December can be a phenomenal month for catching the inshore slam and for sight fishing, since the water clarity is usually very good in December. You will have cold fronts that come through and slow the bite down. On those days, you can leave the snook fishing alone and target the trout and redfish. If it is very cold, then you could switch to targeting trout and sheepshead that are more apt to bite during those colder days.
Now, when you get a few days in a row of warmer weather, this is where the magic can really happen. Those snook and redfish that slowed down (especially snook) due to the cold days are going to put the feed bags on to make up for not feeding during the cold front days to prepare for the next front.
During these days, it would be good to have shrimp, cut bait, and live scaled sardines to have all of your bases covered, along with Saltwater Assassin’s 4-inch Sea Shad, 4-inch shrimp, and their 3.5-inch lit’l P&V, if you like throwing artificials. They all come scented but, if you want to add a little more kick to your baits, add some Pro-Cure Super Gel Bait scents to them, like the inshore or shrimp scents.
Areas to look for your fish will change by the day and, sometimes, by the hour if you have a day that is heating up nicely. Your snook will have moved into the backwaters, the deeper canals and docks, power plants, and rivers to name a few areas. You might even see some juvenile tarpon at the power plants and rivers trying to stay warm.
Some of the flats will have deeper waters, deep holes or a deeper channel adjacent to them, and those areas will usually hold fish during the night. The fish will drop into those areas, because it takes longer for the deeper water to cool off. The flats will cool off fast once the sun goes down, and even faster if it is windy. The next morning, fish in those deeper areas and make sure your baits are getting all the way down to the bottom where the fish are. Dark muddy bottom holds fish, because the dark mud heats up during the day and retains some of that heat longer. If using artificials, I like to throw a 1/4-ounce jig head to be able to cast farther but, also, get down to the bottom where the strike zone is. Now, on those warmer days we hope for, the shallow flat next to the deep water will heat up a lot faster, and the fish will put on the feed bags and roam those flats looking for a meal. If you spot a snook, trout or redfish, do not cast too close to them, as you will spook them in that shallow water. Instead, cast ahead of them in the direction they are swimming, and let them find your bait for better success.
I like to use an Okuma Epixor medium rod with med fast action along with an Inspira ISX 4000 reel, loaded with 15lb Fins Windtamer braid, 4 to 5 feet of 25-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon leader and an owner 1/0 to 2/0 circle hook.