This past week has been a solid week of catching either inshore or nearshore fish. Inshore fishing has been producing redfish and flounder with live bait or artificial lures. The nearshore bite has offered up plenty of spanish mackeral , bonita and kingfish. Trolling live bait or casting small spoons and soft plastics has put many fish in the boat.
Fun day yesterday with John and Laura as we had to get an early start to beat the wind. Our first stop was for gator trout (big seatrout) but the tide was moving too swift so we looked for eater size. Laura was first to strike and landed a couple of nice spotted seatrout followed up by John.
We shortly moved on for redfish where Laura once again was able to outshine John by catching 4 redfish
With great weather comes great fishing and last few mornings have not disappointed. Redfish bite has been great during the lower tides and calm weather days as sight fishing small schools of redfish with live bait or artificial lures has put fish in the boat. Topwater bite has also been great at first light, when sun comes up the redfish and drum have been holding well on the docks.
This past week my charters have been capitalizing on getting their personal best trout with several trout going over 26 inches. Slot size trout are holding in deeper creek holes and under dock lights at night.
Flounder have showed up in good numbers and can be found in the shallows while redfishing or in their usual spots like the inlet, ICW and creeks.
It’s time to pray for west winds and hit the beach as cobia will be invading our nearshore waters. Hit the beach when the sun is up and watch for cobia piggy backing on Manta rays as long as water temps stay in their comfort zone (68-72). Unpressured cobia will eat just about anything (flies to plugs) but for picky eaters keep some live bait (pogies, mullet, shrimp or even mud minnows) handy and ready to fire.
Fishing at first light or last light still proves to be successful with topwater plugs. Rapala Skitter Walks, Top Dogs and Zara spooks are top water lures that has proved to be the gator trout lures of choice along with any kind of popper top water for those that cannot “walk the dog”. When the topwater bite tapers off go for subsurface suspending baits like a Sebile Magic Swimmer or lipped diving plugs worked with a stop and go retrieve. Live shrimp and a bb split shot tossed up current along the ICW will produce trout for live bait fisherman.
Redfish continue to shadow mullet seeking refuge on top of oyster beds and will be fooled by Fishbites Extreme jerk baits, gold spoons and a Sebile Stick Shadd. Bouncing jigs with shrimp or mud minnows around oyster beds will also produce good catches of reds and flounder.
Slot snook are starting to show up this month, local bridges, docks and seawalls fished at night will produce linesiders. Live select shrimp, pinfish and lipped diving plugs are local favorites when chasing snook but remember to use a minimum of 30lb. leaders to avoid cut offs. Topwater enthusiast can also trick snook into biting at first light off the ICW where bait is available.
Inlets and nearby creeks with drop offs will hold flatties and doormats waiting to eat a live mullet on a fish finder rig or mud minnow pinned on a jig head. Best tides or during change of tides at area inlets or outgoing tides at creek mouths. For shallow water flounder try a Slayer Inc. spinner baits or inline spinners.
Spanish Mackerel, blues and jacks will invade our near coastal waters just outside of Matanzas Inlet, proven techniques for Spanish is to slow troll spoons or look for acres size schools chasing bait on the surface. It’s a great time to grab a fly rod and practice catching as spanish mackerel or ferocious eaters.
Capt. Chris Herrera
palmcoastfishing.com386-503-6338
Fishing for redfish has been great last few days on the shallow flats and in deep water. Low tides and no wind had made finding schools of redfish easy by slowly covering water till you see the schools either feed or “push” water giving away their location. Easing up with live shrimp on a jig head or soft plastic lures has been our go to presentation that works well.
Fishing along the ICW has been tougher since you cannot sight fish but using todays technology it has been easy to find them with Humminbirds Helix 10 Si mega imaging. Check out the image below:
With the holidays here it was time to get back to work and put my clients on some fish. We had some bad days in the beginning of the week due to high winds and dirty water making sight fishing almost impossible. Now that the wind has finally died we had many opportunities at catching shallow water redfish with live and artificial lures. Best live bait has been live mullet as the redfish are hammering schools of mullet. I like to rig my mullet with a Daiichi 3/0 circle hook behind the dorsal fin so it swims away from the skiff and closer to the surface of the water.
When it comes to artificial lures I always suggest “matching the hatch” so a paddle tail has been my go to lure rigged weedless. I like brands like Z-man or Slayer inc. lures rigged both with a 1/8th ounce jig head or a weighted weedless hook.
Last of the outgoing tide has been the best for me as we can see the redfish pushing wakes in less than a foot of water. A stealthy approach is a must and preferably by polling but a troll motor will work at low speeds.
Get your medium heavy rods ready as the flounder are coming! Its that time of year where water temps dropping to 68 degrees will trigger the fall flounder run as they make there mass exodus out of our passes looking to spawn offshore. Last of the outgoing tide with live mullet or mud minnows will be your best bet for that doormat flounder.
My go to rigs consist of 1/4-3/8 ounce jig heads with a live mud minnow when the tide is slow enough to reach bottom, during fast moving water a 1-2 0z egg sinker on a fish finder rig is my go to. Picking the right hook is most important as flounder are what I consider “slow” eaters, meaning when you feel the “thump” give them time to eat (1-2 minutes). I like to use a Daiichi D18z wide gap nickel hook. (The size of the hook depends on the size of the bait. Standard sizes are 1/0 to 3/0)
Best places to fish are at your local inlet as the “bottle neck” limits the amount of area needed to cover. I look for sandy bottom adjacent to rocks and slowly bump my baits in constant contact with the bottom waiting to feel a bump or some weight. Once I feel a thump I give a little slack and start the waiting game. Flounder have a tendency of holding on t0 your offering before inhaling it. I typically give it about a minute before setting the hook unless the flounder starts to swim off then I set it right away.
Southern flounder are typically the most abundant type of flounder in our area but we do get gulf flounder and summer flounder as well. You can tell the difference by coloration, spots and size.
Here is a photo of a gulf flounder who found my mud minnow and jig head combo.
Redfish also share the same area so its not uncommon to go flounder fishing and end up redfishing.
Capt. Chris Herrera
www.PalmCoastFishing.com
The mullet are here!!!!! Some of the best fishing of the year can be had during the fall mullet run where million and millions of bait fish migrate their way back south and offshore to spawn. This type of bait run brings out all the predators to gorge themselves into food coma. The mullet will make their way down the ICW and beach which gives anyone an opportunity to catch fish whether by boat or land.
Common species found mixed with the mullet are redfish, trout, snook, tarpon, flounder, jacks and sharks. The best bait to fish with is obviously mullet but artificial fisherman can use any lure that mimics a mullet. Some of my favorite type of fishing is using a topwater plug during low light conditions.
Where I fish is chosen for the species I am after. If snook fishing I concentrate around the residential canals targeting seawalls, docks and rip rap. Redifsh are found on the flats, docks and especially at the inlets and beaches. Tarpon are loaded up on the area inlets especially if the big mullet are around if not look off the beach.
Rigs for fishing live mullet depends on structure and water depth. Some of my favorite setups are live lining a mullet with a hook in its back and a fish finder rig. I use a free lined mullet when targeting tarpon on open water or pitching to shallow docks. Fish finder rigs I use when fishing deep water structure for flounder and redfish.
Capt. Chris Herrera
www.PalmCoastFishing.com
386-503-6338
The summer bite continues to be hot like the temperature but that is why we start early. Early risers not only beat the heat but take advantage of the first light feeders. Schools of jacks are seen cruising shorelines eating everything in their path! Topwater, soft plastics or live bait will all get a line tight as the schools of jacks pass by.
First light feeders also include tarpon! Whether you chose to fish for the juvenile or fully grown tarpon, first light is most productive especially inshore. Beach tarpon are at peak right now as they are seen crashing in the pogie pods along the beach.
Early morning for redfish also means topwater explosion time! Walking the dog action on topwater plugs is a great way to find redfish on the flats. The click clack sound and motion make it almost irresistible for redfish and other species like trout and snook.
Last chance fishing before heading back to school has been nothing short of great! Tarpon, redfish, snook and jacks have been our targeted species and they all have been eating good. From 10 pounders to 150 pounders the tarpon bite has been explosive at first light.
Low tide has been keeping us busy seeing redfish and catching them, from artificial lures to bait fishing they have been eating it all.
Jr. Dant is shown here with one of his few snook he caught this day.
