By Capt. Michael Savedow, Edgewater River Guide
December means winter fishing patterns begin in the Edgewater Backcountry, Mosquito Lagoon, and the Intracoastal Waterway. Dropping water levels and temperatures are normal, and you can also expect the water to clear up with the lower temps. Redfish, Seatrout, Snook, and Black Drum school up together in the chilly water, while Sheepshead begin to appear, often seen crunching barnacles on dock and bridge pilings. Schooling Bluefish roaming the inshore and nearshore waters are another sign of winter. To target Sheepshead, fiddler crabs are the best bait, followed by small live or peeled shrimp. The best places to fish are bridge or dock pilings and the Ponce Inlet jetty rocks. Serious “sheepy” anglers will chum their spot by scraping barnacles off the pilings or dropping cracked oysters to the bottom. Use a small, sharp hook, as they have a small, hard mouth, and just enough weight to hold your bait close to the pilings, keeping your rig as stealthy as possible in clear water.
For Black Drum, use shrimp or pieces of blue crab and fish the bottom in channels, inlet rocks, deeper holes, drop-offs, and around bridges on the ICW and Haulover Canal. Shallow-water Redfish are a winter sight-fishing favorite in the Lagoon. Search the shallow flats and adjacent sand sloughs, as well as the shallow mud and oyster bays, coves, and creeks in the backcountry. On sunny days, fish stay shallow, enjoying the sun-warmed water; dark mud bottoms and oyster bars retain more warmth in cold water. On cloudy, chilly days, some will remain in the shallows, but many move closer to deeper edges during colder nights and days. Select-size shrimp can be the go-to bait, but live finger mullet, mud minnows, Gulp shrimp, and soft plastics will also catch both Reds and Trout on the flats. Work schools slowly, as they are often spooky: use a quiet push pole or slow-speed trolling motor to get within casting distance, or set up on anchor and wait for them to return.
Large Seatrout in the winter shallows can be the wariest of all. Long-distance sight casting offers the best chance to fool a big speck. These larger fish are often solitary, though schools of Trout can sometimes be seen on the winter flats. Smaller Trout generally school in deeper water: off drop-offs, holes, sloughs, and deeper hard bottoms. They stay near the bottom in chilly water; live shrimp with a split shot or light jigs (1/16 to 1/8 oz.) are both good choices. Smaller baits and lures that match winter forage sizes tend to be most effective during the cold months. It’s also best to downsize fluorocarbon leaders, weights, and tackle, as stealth is crucial in clear water.
Schooling Bluefish can be found in the backcountry, inlet, and surf. Got-Cha lures, silver spoons, flies, or bait will all catch them. Snook season closes for the winter on December 15, and Spotted Seatrout season is closed for November and December in the Central East zone. Redfish remain catch-and-release only south of the New Smyrna SR44 bridge.
