Capt. Pat Murphy
The fishing has been great the past month and will only continue to get better as we approach spring time and all its glory. With the much-anticipated rain and upcoming mullet run, flats predators will eagerly switch from their winter diets to a full-fledged meat menu of baitfish. Warmer water temperatures will have schools of slot sized to upper slot redfish roaming the flats marauding anything that gets in their way. Along with the reds the Gator trout will continue to provide explosive top water action well into the upcoming month. Several groups of Black Drum are very active near the major bars and drop offs and will remain until the water reaches an uncomfortable temperature for their comfort zone. Soft plastic shrimp like the z-Man elaztech in natural colors have been very effective on landing these hard fighting fish. Lighter colored jerk baits rigged weedless will serve as great search baits will covering areas with bait present.
As the water rises look for juvenile tarpon at the mouths of creeks and areas with water flow. Small minnow imitations will draw the attention of these acrobatic wonders. Baitfish type flies will also be the go to for the fly angler looking for some action. Trophy sized redfish will become more active as we move into summer and patience will be the key in locating and landing that fish of a lifetime. When the fish seem a bit spooky toss out a fresh cut bait like a chunk of ladyfish or mullet and hang on!
The water clarity has greatly improved over conditions from last year and if we have a healthy resurgence of grass the fishing and catching will only get better. Watch the weather this time of the year as storms come fast and are unforgiving at best. As always feel free to contact me if I can help you have a better day on the water or simply share a tip or two, until next month “Tight Lines”