With the first cold front of the year dropping the humidity it will also start dropping the water temperatures. This will help push more trout to our inshore waters and creek mouths. The rock grass is all in place for the trout to flock to because it provides habitat for bait fish, shrimp and cover for the trout. With more fronts on the way the tide will be lower on the outgoing than in the weeks past. So what I look for when searching for trout is Ospreys hovering over a flat with rock grass. Trout are easy pickings for these birds of prey when the water is low except when they are under a big sprig of rock grass. One of my favorite baits is the DOA 5.5 glow jerk bait for shallow water trout. I like to look ahead of my drift and target the hard bottom patches where the thick turtle grass meets the rock grass. These yellow patches will be a foot or two deeper then the turtle grass. Redfishing has been a little tough, the normal schools of fish that use to be around during September and October seem to have eluded me this Fall. How I’ve been catching them is to move a little bit more East then the outside keys and look for shorelines with mullet. Incoming tide is best and live shrimp and pinfish are the best bait. Incoming tide will be dark in the morning or late afternoon this weekend.
- Nature Coast - March 23, 2024
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