Author: skipper97

It appears that Santa Claus is bringing an early lump of coal for Big Bend anglers this weekend. Strong winds, storms and likely small craft advisories aren’t going to make inshore fishing much fun. Which is a shame, since last weekend and the first of this week has produced some exceptional action, especially considering it’s the middle of December..

Redfish of all sizes, trout, sheepshead and flounder top the list of recent trophies. The line-up has been taken on a variety of baits, including live shrimp, soft-plastic lures like the DOA 4-inch shad and crab/minnow flies. Lighter colors have gotten the most attention due to the exceptional water clarity. Hopefully this latest round of rain won’t diminish that too much, although the area could use precipitation.

The most productive spots have been the tidal creeks, lower stretches of the coastal rivers and shallow grass flats near shore. The negative lows coming with last week’s full moon made the fish spooky at first, but once the tide turned and started flowing back in the appetites improved. With the moon in a waning crescent phase this Saturday, there won’t be nearly as much water movement. Daytime highs will be mid-mornings, with the bottom falling out by late afternoon. The severity of the winds will also have a major influence on water levels.

The two hours before the tide crests will offer high activity per the solunar tables. In contrast, the last hour before the low will only be an average feeding window.

If anyone is looking for last-minute gifts for the anglers you love, braided fishing line is always a good choice. Ten- and 15-pound test is ideal for most inshore species along the Forgotten Coast. Lures like DOA shrimp, Aqua Dream spoons, Sureketch jigs and hard-plastic plugs such as Rapala Skitter Walks or X-Raps, Heddon Super Spooks and MirrOlure Catch 2000 or Top Dogs in natural patterns are all proven choices for local waters.

A gift membership to Coastal Conservation Association Florida is another thoughtful present. A one-year membership includes a subscription to TIDE magazine and the SeaWatch newsletter. Membership is also require to enter the summer-long STAR tournament with fabulous prizes like trucks, boat/outboard/trailer packages, fishing gear and accessories, plus college scholarships for the junior anglers. To learn more about this conservation organization and its long track record of success protecting the marine resources, please visit: www.ccaflorida.org

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.

Coming off banner fishing over the long holiday weekend and the freezing overnight temperatures the last couple of nights, Big Bend anglers will be playing a piscatorial version of ‘Where’s Waldo’ this upcoming break. Coastal water temperatures have dropped considerably on the flats yet the forecast temperatures in the 70s should have the fish staging along the lower portions of the coastal rivers and tidal creeks.

Quality trout, reds, sheepshead, black drum and even largemouth bass and tarpon have come boat-side the last week or so. A few fish have been found up river. The numbers are low but the quality is high. Prior to the cold snap, there was still a considerable amount of bait hanging around, including pinfish, finger mullet and mud minnows. Live shrimp fished with a jig head or under popping corks are producing good catches. Get to the marina or tackle shop early if you want to ensure a day’s supply.

Lure purists are having success with shrimp touts and fake shrimp, shad tails and minnow patterns. White or pearl is a good choice with the crystal clear conditions. Naturals are never a bad choice, either. Fly anglers are scoring with streamer and shrimp patterns, plus Clouser minnows in a variety of colors.

Winds are expected to be light from the Southeast on Friday, followed by east 10-15 on both Saturday and Sunday. The Waxing Gibbous moon phase won’t be producing significant tidal flow, yet it should be enough to stimulate appetites. Water will be flooding in most of the mornings, peaking right around noonish. It will then fall all afternoon with lows right around sunset. Water exchange will only be 1.5 to 2 feet.

To maximize the odds of success the prime solunar period, the time when fish and animals are most active, will be from mid- to late-mornings as the moon is down.

The next few months are great for exploring and learning, too. Study charts, go slow and pay attention to the tides. Predominate north winds can keep the water from rising to expected levels and negative winter low tides can leave flats and normal navigable waters bone dry. Take advantage of the clear water and lower water to learn the area using your GPS to mark deeper channels, rocks, bars, etc. That knowledge will help your success rate once the flats do produce consistently in the spring.

Big Bend sportsmen and women who aren’t in the woods or duck blind this long holiday weekend should find plenty of seafood for the post-turkey doldrums. With mild daytime temperatures and the lows cool but not cold at night, the fish are not fully into the winter hunker-down mode just yet. Plenty are being caught still on the nearshore flats as well as the tidal creeks and around the coastal river mouths and oyster bars.

Trout are being the most cooperative targets lately. Live shrimp, DOA shrimp, grubs and soft-plastic smaller minnow imitations are accounting for the biggest catches with natural and white/pearl patterns drawing the most attention. Plenty of quality fish are being netted, along with non-stop action with lower slots at times. With the cooler water temperatures, the fights are spirited and fun on light tackle. As a bonus, flounder are still inshore in good numbers.

There are plenty of redfish around, too, but for some reason the reds have been timid early this week. Some will look a lure over and simply refuse to eat, while others will only nip at the tail. The success rate is typically better with schooling fish, as there’s competition to see who gets the ready meal. Most of the reds are singles, pairs or smaller groups rather than giant schools, however.

The weird fall weather has tree leaves staying on longer, albeit with ample color changes due to the cold snap. Tulip trees and some azaleas are blooming, too. On the flats, most of the pelagics are gone, although a few lingering bluefish and even a couple small blacktip sharks are still around. Blue crabs are scuttling around rather than buried and there’s lots of pinfish hanging out in the shallows as well. No wonder the game fish are confused?

Tides will be low mid-mornings with quite a bit of water flooding back in by late afternoons through Sunday. Coming on the heels of Tuesday’s new moon, expect negative lows so plan accordingly for launching. Peak solunar windows will be for an hour on either side of the high, along with the first hour on the incoming water. Winds are predicted to be light to moderate based on the early forecast with a chance of some showers by Sunday.

Please practice boating courtesy on the water and dress in layers for protection. You can always take jackets, hoodies and rain gear off when it warms but you can’t put them on if they’re not in the boat.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Let the guessing games begin. With fronts rumbling through on a regular basis now, finding fish consistently becomes a little more challenging. If it warms up, they could be outside creek mouths and roaming on the shallower, dark bottom flats. Several nights of colder temperatures will push them into deeper holes and the coastal rivers. So it may take checking out several locations to find fish, but once you do the action can be very good.

With water temps in the mid-50s early before warming to the lower 60s, combined with negative low tides, there were redfish scattered on turtle grass flats last weekend. Most were slot size, with a few larger ones mixed in. Schools and single/pairs of sheepshead were frequenting the same zones. Because of the depth, weedless lures were required. The best redfish bite occurred in the backcountry creeks on various lures.

There were mixed reports of both trout and redfish in the St. Marks River. Cut bait worked well as did lipped stick bait lures. There have also been a few Spanish mackerel landed up-river and the mangrove snapper and sheepshead should be increasing in numbers. Small jigs and live shrimp will trick the mangroves, while shrimp and fiddler crabs are the top offerings for the convict fish.

For the next few months the top lures for winter trout will be slow suspending baits in natural patterns. Rapala X-Raps, Unfair Lures Rip-n-Slash, Paul Brown Fat Boys and MirrOlure TT and Catch 2000 lures worked slowly through the water column will entice chilled fish with slower metabolisms. Live shrimp on a jig head or shrimp lures/touts are good back-ups. Use the lightest weights possible to minimize snagging the bottom.

Timing can also be a key factor in success. Early or mid-morning low tides will expose mud flats, rock piles and oyster bars. As the sun warms these features, they will hold the radiated heat. Once the water floods back in, temperatures can be several degrees warmer which attracts bait and game fish. A top-water plug danced slowly over those structures will often trigger strikes as well.

Winds are expected to be lighter on Friday before another front comes through Saturday bringing rain and more wind. Winds and seas are predicted to drop back down by Sunday afternoon but high pressure may suppress appetites. Weaker high tides will crest around the lunch hour before falling all afternoon. The peak feeding window will occur the last couple hours of the flood as the moon is up.

What a difference a few days makes. After mild fall temperatures and numerous reports of outstanding action to the east, Old Man Winter announced his presence with authority with the current frigid blast. Air and water temperatures have plunged as a result and with strong northerly winds predicted through the weekend, winter patterns are likely here to stay.

But the good news first. In the backcountry creeks and shorelines in the refuge, the redfish and trout were on fire last weekend. Paddletail jigs, touts and smaller swim baits generated the most action early with the lower water and cooler conditions. As the day wore on, though, the topwater bite kicked off. Mullet patterns and the classic white/red head produced healthy trout, many 20 inches or better, plus upper to overslot chunky reds. The fish were slurping down flies, too. Water clarity is exceptional east of the St. Marks River.

The western portion of the bay near Panacea was slow, in contrast. Tons of mullet are around, but the trout were small and scattered and the reds few and far between. The water was somewhat silty and mats of floating grass were still present. A few bluefish were lingering in depths less than five feet but they’re probably halfway to St. Pete by now.

So the question will be, is this cold snap strong enough to push fish into the coastal rivers? There were a few Spanish mackerel reported in the St. Marks, so odds are yes, the trout and reds will likely follow. A good strategy would be to start near the mouths of the rivers around the oyster bars and slowly work up river. The mid-morning negative lows will expose lots of shallow mud flats and oyster mounds that will warm with the sun. Once those areas flood with the afternoon incoming water, the fish will be on top looking for extra warmth and food. Weedless spoons, or jerk baits and shad tails rigged weedless will minimize the tackle loss to the sharp shells and snags.

Flounder will be lurking in the deeper holes and funnel points between bars. Hop a 2.75 DOA shrimp or Sureketch tout (gold glitter, new penny, white/pink tail) slowly along the bottom for these tasty flat fish. Black sea bass are another possible by-catch. Big sheepshead are showing up around rock piles and other structure. They will sometimes take a shrimp lure, especially with Pro-cure sweetener, but real shrimp or fiddler crabs are seldom refused. Small shrimp and crab flies will also fool the convicts.

The next few months with the negative low tides and clear visibility are ideal for scouting new areas and marking hazards on the bottom machine. Those same conditions also require choosing boat ramps carefully as some channels like the Lighthouse may be un-navigable for hours until the tides start coming in.

After the long hot summer extended clear through October, it’s not surprising that the fish are pretty confused right now. And with another cold front barreling our way, anglers will have to make adjustments yet again.

The flats have been hit or miss of late. Quality trout are coming to the net, but there are lots of smaller fish as well. Shrimp lures like DOA or touts like the local source Sureketch are effective as the shrimp make their way out of the marsh and creeks and move offshore. Natural colors are good, but if the water is stained or cloudy, don’t be afraid to mix it up. The fish have to find the lure to eat it. Adding scent or noise will enhance those odds. Those same type of lures, along with shad tails on a jig head will also work on flounder. Go as light as possible to detect subtle bites.

Redfish are roaming the oyster bars, backcountry creeks and flooded shorelines. Aqua Dream or Capt. Mike’s willow blade weedless spoons retrieved slowly along the bottom are great fish-finders. The pink version are a good choice now, along with the proven gold. Jerk baits rigged with worm or circle hooks are also effective search baits.

The pelagics are mostly gone by now or will be with next week’s expected front with overnight lows into the 30s. As a result, watching the forecasts and timing will be keys to successful trips. Fish tend to turn off with high pressure and the sudden shock of drastic temperature changes. Once the weather stabilizes, however, they’ll be back on the feedbag. The winter season also means lower tides, which might be even more pronounced with strong northerly winds. Bear that in mind when launching the boat or getting into skinny water.

Friday and Saturday don’t look too promising with winds predicted at 15 to 20 knots. It’s supposed to lay down by Sunday, still from the Northeast. For those off on Veteran’s Day, the winds will clock around to the Southeast. Tides will be decent with lows before daylight before cresting mid-day. Tuesday is the full moon. The prime solunar window will be an hour or so either side of high noon as the moon is down.

Whether you’re able to fish or not on Monday, be sure to thank a veteran for his or her service to our nation.

If the advance forecast holds true, it looks like a seasonal adjustment is on tap. The expected cold front will usher in breezy north winds and temperatures more typical for November. That will cool off the coastal water and trigger better action on the flats and creeks.

Last weekend was another challenging one with strong winds and murky water. Anglers who ventured out, mainly on Sunday, found a few fish but the bite was off despite the new moon tides. Trout are scattered and are feeding on shrimp lures like the DOA 1/4-ounce or 2.75 variety, fished plain or under a popping/clacker cork. New penny, gold glitter and near clear are the most realistic and proven patterns right now. A pinfish under a float is another viable option. The fish were typically found in depths less than six feet.

Redfish are schooling more but haven’t truly turned on, either. Expect that to change with the cool front after the barometric pressure stabilizes. Gold or watermelon ADL willow blade weedless spoons tossed methodically around oyster bars like those throughout the mouths of the coastal rivers and backcountry creeks will produce. Soft-plastic jerk baits rigged weedless with a worm hook or nose-hooked with a circle or live bait hook are also effective.

Flounder and black sea bass are plentiful. Bounce a white or white/red tail Sureketch jig along the bottom of drop-offs or pot holes. Arkansas glow or Stark Naked CAL shad tails pinned to a light jig head are a dead ringer for mud minnows, if you don’t want to mess with the real thing.

The cold front will likely signal the last of the seasonal visitors. Spanish mackerel, pompano, tripletail and tarpon will all be hightailing it south. There may be a few bluefish and jack crevalle lagging but they won’t be here much longer, either.

State officials have added another red snapper window due to Nestor’s previous blow-out. It’ll be Nov. 2-3, but be careful out there. Coming on the heels of St. Mark’s Stone Crab Festival last Saturday will be the Florida Seafood Festival in Apalachicola Nov. 1-2 with lots to do for the whole family.

The waxing crescent moon phase won’t do any favors with strong tides this weekend. Weak mid-day lows will be more pronounced with the North winds, so choose launch sites carefully. Expect a brief peak feeding window right after daylight, followed by an average opportunity early each afternoon for about an hour as the moon rises. The temperature changes may over-ride the normal solunar predictions to produce a hot bite. But you won’t know unless you go.

Now that Nestor has washed through and we’ve experienced our first autumn cold front, maybe the fish will settle into a new routine. With daylight hours decreasing and water temperatures dropping, the seasonal visitors will be heading south while the resident game fish hit the bait buffet in anticipation of leaner times ahead.

Shrimp are moving out of the marshes and pinfish, finger mullet, sardines and mud minnows are still thick. The top water bite has been off the last week or so; floating grass on the surface only compounds the problem. Hopefully the storm dispersed most of the grass and the cooler temps will renew the surface action. If you see mullet jumping or schooling, a noisy plug is always worth a few casts, anyway. Adding a squirt of Pro-Cure mullet gel would increase the attraction.

There have been plenty of trout coming to the net. The majority are just below or right at 15 inches, however. A few keepers are being boated, but not like it should be. If the Fish & Wildlife Commission goes ahead with some of the trout proposals, populations should rebound. Soft-plastic jerk baits with a nose hook or touts and shrimp lures under a popping or clacker cork are producing the most strikes. Depths range up to six feet, but the fish will be moving closer to the hill every day.

Flounder are staging around creek/river mouths, sandy pot holes, oyster bars and other pinch points. Fan-cast the area before moving on. If you catch one flattie, others will be in the vicinity.

A few will be lingering, but Spanish mackerel, pompano, tripletail, sharks, cobia and tarpon are not long for Big Bend parts. They’ll either be starting the trek south for the winter or heading offshore into the Gulf where water temperatures are more moderate.

The weekend forecast continues to look better and better. Winds will be clocking around but at tolerable levels. The likelihood of rain is dropping too, but tote the foul weather gear just in case. Tides will be very favorable with Sunday’s new moon. Lows will be around daybreak with nearly four feet of incoming water by mid-afternoon. Expect a decent feeding window early and then a very high activity period from lunch until the tide crests. This is the last weekend of the extended recreational red snapper season, so expect plenty of traffic at the area ramps. The St. Marks Stone Crab and Monarch Butterfly Festivals are being held Saturday, so it’ll be a busy time at the coast. Let’s hope Mother Nature cooperates with sunny skies and calm seas.

How does that saying go, when it rains it pours? The drought seems to be broken and now we’re looking at several stormy days ahead, including this upcoming weekend. The silver lining is the temperatures are cooling and the fall season is really getting underway.

The trout bite has been decent the last week. Most of the fish are holding in depths of three to six feet. Anglers are having to sort through plenty of undersize fish to find some legal ones. DOA 1/4-ounce shrimp in near clear, the 2.75 DOA shrimp in new penny and touts like the Sureketch style grubs are producing. The top-water bite has been off due to last Sunday’s full moon and the incessant floating grass that seems to be especially thick on the East Flats.

Redfish are prowling the shorelines and oyster bars. The bars in the mouths of the coastal rivers are always productive this time of year on moving water. Aqua Dream weedless gold and pink spoons will pinpoint the fish.

Flounder action is also picking up, along with black sea bass, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and tripletail. Big jacks are pounding the bait schools throughout the Forgotten Coast. There are still some cobia and sharks around, but they’ll skedaddle with the first real cold front. On Monday the water temperatures were in the lower 70s to start before climbing to 80 degrees by late afternoon. This week’s rain should push temps back into the 70s.