By Eric Henson
In SW Florida, one of the greatest accomplishments in a day of inshore fishing is catching an INSHORE SLAM! The inshore slam consists of a snook, redfish, and trout all caught on a day of fishing. That is pretty much my goal on a daily basis while fishing the flats. There are some days where we catch one to multiple inshore slams which makes for an amazing day! Some days for whatever reason only one or two of the species will eat heavily which is still great but, falling short of catching the slam.
Most fishermen/ women know that any given day, most fish are going to feed heavily an hour before and after sunrise and sunset. For me, on a day where I am trying to target all three species, the first fish I will target will be a trout. I usually head straight to my trout spot and try to catch a good one right off the bat. Most of your bigger trout like to feed early. Then I’ll try and knock out a snook. Snook are another fish where I seem to catch the bigger ones in the twilight stages of the day. Last but definitely not least is Mr. Redfish! I seem to catch redfish easier throughout the day. This is just a guideline on how most of the anglers in this area plan their trips on the quest of catching an inshore slam. A lot of the times I will catch one of the three species while targeting another species. And sometimes I’ll catch giant trout and snook in the middle of the day which ends up being a bonus! But, that’s why they call it fishing.
This is a wonderful time of year to catch all three species because with cooler water temps the species like to hang in certain areas. It’s also a great time to catch a trophy of all three species. Good luck on your quest of landing a INSHORE SLAM! Happy Holidays! Be Safe! Tight Lines and Tight Knots to everyone!
Eric Henson is the owner of Casting Kayaks LLC. a guided kayak fishing company out of Sarasota Florida. He specializes in inshore light tackle or fly fishing from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor.