By: Joe Sheaffer
It has been a challenging season. Cold temperatures and low water have made it difficult to consistently catch fish. There are ways to work around these conditions. Finding areas that will hold fish during cold spells can be the key. Identifying these areas can make all the difference. I like to start with satellite maps along with local area channel maps to find these areas (hard structure, bridges, docks, patch reefs, to name a few) around deeper water. With colder temps, fish will relate near these areas. These tend to warm a bit quicker because of the nature of the structure, they also provide current breaks. Current is important but they definitely don’t want to fight the current. Figuring out how the fish will relate along these stretches is important. They will still face towards the current for feeding opportunities and will head shallow as the temperatures warm during the day. I like to keep my boat into the current working my presentation with the current. Slowing your presentation, using heavier jigs or weight will help. You will probably get hung up quite a bit but it can be worth it. Sometimes you almost need to hit these fish in the head to get them to bite. Many times I will pop my jig and let it sit for a while (15-30 sec), then pop it again. I have caught many fish, mostly Snook, Reds, Grouper, Sheepshead to name a few, using this tech. Once you pop (a quick lift off the bottom) your jig and let it sit, you may feel the thump. As the day warms, focus your efforts along the deeper edges of grass flats. Fish will move shallow to warm. The key to all this is slowing down. This time of year, bites may be few but they can produce some nice fish. Good luck and keep casting!