No Bait? No Problem!
Capt. Michael Anderson
April kicks off what is in my opinion the best month of fishing on the west coast of Florida. Water temps are normally in the low 70s. The bait shows up inshore and offshore. The snook come rumbling out of their winter haunts very hungry. The redfish are cruising almost every flat. The big trout continue their aggressive feeding, and the beaches come alive with kingfish, Spanish mackerel, bonita and sharks. It’s the best time of the year to turn to artificial baits. That’s right, artificial baits. While everybody else is throwing the net, you can be catching fish just by getting comfortable with artificials.
Calm April mornings are the perfect time to throw topwater plugs. Walking the dog with a MirrOlure She Dog with its high-pitch rattle will draw unforgettable strikes. Reds, snook and trout can’t resist the opportunity to devour a wounded mullet coming across the flat. If you prefer to try your hand at soft plastics, you can cover a lot of ground quickly and easily, with a ¼-ounce jig head with a MirrOlure Lil John or Marsh Minnow tied on. If you’re a wade fisherman or kayak enthusiast, you can work very shallow waters that boaters can’t reach by rigging your plastic on a weedless weighted bass hook. This will allow you to swim your baits through very shallow water and work them slowly without getting hung up. 
These shallow spots can be hidden gems, as the fish normally receive less pressure in these areas. Last but not least, we have gold and silver spoons. The old reliable gold Johnson weedless spoon is an absolute killer. It’s easy to use for both the novice and experienced angler and can cover more water in less time than any other bait on the market. Just cast and reel, varying your retrieve, until you find a presentation that works for you and your targeted species. I have had many successful days catching snook, redfish and trout on gold spoons. The silver spoon is often overlooked, which seems quite silly, as almost all of our baitfish flash silver in the water. All of our inshore species will clobber a silver spoon, and they work really well along the beaches where our Kingfish and Spanish mackerel school up in April.
So keep artificial baits in mind this spring as you head out to your favorite spots. They can have you catching your limit while everybody else is still catching bait!
Catch Capt. Michael Anderson every Saturday morning on News Channel 8 at 6:30 a.m. for the Reel Animals Fishing Show; Saturdays for Reel Animals Saturday on 970 WFLA from 6 to 8 a.m. and Sunday mornings on 620 WDAE for the TA Mahoney Co. Reel Animals Radio Show, 7 to 9 a.m. To book a trip, call 1-866-Gamefish.