Low water and sheep herding is the ticket for fishy fun during our Space Coast January. Santa and his rain-deer have clocked out and are headed on vacation. They would be smart to investigate some Brevard county kayak fishing for a way to relax. The winter winds that occupy our cold fronts as the pass are ready made to blow the water out of our lagoons. With no tidal movement on the lagoons of the space coast north or south winds are the factor that set the seasonal water levels; though rain amounts also play a factor. (Simplified: a constant wind from north water drops/winds constant from the south water rises) Couple that with diminished rain fail/out flow amounts and cool waters with very little small organism growth. All of these factors should converge on the space coasts lagoons to ensure shallow flats will be blanketed in gin clear water, but water quality issues of late make it a little tougher to find these clear spots. Redfish and black drum do reside in the same family “croakers” as Seatrout, but the ability for both reds and black drum to withstand and even enjoy cold water set them miles apart from the spotted cousin they share habitats with. Fish biology dictates a slower metabolism in cooler times that alters the digestive functions of our sub-tropical game fish. Cue up the buffet of shrimp, crabs, marine worms, snails, and the like to carry our fish through those tough cold days until the spring bait fish bounty returns.
Slowly working the lagoon flats on sunny and calm late mornings will greet Brevard’s kayakers with tailing, pushing, belly crawling, and laid up reds. Most will be hungry and willing to eat an offering as long as they don’t need to work hard to capture it. We see great success with Slayer Inc SST paddle tails and artificial (your choice) shrimp with a natural or darker colors being my favorite. In grassy areas rig with a weedless “keeper” style hook and in sand bottom areas or on drop-offs adjacent to flats utilize a light jig head. January also marks the unofficial start of the sheepshead spawn. This hard fighting crab loving fish will be abundant and ready to bend your rod. The sometimes overlooked sheepshead of our lagoons will head east to the Port and inlets (Seb. & Ponce) meeting with the offshore sheep’s that head west to find love. Rigging with small strong hooks and a little splitshot to get it down is all you need. Fancy is not a way to describe this style of combat fishing that requires you to fish close or on the structure sheepshead love. Both rock piles (manmade or natural) and piling sets will be loaded as the water stays cool. Fun is not even close to disrobing the mayhem that a solid sheep bite brings so be sure to have several dozen fiddler crabs, shrimp, or sandfleas for each angler in your group. Nothing worse than being out of bait in a hot bite!
Capt. Alex Gorichky
LocalLinesChartes.com
Space Coast fishing guide
Kayaks By Bo team paddler
Contact Capt. Alex at 321-480-3255