inshore, fishers are enjoying consistent action around docks and rocks for redfish and flounder. Most fishers are using live handpicked shrimp to get the bite. Sheepshead are beginning to congregate in these same areas, and make a nice variety for the dinner table.
Catch-and-release action on both snook and spotted seatrout remains good. Snook are beginning to gather in deep water canals to spend the winter where the water is warmer. The spotted seatrout can be located on the deeper grass flats adjacent to channels or areas with a lot of tidal flow. Live shrimp are producing the bite for both species as well as an array of artificial baits. Try the MirrOlure Lil John if you haven’t already discovered this little gem. For a plastic bait, it’s one of the best I’ve used.
Tom Cassetty at the Rod & Reel Pier is experiencing the switch from catching fall to winter species of fish. With water temperatures on the decline and the baitfish becoming sporadic, pier fishers are using live shrimp and crabs for bait.
Sheepshead are making a showing providing good action for fishers using fiddler or oyster crabs for bait. Remember to use a small-but-strong hook when fishing for sheepies. Fiddler crabs and oyster crabs are small, so you need a small hook to conceal it properly in the bait. Also since the mouth of a sheepshead is very boney, you need a strong hook that will withstand pliers without it bending on its removal.
Black drum also are being caught around the pilings and under the pier. Live shrimp are producing the best bite, although fishers using crabs are catching a few. You can use the same hooks you would for sheepshead, although a lesser hook will suffice. Remember, black drum are bottom feeders so make sure to use some lead to anchor your shrimp in the strike zone.
Flounder still are being caught sporadically on live shrimp. Most catches are occurring while fishers are targeting black drum under the pier. A nice flounder is always a welcome sight both at the end of your line and on the plate.
Jonny Keyes at Island Discount Tackle says with the winds out of the northeast, beach fishing is a wise option. Black drum, whiting and a few pompano are being caught using live shrimp fished on the bottom with a small hook and a split shot. Most beach fishers are using a sand spike as a rod holder while waiting for a bite.
Once a bait is cast out, the fisher can set his or her rod in a sand spike. Using a sand spike works for fishing multiple rods at one time and increases your chances of getting a bite by having more than one line in the water.
In the backwater, fishers are having good results on live shrimp. Redfish and flounder are hitting live shrimp around docks, piers and oyster bars. Numerous small reds are starting to show up again, but there are lots of keepers, too.
Catch-and-release spotted seatrout action is strong on deep grass flats around Sarasota Bay. Berkeley Gulp shrimp on a jig head is the way to go if you want to cover a lot of area and catch a lot of fish, says Keyes. While targeting trout, don’t be surprised to catch ladyfish, jacks, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Especially in areas where there are still schools of baitfish.
Capt. Mark Johnston of Just Reel charters is targeting redfish around docks in Sarasota Bay, with good numbers of fish are coming to the boat. “We’re catching a lot of smaller reds,” says Johnston. “But we’re still managing to get our limits of keepers.” Keeper-size fish are ranging in the 22-24 inch range, while smaller hookups are in the 16-inch range.
Also while dock fishing, Johnston’s charters are reeling up keeper-sized flounder. Most fish are in the 12-inch range, although a few fish up to 18 inches are being caught.
To finish out the day, Johnston is drifting the deeper grass flats of north Sarasota Bay with good action on catch-and-release spotted seatrout. By trailing a live shrimp behind a popping cork, Johnston’s charters are able to work a live bait almost like an artificial. A slow retrieve and an occasional pop of the cork, attracts the spotted seatrout to investigate where the noise same from. When they get within range, they see that tasty little shrimp swimming innocently behind your cork and inhale it with one gulp.
This method is not only effective, but it’s fun to watch the cork pop.
Capt. Rick Gross of Fishy Business Charters is fishing the lower tides in Sarasota Bay targeting redfish. Gross likes to get into an area on the flat that has lots of potholes and ditches to locate redfish. By push poling across the flat, Gross is able to quietly get into the right spot, slowly drop an anchor and avoid spooking the redfish. Once set up, Gross is casting live select shrimp into the sandy potholes to get the bite.
In these same areas Gross is catching a mix of flats species, including snook and trout, and even a pompano that weighed 5 1/2 pounds. “The fish are readily taking shrimp now,” says Gross. “We’re starting to fall into that early winter pattern.”
When fishing the flats, Gross likes to use 20-pound fluorocarbon leader with a size 1 Eagle Claw live bait hook tied to it. This ensures the leader will be less visible. A small live bait hook also aids in the stealth needed to fish such shallow, clear water. When using live shrimp as bait on the flats, you want the shrimp to swim as naturally as possible. By using light leader and a small hook, Gross achieves this goal.
Capt. Warren Girle is still getting positive results fishing the lower tides in northern Sarasota Bay. Girle is targeting redfish, trout and flounder by using live shrimp and artificials. Girle likes to use his trolling motor to move across the shallow flats, stalking redfish in sandy potholes. By using artificial baits such as soft plastics on a 1/8-ounce jig head, Girle is able to cover a lot of area, which usually means more opportunities to hook a fish.
Redfish in the 25-inch range are being caught with a lot of smaller fish mixed in, he reports.
Moving out to the drop offs of the flats — where the shallow flat drops to a depth of 4 to 5 feet — Girle is getting good action on catch-and-release spotted seatrout. Again, soft plastics on a 1/8-ounce jig head are the ticket. Girle suggests drifting the edges and working a jig from the shallow flat into the deeper areas.
While trout fishing, Girle is noticing a lot of birds dive-bombing bait in the middle of the bay. Through further investigation, Girle found bluefish, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish by targeting the bird’s are dive zone. “If there’s birds there,” says Girle, “then there’s also bait. And that means fish.”
Lastly, Girle is catching keeper flounder by fishing small rock piles, docks and drop offs. Live shrimp are getting the bite, although his clients are catching a few on jig, too. Inshore catches are in excess of 18 inches.
Jeff Medley at the south bait shop on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Fishing Piers says there are still plenty of greenbacks hanging around the pier structure. Due to the abundance of baits, Spanish mackerel and ladyfish are patrolling the outskirts, hitting anything that crosses their paths. Lures of choice are Gotcha plugs, white jigs and silver spoons. Those using fresh bait are getting the best results on a cut piece of threadfin herring soaked under a popping cork.
While the Spanish mackerel and ladyfish are ravaging schools of bait, Medley says the silver trout bite is dominating the pier. Most fishers are targeting these tasty fish by using live shrimp, although a variety of artificials will work, too.
The most popular jig is probably the speck rig. A speck consists of two small jigs connected to one leader creating a tandem effect when retrieved. Berkeley Gulp shrimp on a jig head is another good option. If you use Gulp, try the 2-inch size.
Around the pilings and under the pier, bottom fishers using live greenbacks are catching both keeper flounder and keeper-sized mangrove snapper. You can switch your bait to a live shrimp or crab and try bottom fishing to catch sheepshead, too.
Send fishing reports to fish@islander.org.