By: Dan Carns
Of all the months to kayak fish, I really like this month. The wind has picked up a bit and the temps have cooled down, but the fish are now settling into their pre-winter mode. This time of year, makes many species predictable and depending which one you plan to target, they will be easier to find inshore.
Snook have made their full transition from the beaches to the inshore canals and pockets that keep them protected should the temps drop severely. Snook suffer from the cold, and will be found feeding around docks and around the countless little Keys that dot Southwest Florida’s inshore environment. Snook also know that they need to bulk up so they are hungry and easy to target as they eat almost anything. Top water plugs like the Super Spook Jr. in bone color are one of my favorites as well as the Gunfish 95 in bone. Snook respond well to both Paddle Tails and Shade Tail baits but remember it’s the beginning of cooler temps, therefore, slow your presentations down. As for live bait, shrimp rule! You can easily carry live shrimp in a bait bucket with a battery powered bait aerator. Snook will also just as easily take frozen shrimp under a popping cork or simply rigged onto a jig head slowly dragged across the bottom.
Red fish are next on the list and we have a huge and growing population of young reds due to a stocking event several years ago. These fish are also now inshore in relatively sheltered coves and bays. Schools of reds will be cruising on the flats chasing baits or tailing in turtle grass. They will also be foraging under the flooded mangrove roots. Like snook, redfish also eat just about anything. Top water plugs presented early in the morning will elicit strikes as long as the water is less the three feet or so. Remember their mouths are designed to forage on the bottom so they often miss on the first strike, but if your patient and slow enough in your retrieve they will likely continue their attack. Paddletails and Shad tail baits run slowly across grass flats will usually get their attention. Like snook, a shrimp under a cork or cut bait soaked on the bottom will do the trick.
Spotted sea trout have now settled into dark bottom flats in three to five feet of water but it may take an hour or two for the sun to warm them up and begin feeding. Trout will hit shrimp under a cork or any number of paddle tail baits on a jig head retrieved bouncing in the middle of the water column. Sheephead are stacked around dock pilings, especially the barnacle covered ones. They will readily take just about any small jig or hook tipped with a small piece of shrimp. Just give them time to chew it first.
It’s a Wildl World-Get Out There!
@paddlinandfishin
Dan Carns