by Capt. Patrick Smith, Contributing Writer
Temps have cooled off and that can cause the fishing to heat up. Winter time for me means switching gears from big live baits to artificials and shrimp. I really like to fish every deep hole and channel I can find searching for meat fish.
Typical species we find are sheepshead, big croakers, pompano, triple tail, redfish and black drum but you really never know what might pop up. A gulfstream shrimp jig tipped with a piece of fresh shrimp will get the job done. For artificial doa shrimp and terroreyez will get bites too. The bluefish will be plentiful and any cheap lure that shines and or makes noise shouldn’t last long. For fly fisherman I would be throwing clousers in different weights and colors till you find one that works that day. Most of these fish are feeding on the bottom so that’s the place to focus.
On the fresh side of things bass and peacocks should still be feeding well depending on cold fronts and like the salt fish think deep and slow presentations. Slow trolling a lipped plug or rattle trap is a great way to locate the fish. When the weather is nasty it’s a great time to target sunshine bass in the Osbourne chain. Flashy jerkbaits should get you hooked up especially if they are busting bait on the surface. Fly fisherman should be throwing sinking and intermediate lines out deep with eat me flies and clousers.
Good luck and tight lines
Capt. Patrick Smith
www.swamptosea.com
561-503-0848
captpatrick@swamptosea.com