With this colder water that December normally brings, many species will relocate from their normal haunts to some shallower locations. Some reasons: to find warmth and a better comfort zone, to find the bait and food source, or to spawn.. Don’t always assume that colder water and weather sends everything 50’ under the sea.
Some Gags will still be in the 4’ to 8’ shallow water rocks. But the baitfish for the most part have left, leaving the Gags to take almost any offering that swims by.
Reds can be found in some skinny water this time of year, 6” to 18”. A 27” 8lb. Red can be totally submerged in 7” of water, making for some of the best sight fishing of the year with the clearer water.
Mangrove (Gray) Snapper are gathered up around most any spring in shallow water. If you can catch your 5 per person limit, you have found a honey hole. They must be 10” minimum, and most are cookie cutters, at 9” or 9-3/4”.
Sheepies, are also congregating around the shallows. Rocks, barnacle covered bridge pilings, oyster bars, and the like, in 1’ to 8’ will put ya on these black and white striped, convict, zebra resembled, fine eating fish. They got a set of chompers only a mama could love, and ugly is to the bone.
Mullet: or as we Crackers call them, the vegetarian chicken of the sea. The cooler temps will have them gathered up in the rivers and residential canals, in 2’ to 6’ by the hundreds. Space won’t allow, but if interested, e-mail me for rigging and technique. Good ole shore bank fun, and better eating. No size, 50 per person.
Also this is the month for gift giving with Christmas around the corner. So naturally, one of the best and easiest gifts to give is a simple gift card.. Nowadays you can get one from most any retailer out there including of course your big box sports stores.
Also don’t forget one of the very best gifts bar none that a boater can possibly have is an annual membership to seatow. Give a hint to the wife, girlfriend or just plain good friend that this is a very important gift that you would like to have. I’ve had to use my membership before and was dang glad I had it. It is basically in a nut shell your AAA on the water! For our citrus County nature Coast area give Ernie or Ellen Croft a call at 352-795-2236 and they will hook you up.
Enjoy some reel beauties of the nature coast, in the not so deep, winter time.
Submitted By: Capt. Rick Burns
Reel Burns Charters
www.reelburns.com
Homosassafishingguide.com
352-201-6111