The last couple of weeks have been cold and wintery, not much fishing going on. Once the sun reappeared fishermen ventured out to find surface water temperatures from 47 to 50 degrees. That’s pretty cold! Despite low temperatures, you catch fish in cold water!
A couple of winter patterns Miss Judy and I spoke about (during her inshore school) were fishing up river and along mud flats. Both patterns can be effective! Those preferring to fish bait can find success fishing a mud minnow under a small float or live lining. Generally the smaller the float better. When fishing a rattle float in clear calm water during the winter its best to let the bait do the work, make little or no noise with your float. Jerk baits can be effective as well as a variety small plastics. Lengthening and lighting your leader can be a plus in winter fishing. Cold temperatures impact the seatrout bite more than the reds. Nonetheless, some fishermen caught seatrout (last week) in 47 degree water. If the seatrout bite is slow switch to redfish or stripers. Even though conditions are cold redfish can be found schooling and hungry! Always go light on your catch of redfish. This week there have been good catches in sounds as well as upriver. With redfish sometimes when you catch one the others in the school will literally turn on. When this happens these fish loose wariness and fishing is nothing than popping a bait out. Working an artificial can be a little trickier. A big red can literally pull a moving boat into the path of other fish blowing any chance for multi hook ups. In general fishing for reds has been good! Seatrout action has been slow.
Leave stone unturned
After catching some nice reds on plastics Capt. “Wild Bill” Jarrell and I were exploring a small creek. We saw a fish pushing awake that from the size could have easily have been a porpoise. The wake was well out of casting range. We were pitching plastic working down the bank. The fish sensed the disturbance caused by the plastic and swam from across the creek, zeroing in on the plastic following it all the way to boat. No doubt a large red (perhaps 20 pounds)! The big red inspected the plastic and mulled around it, allowing time to make another soft pitch, then the fish was gone. What happened! As we worked the boat back up the creek we noticed a fish gasping for air along the bank. I thought it was likely a catfish because it looked so fat. Bill thought it was a trout. We proceeded another 100 feet or so. Bill said we need to check out that fish, “leave no stone unturned “were his words. My expectation wasn’t very high seeing a dying catfish. As we got to the fish we found out that it was a pretty large mullet, maybe a pound and half. The mullet’s head had been crushed, blood was seeping from its gills. We concluded the big red was looking for his lost meal. Our plastics caught his attention but the large redfish had a bigger meal in mind! What was amazing was how acute the big red senses were. Bill pitched the mullet in open water maybe the big red would return and reclaim his feast. Both Bill and I agreed and this fish has likely broken more than a few lines and hearts. Maybe we’ll see big red another day!
Good Fishing!
Capt. Jack McGowan