The past several years, January has been a cold month around the Treasure Coast. Hopefully, 2013 will show us another mild winter and you won’t have to worry about the water temperatures. Fishing in deeper water will provide you with better results on most days. Working your lures and baits much slower will also give you more success. Fish tend to become lethargic in cold water and are slow in moving to strike at lures. Finding water that is a couple degrees warmer than the surrounding area can also give you an edge on finding fish. We had great results last year on fishing deep sand holes on the flats that were being warmed by the sun.
January is typically a windy month and it will continue the tradition if recent weather gives you any insight. You might enjoy one or two days a week that is calmer, but expect it to be windy most days. Using the right ramps can make your day a little easier in dealing with the weather. There are many ramps around the area that allow you to launch depending on wind direction.
Bridges will continue to produce sheepshead, black drum, croakers, sand perch and bluefish. Most of the anglers on the catwalks prefer live or frozen shrimp. The inlet and Turning Basin will be full of bluefish, jacks and mackerel. Live or dead bait on a jig head will give you plenty of action along with silver spoons or shiny lures. Around seawalls, channel edges or deeper structure, you can find grouper for catch and release action. Snook action around the jetties and bridges will be active mostly at night for anglers using feather jigs, TerrorEyz and live bait. Snook closed on December 15th, so it will be catch and release for them.
Redfish can be found around docks and sitting on the flats on warm, sunny days. D.O.A. Shrimp, Terror-Eyz or CAL jerk baits work great for wintertime fishing. We had fantastic results around mangroves for redfish last year. CAL Paddle Tails in the 411 color were a hit with the reds. Docks will be loaded with sheepshead in January with nice sized fish. Pompano fishing will depend on water temperatures for their location, but they will be in the area throughout the winter. Surf anglers will be targeting these fish on days when the beach is fishable. Flounder should be found around the jetties on the beach side and on sand flats around the inlet. Last year, we were rewarded many days as the sun would warm up a patch of water and get the fish actively feeding. Ladyfish and jacks will be all over the river for fun action for the little ones.
January Tip: Dress for the weather. We might get one or two days each week that might be warmer, but most days will be on the cooler side. There can be a 30 degree swing in temperature on some days. Dressing in layers can keep you comfortable throughout the day in January.
Remember, fishing is not just another hobby….it’s an ADVENTURE!
FORECAST BY: Capt. Charlie Conner
Captain Charlie’s Fish Tales Charters
Phone: (772) 284-3852
Email: captaincharlie@fishtalescharter.com
www.fishtalescharter.com