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 | Inshore Flats And Backwaters Of Hernando & Citrus County
12/13/06 5:54 PM
Captain Steven Soults | The West Central Florida fishing report is brought to you by
Angling Adventures Charter Fishing Guide Service
Fly fishing and light tackle fishing in the beautiful waters of Florida’s nature coast.
Hello, I’m Captain Steven Soults and this is the local Inshore and Backwater fishing report for Florida’s Nature Coast.
Everyone agrees the best time to go fishing is when you can. That definitely applies for the month of December. It’s that time of the year again when we start seeing shorter days and Mother Nature wanting to bring us one of those supposed to be cold fronts packing usually a 10 to 15+ knot winds which makes us pick and choose our days fishing. It’s also that time of year when water temperatures drop and that could only mean one thing! Shallow Water Grouper Fishing is here and in full swing! The month of December is a very unique month. It’s the only time of year when we have the opportunity to catch large numbers of keeper Gag Grouper in water as shallow as 8 feet. We have had a great deal of success lately catching good #’s of keeper Grouper trolling shallow diving plugs in the Red & White color along with Gold & Black from Mann’s & Cisco Kid. we have also been doing very well on simple 3 oz white jig heads with a 5 inch curly tail in the white and pink color. This is a very simple and very successful way to troll, and all you need to do is adjust the weight of your jig head to a little heavier if you are not getting close to the bottom. We have been having the most success lately trolling the water depths of 12-15 ft. (tide depending)(about 12-15 miles offshore). This is a great way to locate some new spots for the G.P.S. and you will find that sometimes even the smallest rocks can hold good numbers of keeper size fish. Once keeper size fish have been located, you want to make a couple of passes through the same area to locate what and where exactly that rock pile or structure was, so you can come back to it at a later date. Keep doing this and before long, you will have enough numbers to keep you busy all year long!!
Redfish could be the best bet this month for local inshore and backwater anglers. With colder winter winds approaching we should be getting into our normal December pattern where we don’t get our full influx of water returning, so a careful eye on the tide can mean the difference between coming home and staying the night until the tide returns). With that in mind, It shouldn’t be to hard to find tailing Redfish hanging around some of the shallow water oyster bars in the Chaslowiska area. Again, you want to locate an area that is full of oyster bars or a shallow grassy flat with a deeper stretch of moving water close by for security. A free-lined Shrimp with no weight attached thrown into the moving water has been the number one producer for me on recent charters. Pinfish has been my second choice, but are becoming harder to find as winter approaches. Another method that I have been using to catch Redfish & Spotted Sea Trout with a great deal of success & I have been talking about non-stop in my many recent seminars through out the state of Florida (check out my website to see where Captain steven and angling adventures will be next) is a simple worm hook with a weight attached and is known as FLUTTER HEAD jig setup in a 3/0 hook size. I have been simply attaching a 5” soft plastic Saltwater Assassin or Bass Assassin www.bassassassin.com to the hook, witch can be rigged (weedless) and can be easily bounced over oyster bars and through even some of the thickest grass flats with ease. You can find & purchase these Flutter jigs at your local Wal-Mart store for $2.27.
Also I wanted to mention that Speckled Trout season remains open for us in the North Region (from Fred Howard Park north) until February 1st.
With that in mind, we have had a great deal of success lately finding some very large fish (3 to 4lb range) in the shallow water grass flats in less than 4 feet of water. The method of (CHEAPER CHOICE) for flats fishing has been by using a simple red jig head with a white and pink flutter tail or a DOA CAL JIG in Root beer/ chartreuse tail jerk-bait has been my #1 producer, bought at my local WEST MARINE BOAT STORE and just twitching it along as you drift. This technique lands very quietly and has also produced a good number of Redfish on recent outings.
This type of fishing mentioned above can be very productive, but at the same time can be very frustrating if you don’t have a valuable tool onboard your vessel known as a SEA ANCHOR. The questions I get most often in my many seminars is? What does a Sea Anchor look like and how does it work and where can I get it? A Sea Anchor looks like a giant bag in the shape of a cone that traps water and funnels it through a smaller hole, which subsequently basically drags through the water. A Sea Anchor basically works to help slow a boats drift when you encounter those December 15 to 20+ knot winds and helps to bring your boat drift down to a speed which enables you to present your baits correctly by allowing time for the bait to reach the bottom and at the same time keeps your vessel in the fishing area longer. There are many manufacturers that make Sea Anchors, Minn Kota is the brand I use and recommended. SEA ANCHORS require little to no maintenance, but to wash it through when finished w/ soap and water.
Also, Don’t forget!!! Speckled Trout have a protective slime coat that protects them, so handle and release them gently. By using a hook removal tool (BY X TOOLS www.xtools.us) or equivalent, it greatly increases the survival rate of the fish and ensures the future survival of these species.
I almost forgot to mention, Jack Crevalle fishing is just starting to heat up, as long as mother nature keeps the cold fronts coming, we should see our normal migration of Giant Jack Crevalle showing up in force, crashing large schools of mullet against the shoreline and in the deeper canals of Hernando Beach and Bayport. The bait of choice, lately has been anything that resembles a finger size mullet pattern, or my favorite is a 5” soft plastic jerk bait made by ZOOM in the color of (Silver Rainbow). All in all, these are one of the best fighting fish that one can encounter on light tackle or a fly rod all year long on the shallow water flats and backwaters of Hernando Beach and Bayport.
As cold weather approaches in late December and early January don’t forget to fish the warm water discharge of the Crystal River & Anclote power plants. The warm water discharges have been known to hold Cobia, Sheephead, Trout and Redfish along with good size black drum when the water elsewhere is cooler. These area’s can be top producers by using shrimp, if your willing to battle the crowds usually associated with warm water outflows!!! Remember, warm water travels as it flows out from the discharge, so you can still find a good number of fish hanging out beyond the crowds!!!
If you have any questions or would like to book a trip to experience SHALLOW WATER GROUPER FISHING or fishing for GIANT JACK CREVALLE on light tackle, please call Angling Adventures Charter Fishing Guide Service with Captain Steven Soults at (352) 686-0853 or you can try the cell at (352) 238-9339
Till next month!!! Fish on and tight lines!!!
www.angling-adventures.net |
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