Winter requires changing tactics to find fish
Although I hate to admit it, winter is here.
And with the cold comes some changes in techniques and methods for those of us who routinely fish the local waters.
Dock fishing is an attraction. Redfish, black drum, sheepshead and flounder can be found hanging around the canal and bayfront docks in the winter. I’m finding success by casting live shrimp under docks, especially in areas where seawalls are present.
Pompano are another species to target during the winter. The tasty little fish can typically be found in the shore break along the beaches. They also are found on the grass flats of the Intracoastal Waterway and in Sarasota Bay. Small jigs tipped with fresh-cut shrimp are a sure way to entice the fish to bite.
In addition, targeting spotted seatrout in the winter can be productive. Soft plastics such as DOA Cal jigs combined with a jig head are my go-to bait for catching trout this time of year. Mostly I drift over the flats and cast jigs to the potholes. If you find a pothole with trout, there will be a bunch. So try to spend a little extra time in an area where you previously hooked up.
Capt. Warren Girle is taking anglers to nearshore structure for mangrove snapper. Live shrimp or shiners are producing a bite. Also, the nearshore rocks have some hungry bluefish and ladyfish on patrol. When these fish are present, they will come to the hook, as they tend to eat any bait that they come across.
Moving inshore, Girle is fishing residential docks with good results. By casting live shrimp under the planks, Girle is attracting a bite from black drum sheepshead, flounder and redfish.
On less windy days, Girle is finding pompano on deeper grass flats. By drifting and putting his clients to work using shrimp-tipped jigs, Girle is catching ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and jack crevalle.
Capt. Aaron Lowman also is targeting the bite produced by dock-fishing. Docks in the Intracoastal Waterway and Sarasota Bay are producing action on black drum, sheepshead and redfish. All three species are being taken on live shrimp fished on a knocker rig.
Fishing the flats with live shrimp under a popping cork is producing decent action on spotted seatrout. Flats with a depth of 5-6 feet where there are sandy potholes or a drop off into a channel are producing numbers of these backwater favorites.
Jim Malfese at the Rod & Reel Pier is seeing redfish and sheepshead being caught during morning tides. Pier fishers using live shrimp on a weighted jig are finding success. For the redfish, whole live shrimp are producing a bite. As for the sheepshead, small fresh-cut pieces are working well.
While using shrimp as bait, pier fishers also can expect to encounter black drum, flounder, juvenile grouper and the occasional mangrove snapper.
Send high-resolution photos and fishing reports to fish@islander.org.