Inshore popular species:
Flounder:
Flounder are still being caught. Fish the sandy spots, especially behind inlets. Fish the close in artificial reef sandy areas around them. Work a jig over the sandy areas or a jig tipped with shrimp. Live green backs with a split shot to keep the bait down also works well.
Sheepshead:
Sheepshead are big and in the bays and back water deep spots and around bridges and docks. Sand fleas always work, but a half a shrimp threaded on a hook also works. The easiest method when you need to cast under a dock is a 1/8 to ¼ jig head with a piece of shrimp attached.
Redfish:
Reds are usually along the shoreline flats or barrier island flats. They can be found in cooler weather under docks up the rivers and creeks. Jigs, bait tipped jigs, spoons, live shrimp or green backs all work. Use a split shot to keep the live bait on the bottom.
Spotted sea trout:
Trout are open up and down the entire state. Currently certain areas are producing good size trout to 20 inches. Some popular flats are only producing mostly undersized fish under15 inches. Spin fishing with jigs allows you to cover more area quicker to find the fish. Fishing with live shrimp works, but you will feed the pinfish mostly. Live pinfish and green backs fished the deep drops work well. With the new FWC rules, 20 inch could disappear in 2 to 3 years. This would be due to the increased take allowed by commercial operators, and increased limits for recreational anglers.
Pompano:
Pompano will be along the beaches and any warm water runoff area. They are also found on the deeper flats. Live shrimp, a very short jig or a doc’s jig will take these fish.
Offshore popular species:
Gag Grouper:
Gag grouper are closed to at least until March. Gag grouper may be scarce in some parts of the gulf, but no off the mid Florida coastline. Many recreational angles keep hoping that NOAA will change its policies and manage the Gulf of Mexico in 3 separate sections for recreational angling. Off the mid Florida coastline, offshore anglers are catching and releasing high numbers of gag grouper in the 25 to 30 inch range.
Red grouper:
Red grouper 20 inches and over are scarce. Red grouper in the 18 to 19 inch and below sizes are often plentiful. Unfortunately, most anglers are catching up to 100 of these size fish to every one keeper size 20 inch fish.
Grunt:
Grunt, often called gray snapper and very plentiful.
Comments