If we don’t know how to dress with this wild, wacky weather imagine how the fish feel? One day is mild, balmy conditions and warming water and the next it could be chilly and time to hunker down on a mud flat to soak up some rays.
With Thursday’s full moon, expect some drastic tidal changes this upcoming weekend. Negative lows will occur mid-mornings with highs flooding back in by late afternoon. That sets up well for targeting those aforementioned mud flats, oyster bars and rock piles that will be a few degrees warmer thanks to exposure from the sun. A very light jig or shrimp lure or weedless flies worked slowly over the submerged top is effective for reds, trout, sheepshead and black drum. A topwater plug in bone or gold with a very deliberate retrieve will also entice trout and reds.
The action in the coastal rivers has been spotty. Some quality reds and black drum came to the net over the last week. Other boats came up with goose eggs. Live shrimp or jigs tipped with dead shrimp were the top producers. A 1/2-ounce DOA shrimp with a squirt of Pro-Cure bait gel is another option. Drag this lure at a snail’s pace across the bottom.
The extreme negative lows will mandate attention to the launch ramp if trips start early. The Lighthouse, Aucilla and Econfina ramps will be tough for many craft until the tide starts returning. Shields Marina and the St. Marks ramp at the fort both offer deep-water access regardless of the tides.
There is another aspect of the negative lows. Redfish will be prowling around in very skinny water and often tail this time of year in search of buried crabs and marine worms. Capt. Mike’s or Aqua Dream spoons in 1/4-ounce sizes (gold, silver and watermelon) will fool the reds, along with swim baits rigged weedless and crustacean flies. You might also get shots at spooky sheepshead with the latter, or with small bucktail jigs.
Winds are expected to be mostly favorable this weekend. Friday offers the best chance of some showers, but temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 60s through early next week. Peak fishing times, according to the solunar predictions based on the moon phase, will be the first hour of incoming water after the lows and the last hour before the tide crests.