Florida Fishing - Cold Weather on the Big Bend

Looking like some cool waters this week that will reposition our inshore fish. The trout will move from the bays and flats to the coastal creeks or rivers. Shallow waters will drop in temperature faster then a deep hole or river channel during the night but then during the warmest part of the day with high sunlight the fish will move to the edges of these deep water refuges. Redfish, blackdrum and sheepshead are more cold tolerant then trout so target them with live shrimp on the bottom of the holes, When the sun warms up the shallows use a unweighted soft plastic or suspending hard bait to target trout. Snook are now catch and release.  

 A reliable species of fish that can be caught in the rivers is mangrove snapper. Live shrimp is the best bait and the minimum size is 10 inches. Offshore the gag grouper bite might be a little slow with the cooler water. Use live bait and patience to make it happen in 18 to 30 feet of water. Incoming high tide will be mid day this weekend.

-Capt. William Toney

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