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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 10, 2002
Catching a snook, redfish and trout on the same day is called an inshore slam in west central Florida. It is an accomplishment any time of year.
Despite the cold, an inshore slam is a reasonable goal in winter. Snook, redfish and trout gather in the same areas in winter. A free-lined live shrimp fished in deep canals brings the greatest success, and knowing the key elements of residential canals will help target each species.
Trout lie on dark mud bottom in the center of a canal to absorb heat. Crawling a shrimp slowly across the bottom often draws strikes. Deeper dropoffs near grass in a canal also are good.
Redfish tend to hang around docks with barnacles and current flow. Oyster beds and deep holes beneath boats also are good; put a shrimp on bottom in these spots.
Snook are the trickiest part of a slam. A warm day between cold fronts, preferably just before a front, increase the odds of getting one to eat. Snook lie on shallow edges of deep, dark dead-end canals. The snook you see are not the ones you will catch. Fish a shrimp around structure, allowing it to swim to the bottom.
-- Capt. Brent Gaskill charters the Summer Vacation out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 343-1765 or by e-mail at gaskill@tampabay.rr.com.