Capitalizing on a hot bite is a skill in itself for all anglers. The important way to stay with a hot bite is to be prepared, all rods rigged and ready with drags set, net easily available and bait/tackle bag laid out. I even instruct my clients when it happens how to move around the vessel safely and as not to scare the fish. With redfish even taking a photo can cost you a good bite in certain situations, like if a porpoise moves in or the school of fish moves out with the rising tide. A good trout drift can be zeroed in on with a marking buoy and as soon as the bite slows move back up on the same drift and stay tight to the area always remembering to give a wide berth around the fish. A change of tide can quickly shut down a trout bite. One summer fish that I enjoy catching that can be a fast bite shutting down just as fast as it started is mangrove snapper. How many times have you been on a rockpile and could see the snapper but not get the keepers to bite? I find right at the change of high tide to outgoing tide is when the bite for shallow water mangroves happen. They seem to let there guard down. Live shrimp is the best bait. Incoming high tide will be midday this weekend with low tide for scalloping in the morning.
- Nature Coast - March 23, 2024
- William Toney - February 29, 2024
- Nature Coast - February 14, 2024
