by: Alex Gorichky
Low water is the ticket for fishy fun during our Central Florida January. The winter winds that occupy cold fronts as they pass are ready made to blow the water out of Brevard’s lagoons. With no tidal movement in the lagoons on the Space Coast, north or south winds are the factor that sets seasonal water levels. (Simplified: a constant wind from the north means the water drops – winds constant from the south means the water raises) Couple that with diminished rain fall and cool waters means we should get very little micro-organism growth. All of these factors should converge on the Space Coast Lagoons to ensure shallow flats will be blanketed in gin clear water; however water quality issues of late make it a tougher to find these clear spots. Redfish and black drum do reside in the same family (croakers) as seatrout, but the ability for both reds and black drum to withstand even enjoy cold water sets them miles apart from the spotted cousin they share habitats with. Fish biology dictates a slower metabolism in cooler times that alters the digestive functions of our sub-tropical game fish and this holds true on both sides of the state. Cue up the buffet of shrimp, crabs, marine worms, and snails to carry our fish through those tough cold days until the spring bait fish bounty returns.
Slowly working the lagoon flats on sunny and calm late mornings will greet Brevard’s kayakers with tailing, pushing, belly crawling, and laid up reds. Most will be hungry and willing to eat an offering as long as they don’t need to work hard to capture it. We see great success with Slayer Inc. SST paddle tails and artificial (your choice) shrimp with a natural or darker colors being my favorite. In grassy areas rig with a weedless “keeper” style hook and in sand bottom areas or on drop-offs adjacent to flats utilize a light jig head. January also marks the unofficial start of the sheepshead spawn across our reign. This hard fighting crab loving fish will be abundant and ready to bend your rod. The sometimes overlooked but always tasty sheepshead of lagoons or bays head to the coast and meet with the offshore sheepies that push in to find love on the beach. All passes, inlets, ports, jettys, and any other “beach” area structure is fair game. Rigging with small strong hooks and a little splitshot to get it down is all you need. Fancy is not a way to describe this style of combat fishing that requires you to fish close or on the structure sheepshead love. Both rock piles (manmade or natural) and piling sets will be loaded as the water stays cool and in heavy flow areas look for eddy’s to slow the water a bit. Fun is not even close to describing the mayhem that a solid sheepshead bite brings so be sure to have several dozen fiddler crabs, shrimp, or sandfleas for each angler in your group. There’s nothing worse than being out of bait in a hot bite!
