The inshore bite has been good with a wide variety of fish biting! Some fishermen are targeting sheepshead others redfish or seatrout. The whiting bite has diminished. Lots of rain water washing to the coast has muddied waters near rivers with fresh water sources. Muddy water can make fishing more difficult. Seatrout are sight feeding predator that do best in clean water. Despite muddy conditions fishermen are finding clean and at times a good seatrout bite. Redfish have a little more predictable but inclement conditions can turn off fishing in exposed areas. As fronts push through the bite has been picking up. Cold weather pushing through has help blow out most of the small nuisance fish. The majority of the bites are seatrout, redfish and sheepshead!
The bite on some days has been hot. On other days it taken more persistent to find and catch fish. Overall the bite been good! As the seasons continue to change flats that were loaded with shrimp are holding less bait. Shrimp are becoming harder to locate. Despite less shrimp the bite can still be good. As winter approaches other baits will come to the for front such as mud minnows, finger mullet, fiddler crabs, dead and cut bait as well more artificals.
Favorite way to fish during the late fall and winter are pitching soft plastics for redfish. Structure fishing for sheepshead and live and dead bait fishing for reds and seatrout. Redfish numbers are looking good. The seatrout bite in the sounds is still good. Some traditional trout drops are continuing to producing fish. The bite on the coast most of year has been a little behind schedule. So far this pattern has been consistent with most of the fish being caught still near the sounds. Fish are on the move and some areas that were loaded with are void of fish. These fish usually will push more inland as the winter season approaches.
I hope this of interest and help! Keep only what you want to eat and release the rest! Support your local CCA Chapter!
Fish On!
Capt. Jack McGowan
Coastal River Charters
