By: Capt. Rachel
First image that comes to mind is of the kids in the movie, The Christmas Story getting dressed to play in the snow. All bundled up with so many layers you can hardly bend your arms, much less move comfortably around a boat. My secret weapon this time of year is keeping a hand warmer in my pockets. Fishing in the winter can be both fun and frustrating because within as little as 3 days water temperatures will drop 20 degrees and fish will move. Predator fish aren’t the only ones to move but so does bait. The drop is water temperatures push fish out of the shallow flats and open water into the deeper bays and warmer water. This is when you want to watch your temperature gauge on your boat to find warmer water.
Some species, such as sheepshead get more active and schooled up on colder water temperatures. Large schools will move in close to land along bridges, canals, channels and heavy structure such as docks and marinas. Another area is reefs, this heavy structure has natural algae and coral growth which offer an abundance of food, such as small shrimp, crabs and small organisms.
Best bait for when water temperatures drop in the low 70-50’s is live shrimp. Fresh is best because it’ll stay on the hook. Also sand fleas or small crabs are great in cold water. I prefer to use 30# fluorocarbon leader with a #1 owner mutu light circle hook or SSW Live bait hook, which is a little heavier. Circle hooks will not get hung up on structure as much as a j-hook. Sometimes when the sheepshead are really large I’ll up the size because they will bite through the hooks.
Please keep in mind when fishing around and near residential canals and docks, try to be as respectful as possible by keeping voices low and noise to a minimum. Also, as you leave try to remember to clean up any broken lines, hooks and tackle even if it isn’t yours. Not only is it harmful to people using the docks but wildlife can get tangled. Mark your calendar for the Bradenton Boat Show January 19-21 in Palmetto at the convention center. I’ll be offering 2 seminars daily. For more information go to www.bradentonboatshow.com.