Outdoors

To find the fish, target the warm-water spots

By DOUG HEMMER, Times Correspondent
Published November 23, 2007

INSHORE 

When the water temperature drops into the 60s, fishing conditions start to change.

Game fish move to areas where the water temperature is warmest. Fish that normally hang on the flats will move to drop-offs closest to the flat. Others will head to the residential canals that have dark bottoms and little water flow. Dark bottom means the canal has a mud bottom that holds heat. The lack of water flow keeps the water in the canal heated by the sun. The rest of the game fish will move to the rivers and the back parts of the mangrove shoreline. The best way to locate the fish is to idle close to the shoreline until you see fish sunning in the shallows.

Snook are the hardest species to catch when the water temperature drops. You may find them sunning along a drop-off, but don't look for them to strike your bait quickly. Most of these fish will need a slow and quiet presentation to get them to eat. Use light tackle and slowly move your bait or lure close to the fish. Give the snook time to take interest in the presentation.

Cobia are normally a hard fish to target, but they can show up unannounced. When a cold front lowers the water temperature 8 to 10 degrees, the spotted rays will move to the power plants and cobia will follow. Look for the fins of the rays breaking the surface and cast a large tail-hooked shrimp in front of the ray. Some of these rays have cobia under them and you may be rewarded with a quick hook-up.

Redfish schools will start to thin. Most of the reds will be between 18 and 24 inches in length. The best time to target them is during a low tide. They move to the potholes close to the outside of the flat. They stay in these holes for protection until the tide rises. When the tide forces the school outside the flats, dolphin feed on the school. If you do locate the school, use whitebait or pinfish under a cork to get them to feed.

Mackerel are still the most reliable fish to target. Look for birds flocking over the surface just off the beach. When you find a spot where you see birds and fish striking the surface, you've located mackerel. Anchor on the spot and deploy a frozen chum block. Live chum the area with whitebait and cast a few baits on long-shank hooks. It won't take long for the mackerel to move into the area and start striking your baits. When the action begins, look for sharks and kingfish to feed in the same area.

Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 347-1389.

[Last modified November 23, 2007, 12:15:22]