Springtime is here! All the fish and their surroundings are going through a huge transition. As water temps heat up, grasses begin to grow, and bait begins to pour back into our bays. The grass flats will come to life! Fishermen and women will shed our winter clothes and break out our warm weather gear in search for hungry fish.
SNOOK- They will be pouring out the mouths of creeks and rivers. Look for them scouring the flats eating just about anything that crosses their path. This is one of my favorite times of year to throw top-water plugs like the Yo_Zuri 3DB. There will be full blown aerial assaults on top water plugs with fish so fired up they will literally come out of the water to nab the baits.
TROUT- Our huge gator trout will start to thin out inshore but, there will be plenty of nice size trout on the grass flats. Anywhere you can find good moving water with grass flats littered with deep potholes, you should find as many trout as your heart desires. Suspension baits like the Mirro Dine are a great baits to cover lots of water until you locate these fish. Don’t be afraid to work these lures with fast twitches. If you don’t plan on keeping these fish, I like to put single hooks on them to help preserve their soft mouths.
REDFISH- Look for these fish to be schooled up. Sometimes you will find two to twenty of them but, don’t be surprised to run into schools with over fifty of them. As much as you may want to start plugging away at them… Watch them for a little while to see what their pattern is, and then start working them. My first bait I like to throw at them is top-water lures and then soft plastics like the Monster 3X X-MOVE. What ever baits you decide to throw, make sure to get it out in front of them. Once they see you or your fishing line bounces off them, you will be playing cat and mouse all day!
Good luck! Be safe and respectable to your fellow anglers! There are plenty of fish in the sea for everyone! Tight Lines and Tight Knots to all!:)