Venice Inshore Fishing Report: Feb 2014

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s cold, rainy and windy but don’t let that deter you from getting out on the water. The Miss. River is at 9ft and rising. The River is going to be very muddy and full of debris. Redfish are going to be pushed out into the bays and flats like they do in the spring when the river is high. The cold temperatures will slow the fish down a bit. Dead shrimp or live cocahoes is usually my bait of choice either under a cork or bouncing on bottom. Your target areas are going to be the outer bays around Custom House, Blind Bay, Redfish Bay and Garden Island Bay. Fish the points and pockets around the canes. Areas where you can find moving water should produce some nice redfish. Try working the bait slower than normal. Fish are not as active in colder water as they are in spring and summer.

Trout will be a little tougher but not impossible to catch at Yellow Cotton Bay and Buras. You will want to target deep holes in early morning and as the temp warms up the fish will move to shallower water. With cool fronts constantly moving through the best time to fish will be a couple days after the front. Most of the fish we have caught are on Matrix Shad or Vudu Shrimp.