By Capt. Will Wolfson, Grassroots Guide Service
January is here and with the cold weather can come some really hot fishing. This is a great time of year to fish the flats because of the crystal-clear water and schooling fish. As the water temperatures get colder, the fish school up and this can lead to “fish in a barrel” type of situations where the rod bending action is non-stop.
Some of my favorite fishing comes after the coldest nights of the season, followed by high pressure, blue bird days consisting of a significant rise in atmospheric temperature. Early in the morning, look to find the fish laying in the deeper holes consisting of a muddy or broken shell/rock bottom, adjacent to the flats. As the day warms, the shallow water will warm the quickest and this is where the fish will want to be.
Fish are primarily feeding on shrimp and crabs this time of year so natural colors like white, tan, purple and blue are all good colors to be throwing. I’ve been having great success throwing Nasty Strike Baits that I get poured from my good friend Erie Peeples. His baits are available in many local NSB tackle shops… just throw them out and reel them back is all that you need to do! With this clear water, use as light of tackle as you can get away with; you’ll get more bites and have more fun fighting your fish!
