Winter has arrived in central Florida. After having mild weather for the past month, the water temperatures have plummeted into the 40's. In addition, the water levels are the lowest I have ever seen them making it difficult to reach many of the areas we usually fish.
High winds have forced the cancellation of several trips recently and will continue through the middle of this week. When the winds subside, I expect the sight fishing to be outstanding with numerous schools of redfish and plenty of big trout.The month started out on a positive note when I fished with Jim and his sister Juanita. We caught four black drum first thing in the morning and left as the holiday crowds began to arrive.
After a bit of searching, we found a good concentration of redfish. They caught eight reds before we moved on to some trout fishing to complete the slam. Using 3 inch CAL tails, over twenty trout were caught and released.My next trip was with Chris, a fly angler from Virginia. The weather was perfect with calm winds and sunny skies. We found several schools of redfish which we had all to ourselves for several hours. Chris had consistent shots at the schools with the flyrod but, most times, the fish stayed just out of his reach. He did manage one bite and several follows but did not connect with the fly. Chris traded the flyrod for a spinning rod with a four inch CAL tail and landed four reds in short order.
He ended the day catching a few trout on the three inch CALs. The weather most of last week was cloudy and windy and I cancelled my charters.Saturday, I went to Mosquito Lagoon with my old friend Paul. With both air and water temperatures in the 40's and the wind blowing when we arrived, we didn't have high expectations. The first spot was a bust but within minutes of arriving at our second spot, we saw numerous tailing redfish. Paul quickly hooked up with a red using a three inch CAL.
I hooked two reds on a new color DOA crab.
Paul followed up with a few more redfish before we grew tired of the cold and wind. Yesterday, Tom and Don joined me for a great day on the Lagoon. The winds had finally calmed and the water had risen and inch or two. After a long pole across as shallow area, we reached an area of slightly deeper water that was alive with schools of redfish, black drum, and big trout. Don caught a couple black drum on a DOA crab but the redfish were not willing to eat. We tried several other baits for the reds without success. We elected to target the big trout and I gave them a five inch holographic CAL. Soon, Tom was connected to the first redfish of the day. They caught a few more before I had to get them back to the ramp so they could catch an early flight home.This year looks like it will be very good for trophy seatrout. We have seen many of them on each trip and the cool weather will keep them in the shallow sand holes. Most of the redfish are now schooled up meaning you can find large groups of them but not as many singles. As is typical in winter, the fish are very shallow and very spooky. A very slow and silent approach is necessary to get into casting range.
When the Fish Don't Cooperate
Finding the fish is only half the battle. Once you locate them, you must trick them into eating your lure. On most days, the way you present the bait is more important than the color you use. Unfortunately, the fish don't always play by our rules or do what we expect. For example, winter redfish eat mostly crabs and shrimp. Usually, a well placed DOA shrimp or crab will get them to bite. Yesterday, the fish we found were having nothing to do with it. I know some of you are thinking, "If only you were using live shrimp." I spoke to a guide at the ramp who had been using live bait and could not get the fish to eat. When we changed to a large jerk bait, we immediately started getting bites. Ordinarily, this is not a bait we use for redfish this time of year. On this particular day, however, the bigger bait was the key. This has happened on more than one occasion throughout the years. Fish that seemingly have lockjaw will suddenly turn on when you find the right lure. The moral of the story is, if you have found the fish and they do not want to bite, try a wide variety of sizes, colors and shapes before you move on. Sometimes they bite what you least expect.
Winter Flats Kits
Mosquito Creek Outdoors still has some Winter Flats Fishing Kits available. I had them put together an assortment of my favorite lures is a single kit. Buy the kit and save on the cost of purchasing the items separately. Visit the store or call the store at 800-250-5191 and have the Capt. Chris Myers winter fishing kit sent to your door.
Capt. Chris Myers
Central Florida Sight Fishing Charters
http://www.floridafishinglessons.com/
321-229-2848
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