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Updated 12/28/09
Trout Season
Opens January 1
With winter here we all know fishing after cold fronts
can be tough. Luckily, there are always some species of fish
that will cooperate no matter what the conditions are. |
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These species include sheepshead, gag grouper and spotted sea
trout.
January 1 marks the opening of spotted seatrout season in our area. The
opening of trout season does not bring the same anticipation for me as
the opening of snook season, but trout continue to be the most popular
species of gamefish in our state. The harvest of trout is closed in our
area November and December. Trout regulations are: Not less than 15
inches or more than 20 inches except one fish over 20 inches per person
with four per day per person being the limit.
Trout can be caught with a variety of baits/artificials and the colder
months seem to be the better months to fish for this species. Clear days
with clear water seem to be the best days to catch trout out on the
flats. Look for flats that are between three and five feet deep with a
mix of grass and sand bottom. Drifting the flats throwing a soft plastic
jig is usually how I locate these fish.
A live or artifical shrimp fished under a popping cork is the tried and
true method for catching trout. Cajun Thunder and Old Bayside make
probably the best popping rigs. While drifting, simply pop the cork
every 30 seconds or so making a loud popping noise. This noise attracts
the trout to the bait like a dinner bell. Once you catch a few fish,
drop a marker or the anchor as trout run in schools and once located you
can catch fish after fish.
Not one of our most glamorus fish, sheepshead are a winter staple in
Southwest Florida. Even on the coldest days these fish feed well and
make for great table fare. These famed nibblers are a little hard to
catch because of their small mouth and prominent teeth. Small hooks or
small weighted jig heads with a piece of shrimp do the trick. Clear
water conditions even make it possible to sight-fish for the spooky
sheepshead.
These striped convict-looking fish have five or six vertical black bands
and feed mostly on crustacians including shrimp, barnacles and fiddler
crabs. They can be found around pilings, oyster bars, seawalls and tidal
creeks. They are in the sound in large numbers until the late winter and
early spring when they move offshore to the near shore wrecks and reefs.
The large ribcage of these members of the porgie family makes them a
little harder to fillet than your average fish but it's well worth it.
The meat is firm, white and mild.
When you think grouper most people think of fishing offshore, but this
time of year marks some of the better gag grouper fishing near shore and
in the bay. Anglers trolling deep diving plugs around deeper channels in
the bay, causeway bridges and passes have been getting some quality
keeper size fish. Trolling along the stone crab pot lines gulfside has
also been a good bet for a grouper dinner. usually where there are crab
pots there are ledges - or maybe grouper like stone crab too.
Bottom fishing Captiva Pass and structure in the bay with live pinfish
has also produced some keepers over the 22-inch minimum size.
Click the links below to view copies of my other recent reports.
12-07-2009
- 12-14-2009
- 12-28-2009
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