By Capt. Mike Smith, Fish Your Ass Off Charters
January and February are the coldest months for humans and for inshore game fish. Both species are moving a little slower and are looking for warmth. Fish have it worse because they are cold blooded.
Pro Tip #1: Find warmer water. Just a couple of degrees can make all the difference between catching and not catching fish during the cold months. Focus on the southern facing shorelines that receive the most hours of sunlight each day.
Conversely, avoid fishing shady spots.
Start fishing later in the day to allow the sun’s power to heat the water. An especially good time to fish is when low tide coincides with the middle of the day. Shallow water is easier to heat up and it concentrates the fish.
If you are fishing during the higher parts of the tide, then you should look for shallow flats that are adjacent to deeper water (8 to 10 ft).
Fish seek out shallow water to warm up after spending the night down deep where the water temperatures are more stable.
Pro Tip #2: Fish with smaller baits. Most of the prey items available to snook, redfish, speckled trout, flounder and other predatory fish are small this time of year. Small minnows and shrimp will most likely be the main forage for these fish in the coldest months.
Because fish are cold blooded it is harder for them to digest food when they are cold. It is easier on their metabolism to digest a 2-inch fish than a 6-inch fish.
Use lures 3 inches or smaller this time of year. I love to use 2.75-inch shrimp and 3-inch paddle tails this time of year. Small bucktail jigs and ned rigs are also great choices this time of year.
Pro Tip #3: Slow down your retrieve. Cold fish can’t move as quickly as warm fish can. It’s really that simple. Whatever retrieve you like to use in the summer months, slow it by 50% and that will probably be just about right for winter.
Make sure to bounce your jigs, ned rigs and shrimp off of the bottom. Fish tend to stay near the bottom in winter months.
Pro Tip #4: Use longer leaders. Often, the water gets gin clear in the winter months. Because you are retrieving your lures more slowly, the fish will get a better look at your lines and lures.
This is when a long fluorocarbon leader is the way to go. I like an 8 ft. leader married to a braided line with an FG knot. If you don’t know how to tie an FG knot, then learn. It is a must have part of your fishing arsenal.
Why Fluorocarbon? The benefits of fluoro over monofilament are no stretching and it sinks. Mono stretches and floats.
Cold water can be a problem for inshore lure fishermen but it doesn’t have to be. Follow the pro tips above and you will catch more wintertime fish.
Capt. Mike Smith, owner of Fish Your Ass Off Charters, is an inshore fishing guide who has been fishing the inshore waters, oyster bars and grass flats of Florida for more than 40 years. Reach him at (561) 339-2317, email: contact@fishyourassoff.com or visit fishyourassoff.com.
