12-12-2002, 11:22 PM
Florida's Indian River Lagoon - America's most diverse estuary
With the fall mullet run now just a memory, anglers are focusing their attention on wintertime targets. Flounder, bluefish, ladyfish and redfish make up the short list of species this time of year.
The cold fronts have triggered the spawning migration of Southern and Gulf flounder through the inlets. Anchoring in the inlets can catch both species of flounder. While this can be a productive method, I prefer to drift and cover more bottom. Bouncing a ΒΌ or 3/8 oz jig tipped with shrimp, finger mullet or mud minnows works well. Small mullet can be difficult to find during the winter. The best areas are in deeper water, which is typically warmer. Because of there hardiness, I prefer to use mud minnows. Pompano can also be caught using this method.
When the surf is reasonably calm, the better catches of pompano are being taken off the beach. Anglers who did their homework when the sand fleas were abundant are having the most success. Sand fleas can be preserved for later use by boiling for 10-15 seconds, drying and freezing. Boiling helps to kill the bacteria that would normally break down the sand flea. A fresh pompano dinner makes all this effort worthwhile.
There are a few snook around but with the water temperature dropping they will be less common. Snook season ended on December 12th, so remember to carefully release them.
Redfishing in the shallows can be fantastic this time of year. After a day of warmer weather, look for good activity over dark grass flats. I find that areas with wind generated current are more productive. This can be a very small pass between islands or points with good moving water.
This time of year can also produce fantastic catches of giant reds and tarpon in the inlets. The best time for this is during a warm period followed by a hard cold front. In previous years, a strong cold front combined with an outgoing tide has been the most productive conditions. It was a year ago this month when these species where extremely thick and hookups on every cast were common. On one occasion, my angler that day was getting frustrated because over a period of about an hour most every cast resulted in giant redfish. He wanted a tarpon very bad and each redfish took several minutes to bring in.
Thanks,
Capt. Tod Hagan
http://www.fishingcaptain.com[size 2]
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With the fall mullet run now just a memory, anglers are focusing their attention on wintertime targets. Flounder, bluefish, ladyfish and redfish make up the short list of species this time of year.
The cold fronts have triggered the spawning migration of Southern and Gulf flounder through the inlets. Anchoring in the inlets can catch both species of flounder. While this can be a productive method, I prefer to drift and cover more bottom. Bouncing a ΒΌ or 3/8 oz jig tipped with shrimp, finger mullet or mud minnows works well. Small mullet can be difficult to find during the winter. The best areas are in deeper water, which is typically warmer. Because of there hardiness, I prefer to use mud minnows. Pompano can also be caught using this method.
When the surf is reasonably calm, the better catches of pompano are being taken off the beach. Anglers who did their homework when the sand fleas were abundant are having the most success. Sand fleas can be preserved for later use by boiling for 10-15 seconds, drying and freezing. Boiling helps to kill the bacteria that would normally break down the sand flea. A fresh pompano dinner makes all this effort worthwhile.
There are a few snook around but with the water temperature dropping they will be less common. Snook season ended on December 12th, so remember to carefully release them.
Redfishing in the shallows can be fantastic this time of year. After a day of warmer weather, look for good activity over dark grass flats. I find that areas with wind generated current are more productive. This can be a very small pass between islands or points with good moving water.
This time of year can also produce fantastic catches of giant reds and tarpon in the inlets. The best time for this is during a warm period followed by a hard cold front. In previous years, a strong cold front combined with an outgoing tide has been the most productive conditions. It was a year ago this month when these species where extremely thick and hookups on every cast were common. On one occasion, my angler that day was getting frustrated because over a period of about an hour most every cast resulted in giant redfish. He wanted a tarpon very bad and each redfish took several minutes to bring in.
Thanks,
Capt. Tod Hagan
http://www.fishingcaptain.com[size 2]
[/size]
[signature]