January Fishing Forecast
January can be a tricky month to fish, you just gotta be ready for anything. Assuming we get a mild or dare I say, warm winter, our boats are heading south. The last warm winter we had, the Biloxi Marsh Wildlife Management Area was incredibly fishy. The redfish were still in the ponds and along the shore lines. The trout however, never went into the deeper water. They bit all winter in the shallow bays, in the drains, even over the reefs(fall spots). Live bait always works wonders, but artificial can get it done. Our guides are still big fans of the Boat Monkey Popping corks, Matrix plastics, and shrimp imitations(Vudoo, or Savage Gear 3-D Shrimp).
Now, assuming it’s a cold, windy and nasty winter. Do not let that stop y’all from wetting a line. The Wolf and Jourdan River should hold plenty of speckled trout. Bayou Caddy, and the East Pearl River should also be holding fish. The trout sink down in those deeper locations, during the coldest weather. This type of fishing can get a bit technical. Some folks throw soft plastics and some folks troll sinking swim baits. You just have to experiment. Slow, slow, slow is the way to go. When the fishing gets going in these spots, the smaller boats come outta the woodwork. Please be extremely cautious, and courteous to these boaters. The majority of these River fisherman are in smaller skiffs, and a large boat wake could be disastrous this time of year.
Just layer up, pay close attention to your weather and the tide. As always, have fun and be safe.
Capt Sonny Schindler
Shore Thing Fishing Charters
Bay St Louis, MS
www.shorethingcharters.com
228-342-2295