The waters of the south lagoon have still been a bit too dirty to effectively sight- fish the area. However, decent catches of redfish and seatrout can be had by anglers targeting the schools of mullet streaming through the shallows. A variety of lures have been producing well with top-water plugs leading the list.
Walk-the-dog and popper style top-water plugs are my go-to early morning lure right now as long as floating grass allows their use. More often than expected the top-water bite continues throughout the morning; not just the early low-light timeframe. Don’t hang them up until you’re sure the fish are done responding positively to them.
Spoons and swimming type soft plastics rule the roost once the top-water bite is over. Aqua Dream spoons are easy for most any angler to use effectively. Their larger profile to weight ratio is completely different than most competitive offerings. This design allows the spoon to ride higher in the water column than a standard weedless spoon and at a slower speed too. Soft plastic lures with shad tails or paddle tails vibrate more than the typical Dart or Slug designs and are my choice when fishing in dirty or heavily stained water. Exude’s newest addition, the Cigar Minnow has a large tail to wobble as it’s reeled straight in or twitched and paused back to you. Give it a try, the four inch size is a good imitation of a finger mullet and many colors are available.
When pockets of relatively clear water are found you can bet an Exude Dart will get some water time. Rigged with a weedless jighead or keeper hook this lure can be manipulated to imitate either an injured baitfish or a shrimp. The Darts is easily my favorite lure on the flats.
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