Trout bite has been hot this past week around the area. They love those soft plastics around the edges of the flats, mangrove shorelines and residential docks during the day. At night, great spots to target them are the dock lights or bridge lighters where you can find the bait. They will eat some live shrimp or white bait if you don’t like to use the lures to catch em. Keep in mind though, snook, redfish and trout are all still catch and release only in our area. There were rumors going around that FWC suspended this rule during this COVID-19 pandemic but those are totally untrue so don’t get caught trying to harvest fish that are closed.
Redfish bite was also pretty steady this past week around the residential docks, oyster bars, mangrove shorelines and even the grass flats too. They love those soft plastics, gold spoons, or suspended twitch baits for lure choices. However, they will eat live shrimp, white bait or small pinfish if you prefer live bait options. Most have been caught around the docks this past week.
Snook bite has been pretty good as of late too but not quite as good as the trout or redfish action. However, we have seen pretty good numbers of them around the passes lately staging up for their summertime move onto the beaches to spawn near shore. There’s even been a few caught from the beaches as the water continues to warm this will become more and more common. However, they haven’t been super cooperative unless your using ultra-light tackle and that can be problematic when they are sitting right next to the dock pilings in the passes. The best chances for snook have been around the bridges using around 40lb test and sending a live pinfish to the bottom around the bases of the bridge structures around the passes. Especially early morning or around dusk on an outgoing tide. Dock lights of the residential docks have been holding cooperative snook at night as well. Essentially lower light allows for heavier tackle to be utilized and a great chance to catch these guys before a quick release.
Sheepshead are still biting very well through the area and these guys are able to be kept so more anglers are targeting them right now to try and catch something to take home to eat. The local bridges and docks and seawalls are all great areas to target the sheepies. I like to target bridges or larger dock structures if I am going after sheepshead. The bridges closer to the passes work well or the ones up in the bay near the bayous will hold em if there’s water moving. Small piece of shrimp and around a 1ot hook and 20lb leader and the lightest weight possible is my favorite method. However, cut clams or oysters will work well too.
Pompano are still out on the beaches right now too. The jetties are open on many of the passes to target pompano but unfortunately with the beaches closed it makes it more difficult to target these guys. You can find them around bridges too near the passes working the sandy drop offs along the edges of the bridge channels.
Flounder are around right now biting decently on the sandy potholes on the flats or the sandy drop offs adjacent to the flats. We are seeing a few around the docks in passes or around the bridges on sandy bottom areas where they can lie in wait for passing prey to ambush that are seeking safe haven on the structures. They are typically on the down tide side of the structures if your fishing around the bridges or docks of the passes right on the bottom ready to hit passing baits.
