While the redfish are still thriving on the flats, speckled trout have been making their way to the mouths of nearby bayous, where the slightly deeper water offers them more regulated temperatures and congregations of food. Daily changes in conditions will have fish traversing back and forth between the flats and the bayou. On warm days, you will see big fish laid up, sunning on shallow mud and sand banks, while cold days tend to push the fish into slightly deeper water. I will typically target the bigger fish with suspending twitch baits, although soft plastics will usually produce more bites overall.
Sight fishing low, negative tides and clear water is just one of the many reasons I enjoy hitting the water this time of year. Redfish will be cruising the shallows, often exposing their backs and tails to anglers willing to put in the work to get to them. A patient, stealthy approach and an accurate presentation are required for success when fishing the extremely shallow water, where fish tend to be on high alert. Small soft-plastic offerings and flies are commonplace in these scenarios and have proven effective time and time again.
Flounder season opened back up at the beginning of the month, and I have had a few decent reports of fish still being sporadically caught in the pass. The pass has the best congregations of fish; however, I prefer to catch flounder in shallower water as a fish of opportunity rather than a target species. When I’m sight fishing areas with lots of spotty bottom or transitions from grass to sand, I will work the edges of those transitions or spot-cast to potholes where flounder typically like to lay up. I find that areas closer to the Gulf that are primarily turtle grass have been the most consistent for me. Soft plastics, hair jigs and live baits are all effective techniques to get flounder to bite.
Sheepshead are on the move throughout the flats, slowly working their way toward the pass where they will congregate and spawn in the spring. Nearly every flat I have cruised lately has had sheepshead all over it. Sheepshead are one of the most challenging fish I’ve ever tried to sight fish on the flats. Oftentimes, they won’t even let you cast a flat-lined live shrimp near them without blowing out. That being said, I welcome a challenge and an opportunity to hone my skills on worthy adversaries. Small hooks, light leader and a long, long cast are requirements for success, as are patience and a heavy dose of persistence. Shrimp and small crabs are the way to go, but occasionally they will bite a jig.
There are still open weekends to catch red snapper throughout the rest of the month, and this is one of the best months to catch them inshore. Many of the shallow structures throughout the bay will hold red snapper in the cold months. Since most of the food is gone, the snapper seem to be far more aggressive, eating a variety of live and dead baits. The average snapper will be between 15–20 inches, with bigger fish up to 12 lbs being caught in about 30 feet of water.
Good luck! If you have additional questions about what’s biting, how to catch them, or if you’d like to book a trip, I encourage you to give me a call or shoot me an email.
