Captain’s Corner: Ed Walker

The Tampa Bay Times

By Ed Walker

With water temperatures way down in coastal waters, many species of fish have moved off the flats where the effects of cold air are most pronounced. In Tarpon Springs, temperatures on the flats dipped as low as 49 degrees recently. Rarely does the water here get any colder. Even hearty fish like spotted sea trout and redfish are slowing down and seeking refuge in deep spots, holes in the rivers, and the power plant outfall canal. With more cold air moving in, intrepid anglers should focus their efforts on these places.

If you do find a hole that the trout have settled into, you can often catch a lot of them in short order. The pass at Honeymoon Causeway can be a great spot to jig for trout of varying sizes even in cold and dirty conditions. When prospecting, drift the deeper areas while casting 1/4 ounce jigs and hopping them close to the sea floor. Once you get a few bites in a row. Park the boat a cast away and work the main spot more directly. Once you narrow down the schools exact location it is not uncommon to get a bite or two on every cast.  Tandem jigs sometimes produce double headers. When the water is dirty, as it is now, darker colored lures seem to work best. I like a very dark color lure when the water is sandy and opaque. A quarter ounce jig will help keep it down where you want it. Any lighter and the jig will rise up as you retrieve it. This program works very good for the specks and silver trout which often inhabit the same holes in mid-winter.