The month of January can be an exciting time to catch some fish. Throughout our region a variety of game fish can be caught. To begin with, the black drum bite should be very good. Black drum are known to be bottom feeders. Typically, they can be caught along channel drop offs, the flats, or even structure such as docks. One of my favorite areas to target black drum is the northern end of the Banana River. Throughout this area, black drum will be feeding on clams, shrimp, crabs, and bait fish. When targeting these fish, anglers will want to use fresh cut bait such as mullet or ladyfish rigged onto a circle hook or live shrimp rigged onto a 1/4 ounce jig head. When conditions are calm, several of these fish can be caught while sight casting to them. This is especially true along the flats. When targeting these black drum, anglers will want to keep the bait in front of feeding fish. This can be done by casting the bait in front of the fish or allowing the bait to rest on the bottom along channel drop offs. The average length of these black drum should be around 15 inches with the largest fish measuring in at 23 inches.
In addition, anglers can expect for the sheepshead bite to improve. This fish is known for tasty meat as well as the black and white stripes on his body. Typically, sheepshead feed along pilings, docks, oyster bars, or other structure that is covered with barnacles. One of the best ways to catch a sheepshead is to rig a shrimp or fiddler crab onto a number 1 or 2 circle hook. Since many of these fish feed near structure, anglers will want to drop their bait to the bottom and then retrieve the bait so that it is suspended 2 to 3 feet off the bottom. Adding a small split shot weight just above the hook can also help keep the bait in the targeted area. Once you are set up practice a little patience and get ready to hold on tight. Sheepshead can be difficult to hook and have an uncanny ability to clean a hook without you knowing anything happened. When targeting sheepshead, it is very important to keep your line tight and be ready for the bite because you often only get one chance to set the hook. According to the FWC, sheepsheads have a minimum legal length of 12” and a daily bag limit of 15 fish per angler.
Submitted By: Capt. Keith Mixon
Mixin’ Work With Play Fishing Charters
www.mixinworkwithplay.com
321-212-8484