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Updated 12/26/2011
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Fall-Like Weather
Brings Plenty
Of Action
With our winter heatwave still going strong as I write this,
conditions on the water could not be better this week. Usually
by this time of year surface activity in the bay has slowed a
little and it’s all about fishing the bottom in sheltered creeks
and deeper channels, finding the fish that are hunkered down for
winter. |
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All over the sound this week it felt more like fall out there
with schools of ladyfish and mackerel feeding on glass minnows on the
deeper flats, making an easy target and quick action. These schools also
had good numbers of soon- to-be keeper-size trout on them. Fishing one
school of surface-feeding fish just north of Chino Island this week I
even saw a couple of rolling tarpon in the mix.
Trout season finally reopens January 1. Trout are one of the go-to
species for us all winter long. For anglers looking for an easy meal,
the bag limit of four per angler makes bringing home a fish dinner a
no-brainer. Depending on weather conditions, trout can be found all over
the sound. On warm sunny days, shallow grass flats in the three-foot
range are the place to target these fish. When conditions are cool
deeper channels and basins 5ft or deeper are the place to be.
The bait that never fails for trout this time of year is live shrimp.
The colder the temperatures the slower and closer to the bottom the live
shrimp needs to be. On sunny warm days a shrimp rigged on a popping cork
is hard to beat. On a cold day a shrimp slow-bounced on a jig head is
the way to go.
Redfish action remains good with the average size of the fish getting
smaller and smaller as it does every winter. Non-stop action on rat reds
this week was found in the deeper tidal creeks on the lower stages of
the tide, and out around mangrove keys in open water during the higher
tides. The south wind we had for a few days pushed the tide up much
higher than the tide chart had forecast and really had the redfish fired
up.
While working mangrove keys on the higher stages of the tide we also
caught a few snook. Though most of them were on the small side, we did
lose one by the boat around the 30-inch mark.
If you’re chasing a bigger redfish you can go one of two ways: shallow
water or deeper water. Docks around the passes held a few slot-size reds
for me this week. During strong tides use enough weight around these
docks to hold your bait on the bottom. Small pinfish or live shrimp will
get the job done. Bigger slot size redfish can also be located out on
the shallow flats sunning themselves. Flats within a mile or so of the
passes seem to be the best bet. The shallow water redfish are best
fished on the lower stages of the tide and can often be spotted tailing
or pushing water. They are often very spooky and need to be approached
either in stealth mode by quietly poling or waiting for them to get
close enough to you that you can present a bait.
The inshore catch-and-release gag grouper bite is still going off and
makes for great light tackle action. Any place in the sound you can find
structure there might be a grouper. I have been fishing some concrete
culverts in about five feet of water in the northern sound and it’s been
a blast. Live pinfish either on a jig head or a knocker rig get slammed
almost every cast. Pulling these hard-hitting fish away from the
structure takes some skill and is often worth bringing along a larger
spinning rod. Gag grouper season is closed until the end of March.
Sheepshead fishing has been a little slow with the unseasonably warm .
Most of the larger fish seem to be still schooled up on near-shore
wrecks and reefs and have not made the move to the bay yet. Rock jetties
and docks around the passes are holding sheepshead up to around four
pounds although our deeper mangrove creeks are holding very few.
Shrimp pieces and fiddler crabs fished with just enough weight to get
the bait to the bottom are the rigs of choice.
Click the links below to view copies of my other recent reports.
11-21-2011 -
12-05-2011 -
12-12-2011
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