December 16-18
Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Clause (Weather and Tides May Coincide This Weekend)
I am so over the strong winds we’ve been having lately. I wasn’t enthused about the recent tides either. And when the winds come howling from the east or northeast on the Big Bend and the tide’s predicted to fall to below the zero mark, I’m just not a happy camper. In fact, I sucked so much mud and debris into my trusty Yamaha’s water intake the other day while escaping a falling tide that I managed to not only damage my impeller, but the impeller housing as well. I’m sure that’s going to be a cheap fix!
I’m writing this on Wednesday and the National Weather Service is calling for relatively calm winds for the upcoming weekend—the one before the “stay at home” Christmas one. I’m never certain what “protected waters smooth to a light chop” really means, but it sounds good. And the tides, while predicted to dry up toward zero around noon, shouldn’t be affected by those calm winds. The sun may even shine.
So how do you fish this amazing alignment of all the things that make for great early winter fishing? First, don’t feel a need to be at the boat ramp early. Yes, falling tides are good for fishing, but the water will still be chilly enough to keep cold-blooded fish hiding out during the early hours. And second, don’t forget to pack a lunch, because the fishing on the first couple of hours following that noon low tide can be fishy too. Hungry and fishing sometimes just don’t mix.
I really enjoy fishing the bottom of the tide this time of year and this weekend looks perfect. Happy, warm fish looking for the last of the summer baitfish and shrimp washing off of flats into deeper water is a great combination. Catching them is just a matter of where to position your boat and bait. The aforementioned deep water doesn’t have to be deep either. I have a spot that’s an ancient creek bed running from the Spartina-covered shoreline to about 200 feet offshore. In that short distance, the depth of the creek bed doesn’t drop more than a foot, but that’s still deep enough for nice reds and trout to hide, waiting for small mullet and pinfish to use the creek to escape the falling water. That’s the sort of place you need to find.
Captain Sean Rush and Tommy Thompson with a big Rodman bass.
This past weekend, Capt. Rick Davidson and I fished with Capt. Sean Rush at Rodman Reservoir. The Rodman system (the pool and the old Oklawaha River) are undergoing a drawdown this month and the water levels are well below normal. Sean’s an excellent guide, and fishing as if the low water was simply a low tide event, he put us on about 30 nice largemouth bass in a morning of fishing. Just like the deep areas outside our Gulf flats, the deep holes at the end of drying feeder creeks held lots of very nice fish.
Think about that when you’re fishing this weekend for inshore or offshore species. Offshore anglers should remember that the very smallest rocks provide the cover needed by a nice, slot-sized red grouper. This weekend’s weather should make a run offshore easy, provided you’ve safety-checked your gear, your boat and your VHF. Those tides should get the fish hungry, but I’d be sure to take some live bait as well as some frozen squid and Spanish sardines. Fish, like people, like to eat, but enjoy a change of diet every so often. You may need to show them some dinner options before they start to bite.
Reports from the southern part of the Big Bend are good, and guides Capt. William Toney, Capt. Dan Clymer, Capt. Kelly Kofmehl and Capt. Rick Burns are all reporting mixed catches of seatrout, reds, sheepshead and flounder on the outside waters from Chassahowitzka to Yankeetown. They’re all reporting that mangrove snapper (in keeper sizes) are biting in the rivers. These little fish are great to eat, but sometimes hard to hook. They have an uncanny ability to see heavy leader and small jigs. Small circle hooks (‘Mangos’ are reef fish!), baited with small pieces of cut fresh shrimp, and tied to 15-pound fluorocarbon leader seem to be the trick to catching a limit. Jigheads weighted at 1/16 ounce work too, if you can find them.
One Citrus County captain who really knows the water there is Capt. Dave Jefford. But Dave has other offerings. His Lureman Lures are handmade and hand finished and each is almost a work of art. I used to consider ‘them too pretty to fish’ but now find his reproduction of the old Heddon Vamp (vampire) is hard to beat when it comes to convincing both trout and reds to attack. A handful of these plugs will make a fine Christmas gift for that special fishing friend or family member—or just for yourself!
The upper reaches of the Big Bend have been producing limits of seatrout and some nice reds. But, like everywhere else, the wind’s been an issue. This weekend should mark a change, and if it gets a bit colder the seatrout will move into river and creek mouths. Expect to find them first in the Suwannee River, its creeks (Dan May and Barnett are best, early) and the Steinhatchee River. Working plugs like Paul Brown Devils or MirrOlure TTs as slowly as you can across the bottoms of these waterways will likely net you a few fish, however the flats are still holding bait and some trout, usually within a half mile of shore. Reds are near the mouths of creeks like Dallus and Porpoise at Steinhatchee, especially near the edges of sun-warmed bars during the afternoon hours. For them, I’d use either live shrimp or silver and black MirrOlure Catch 2000s.
Reports from up Keaton Beach way have been good, with Capt. Pat McGriff telling me that catches of trout and flounder have been steady. Pat’s a steady user of live pinfish and shrimp under corks, but says that the trout have been eating everything, including topwater and suspending plugs.
Have fun this weekend, as it may be tough getting out of the house the next one. Family obligations. You know!
Capt. Tommy Thompson’s website {352-284-1763} captain@twotree.net
Inshore Light Tackle and Fly Fishing
Steinhatchee, Florida
≈~≈The Daily Catch Team≈~≈
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