Nature Coast: William Toney

With first true cool snap coming down the Big Bend, we anglers can expect some changes in our fishing. One that will save us a little is our water temperatures are still very warm so it won’t send the fish running up the rivers just yet. Look for the trout to start staging around the larger creek mouths with deep water. Suspending baits like the MirrOlure MirrOdine work well this time of year as trout are looking for big meals with the cooling water. As the north wind calms down the trout will move back onto the nearby flats and that when a popping cork rigg’s will work best again. 

 For redfish they will continue to school up on the high incoming tide. Live pinfish has been my best bait, On the inside keys try use a gold spoon like the Eppinger Rex. This is a fun way to catch redfish and also find them. A spoon cast a mile and you can cover allot of shoreline with one in a very short time. 

 The inshore grouper bite will get better with the cooling water, pushing them in a close as 6 to 8 feet. I like to use shallow running casting plugs. It’s best to retrieve the plug just off the edge of the structure to get the grouper to swim out to strike it. Casting over the top of the structure can be asking for trouble because a big gag can rock you up in a hart beat be that close to his house. High incoming tide will be in the morning this weekend.