Ice fishing in Florida
I knew with a title like that I would get your attention! With some of these cold fronts, I thought we would have to start ice fishing. On many charters this time of year I get a lot of people from the north, they tell me stories of ice fishing and how much fun it is. Being a native Floridian, I tell them “if itâs cold enough to make ice, then itâs too cold for me”.
Itâs the time of year to look for the convict fish AKA sheepshead. With the colder waters these fish can be found anywhere there is structure, in our area look around the rock piles, docks and channel markers. On a recent charter, I anchored near a rocky area and was able to catch a few. I used a #1 hook with a small weight and a piece of shrimp along with cut up shrimp for chum. Within a short time we had some nice sheep in the 18 – 20 inch range.
The size limit is 12 inches and 15, make sure that you remember your bag limits as well. Good baits to use for these fish include shrimp, crabs and barnacles. A good tactic for sheepshead fishing is to wait until you see the line start to move before setting the hook. These fish can be very tricky and will often steal your baits.
Other inshore species like trout, redfish, black drum and snook can be caught in the back water areas. In our area, fish around the oyster beds, mangroves and deeper holes, especially if theyâre near a spring. The best baits to use are select shrimp, creek cubs and small crabs. In these applications I like to use a 4/0 circle hook with a small weight, 20 pound fluorocarbon leader and the reel spooled with 15 pound braid.
The best time to fish right now is two hours before and two hours after the high tide. Remember to use caution with these extreme winter low tides weâve been having. If you donât pay attention you could end up high and dry.
Offshore fishing has been a challenge with the cold fronts, wind and dirty water. For those willing to take on this challenge, there are still a lot of fish to be caught. Mangrove snappers, grunts, sea bass, hogfish, gag grouper (canât keep-seasonal) and red grouper are still being caught regularly. Look for these fish at rock piles in 20 to 60 feet.
Bottom fishing with live baits or cut bait will work best. Once we start getting some steady warm weather, the Spanish mackerel, kingfish, cobia and sharks will be moving into the near shore areas.
Get out there on the water and make some memories with friends and family! Iâm always looking for reports and pictures. You can email me or stop by my website and become a âFISHHEADâ.
Capt. Joel Gant operates Fishdaddy Charters out of Hernando Beach; he knows the local waters like the back of his hand, family friendly and works both inshore and offshore trips. Check him out on face book or you can reach him at (352) 279-1615. Visit his website, www.fishdaddycharter.com