It’s my absolute favorite time of the year to sh in Northeast Florida… Spring weather will bring in the bait sh (mullet, pogies, etc.) and just about every predatory sh will be on the hunt for a good meal. Red sh will still be up on the ats in schools, trout will be feeding along the ICW banks, and the drum and ounder will be stacked in the deeper creek holes. Just about everywhere you go you’re going to run into some good shing over the next couple of months.
Red sh will remain schooled up as long as the water temps stay on the cooler side. Look for the big schools of reds on the lower tide stages (especially on the negative low tides we get with a good west wind). I like to nd ats that have somewhat of a deeper escape route for the sh. A perfect setup would be a large at on the edge of the ICW that has a deeper area that drains into the ICW. e sh will absolutely stack up in those “drains” as the tide gets really low. If live bait is your thing, a mud minnow or live shrimp pegged to a 1/4oz Slayer Inc. jighead will be the perfect presentation to the schooled up sh. If you’re going with arti cials, I like to use a Slayer Inc. SST paddle tail on the same jig. Locate the schools by looking for large wakes and/or “muds” that the sh will cause by moving around. Make sure to lead the sh by quite a bit as they can and will be a little spooky this time of year. You can also nd some big schools of red sh stacked in the creek holes on the same low tides. Push back as far as possible in the creeks and nd that last deep spot… you’re sure to nd a few good sh hanging out waiting for the tide to turn.
Red sh won’t get all the glory this time of year, it’s also troutski time as the water warms up a bit!… Toss your favorite top-water plug at rst and last light along the ICW shell banks for some great big trout action. Once the sun comes up a bit switch to a sub-surface plug or your favorite
so plastic on a jighead. e so plastic and jighead rig account for a good number of trout catches on my boat this time of year. I like to use the twitch, twitch, pause retrieval method. e sh usually take the lure on the pause. Target creek mouths on the outgoing tide and the ICW shell banks on the incoming. Any kind of rocks, docks, or structure with moving water around them will also be holding some nice trout. And of course the live shrimp under a popping cork sometimes can’t be beat.
March and April are typically the best times of the year for black drum in our area. e monster drum (sometimes up to 80lbs+) can be targeted in the deepest areas of the ICW and in all the area inlets. A halved blue crab on the bottom is the bait of choice for these big dogs. e big ones will be spawning so make sure to thoroughly revive them to ensure a healthy release so they can take care of their business and keep the drum population thriving. e smaller “slot” sized black drum can be found in the creek holes and near deeper water structure such as bridges and jetties. Live or dead shrimp, ddler crabs, and clams shed along the bottom will all make for some great drum action.
Capt. Tommy Derringer 904-377-3734 www.InshoreAdventures.net