[dropcap]W[/dropcap]rap up in your layers, and then get your butt out here on the gulf. Wintertime fishing has arrived and is hot! Well, the bite that is. Huge Bull redfish are not too picky this time of year, and love cut bait, so I prefer to use fresh mullet. As the weather and water gets colder, the deeper water will hold these reds. Look for the bait pods on your bottom machine around twenty to thirty feet of water and drop the cut bait down with light tackle. Then the fight is on! Being that reds will fight to the brink of death, please be sure to take your time holding them in the water to revive them as you release them. Redfish will also be headed up into the rivers if you want to do some backcountry fishing too. Jigs tipped with cut bait or squid can spark a bite, but remember that fish will slow down drastically with the cold, so a slower retrieve is needed. The cut bait is very effective because the smell stands out and the fish’s cut bait dinner is not too much work for them. Less work the better when it’s cold. Also, there’s not a lot of live bait around, but if I can find any, I will fish with live before using artificial. The sheepsheads are here in large numbers! Crystal clear water makes Bowfishing the best method of harvesting tasty sheepshead. You can fish for sheepshead; just make sure to use extremely sharp hooks, thick and small. Use real light tackle with fresh shrimp or fiddler crabs for bait, and stay around barnacle covered structure. Offshore, we are releasing those Gag grouper, but loving the huge green head Sea bass! I prefer 30 pound braid on a spinner reel rigged with a chicken rig and two 3-4/0 hooks. Sea bass love squid, but cannot resist that fresh cut mullet! So, I prefer the cut mullet over the squid. Call either Capt. Tim or myself to book your adventures now! You can also visit us on our Facebook or our web page saltynativecharters.com. Tight lines, stay warm, be safe, and have some good times out there!
By Capt. Brittany Regelski
Salty Native Charters
850-570-6424