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Gone
fishing Capt. Larry Blue |
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1/8/2006 |
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Fishing Archives |
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Wintertime Florida style, our temperatures are normally what can
only be |
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found in the
north during the spring. This makes for some great backwater
fishing, as |
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long as it’s
not blowing too hard. Most species found in the northern areas
of the |
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Mid-Atlantic
love this kind of conditions. Some of those same species, or
their |
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cousins, can be
found right here year-round. |
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The seatrout love it when it’s like this. In water as shallow as
2 or 3 feet look |
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for the edges
of the sea grass and the potholes nearby. Cast a 12Fathom
Slammer |
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tail of
rootbeer or red for the most consistent action. Work the lure
across the surface |
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with short
twitching jerks or in a slow steady retrieve with an occasional
stop, just to |
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get their
attention. If the wind has the surface broken or slightly
choppy, the twitching |
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motion may
attract more strikes. Recent trout catches using this technique
have been |
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great. |
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The old “tried and
true” method of using a live shrimp below a floating cork |
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will certainly
bring a number of strikes. However, the strikes may be from some
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unwanted fish
such as; pinfish, ladyfish and even the lowly saltwater catfish.
At the |
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local price for
live shrimp that could be a costly afternoon of fishing. Of
course you |
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should come
home with your prize of trout and possibly even a redfish after
weeding |
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through the
pests. Not that anyone should consider ladyfish a pest as they
are a lot of |
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fun on
light-tackle. At times, ladyfish can be all that bites during
the coldest, windiest |
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days of Florida
winter. Could be a real “day saver” if that’s all that bites. |
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Redfish schools
probably won’t be like those of the early summer. You may |
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come across a
few fish in a group, most often they will be moving from flat to
flat |
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looking for
something to eat. The colder water temperatures will have most
of the |
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crabs and
shrimp buried deeper than the redfish can dig with their blunt
noses. A well |
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placed live
shrimp can bring a strike. A good place to look for redfish is
over an |
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oysterbar or
under some of the deeper docks around the county. |
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While crossing the
grassflats you may even notice an oversized sheepshead |
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or two where
you wouldn’t normally find them. During the cold of winter they
often |
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can be found in
the open areas. Normally found at oysterbars and gnawing on
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barnacles on
the bridge pilings, they may be found the shallow water during
the |
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sunniest part
of the day trying to get warm. Of course the best place to find
them is |
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under a bridge
or near some old dock laden with their favorite food, barnacles. |
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Good luck and good fishing, Capt.
Larry |
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Copyright 2007 CLB |
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Capt. Larry Blue is
USCG
licensed full time charter boat operator and guide, |
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departing from The Kingfish Dock,
at “Gators on the Pass”, in
Johns
Pass - |
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Treasure Island . He is a member
of; The Maritime Consortium, The Florida |
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League of Anglers and The
Florida
Outdoors Writers Assn. For charter |
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information call:
727-397-3773
or 727-871-1058
cell OR |
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Capt. Joe:
727-678-2959. |
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