Old Man Winter has definitely made his presence known along the Forgotten Coast this year. A weekly procession of cold fronts and chilly temperatures has kept the water temperatures into the 50s and the fish sluggish as a result. But they have to eat to survive, so if you’re in the right spots at the right times and adjust accordingly, you can still enjoy success.
Another blast is expected to elevate the winds and seas the first part of this weekend. High barometric pressure doesn’t help matters, but the calm days—like this Sunday—after a front are usually the prime opportunities.
There are still some quality trout being caught in the coastal rivers. Working suspending lures at a snail’s pace near the bottom are the best ways to trigger strikes. Paul Brown Fat Boys, MirrOlure Catch 2000 and Trout Trick lures with a jig head are producing right now. Natural colors, orange/black and chartreuse patterns will all work. The water is still turbid from the recent rains, so adding a squirt of Pro-Cure bait gel will increase the attraction. Watch for bait on the sonar and target deeper holes in the rivers and backcountry creeks.
Redfish are roaming in search of an easy meal, too. Oyster bars, cuts and rocks will hold reds, along with sheepshead. Aqua Dream weedless 1/4-ounce spoons, CAL shad tails and plugs will tempt the red drum. Fiddler crabs, live shrimp and crustacean-looking bucktail jigs like the Buggs series are the best offerings for the convict fish.
If the wind or cold don’t cooperate, this is an excellent time to get your tackle and boat serviced. Cleaning reels and re-spooling line, checking rods, organizing tackle boxes and doing the annual service to the outboard and trailer now will pay dividends when spring returns. On calm days on the super-low winter tides, this is also the ideal time to explore and mark rocks, channels and bars that can be fished later.
The waxing crescent moon phase won’t provide much in terms of tidal movement. Negative lows will occur mid-mornings, while the incoming water will peak shortly before sundown. Expect a period of high feeding activity for about an hour around the high. An average window will occur the first hour of incoming after the bottom drops out. Bear in mind, the winds play a big factor in tides right now so actual water levels may be different from the predicted tidal charts.
Copyright 2021, Capt. Dave Lear. All rights reserved.