By Joe Sheaffer
We are creatures of habit, we become comfortable fishing certain areas. We tend to focus our efforts doing the same old thing because of past successes. Challenging conditions can cause us to have second thoughts about our fishing day. Many of us, including myself, fish with blinders on. Our focus is locked on past experiences and we may be missing out on clues or signs around us. Recently on a fishing trip in Gasparilla Sound, I started my day power fishing stretches along Mangrove Islands in the mouth of a creek. I have had some really productive days in this area and was anticipating a great day. Well the day turned out to be very tough and I was a bit frustrated. The stretches along the Mangroves just seemed dead. There was no noticeable bait or fish activity along the stretch I was fishing. As I thought about making a move, I noticed quite a bit of activity, 50 to 100 yards out in the middle of the flat. I watched for a few minutes and decided to move a bit closer. It turned out to be a large school of mullet working a shallow flat yards from any noticeable structure. I positioned my boat a long cast away. I started casting a wake bait around the school of mullet. After 10 to 15 casts, I had a solid bump, a few casts later I hooked into a nice redfish. I continued to fish around that mullet school the rest of the morning. I caught a couple more reds and a decent snook. I had been so focused on the area along the mangroves, that I almost missed out on a great opportunity. Thankfully I noticed the activity out on the flat adjacent from the mangrove island. Most of us make decisions or plans that help us locate good fishing areas. That being said, being aware of our surroundings may clue us in on other opportunities that can help us catch fish during our fishing adventures. Good luck keep casting, even in the MIDDLE!