INGLIS/YANKEETOWN

I absolutely love this time of the year in our area. If you have been thinking about a trip to our area, now is the time to do it. The fish are starting to move in really close, and the water temps are hovering around those magic numbers, that make that make them want to eat everything. I don’t care what you want to target–redfish, snook, trout or grouper; they are all chewing.

The redfish will be staging around the creek mouths and up in the creeks themselves. I like to target the creeks with oyster bars, or with grass lines that have a bunch of breaks in them that will provide plenty of ambush points. I rely pretty heavly on a zman paddlerz this time of year. I move it at a pretty fast pace. Redfish like to run down their food. This is also true for the snook, which will be staged up in the same areas. The water is definitely going to clear up, so you are going to want to lean more towards a natural colored bait. Another go-to this time of year is a mirrolure mirrodine. I like the smaller profile baits that ride a little higher in the water column when fishing around oyster or rock bottom.

The big gator trout will be pushed in tight on the flats, and will be looking to eat as well. The before mentioned mirrolure mirrodine and a Paul Brown devil are deadly this time of year on these guys. I like to find good grass with a mixture of potholes. These areas will hold great concentrations of fish. Once you get bit, anchor down and work that area over good.

This time of the year is also great to catch grouper inshore. If you can find any good rock bottom in the 8 to 12-foot range, you can have some fun. You can cast shallow diving plugs over the structure, and hold on. It is amazing to catch these fish casting, when they hit these plugs, it’s with the force of a dump truck.

Until next month, have fun, be safe and take your kids fishing. If you are interested in a charter, give me a call and book today; spots fill up quickly this time of year.

Capt. Craig Spitznogle
www.floridaflatscharterco.com