For the next 10 days or so, predicted warm air temperatures will hopefully push local water temps up into the magic 70s, which will only increase chances of inshore success, especially with larger snook that are just starting to shake off their winter time blues while planning a trip westward soon to a warm and sunny coastal vacation with all their friends.
In the meantime, light lines, smaller lures and slow to very slow retrieves are still called for or camp out on your favorite hotspot and soak baits like shrimp fresh or frozen, pinfish or fresh ladyfish chunks and, yes, a chilly snook will inhale a right smelling tasty bottom bait as well as a keen nosed and seemingly always hungry redfish.
Warming waters will open many doors but slowly close others. For now with the cool water, sheepshead fishing remains good on local structures but for numbers of bigger fish, the nearshore structures are the place to drop a line. Local shepherd Roy Bennet (pictured) recently tended his flock on nearshore numbers catching a dozen fat specimens from 15 inches to 20 inches on frozen shrimp. Belton Johnson, Edison, Paces Place, Helens are just a few nearshore reefs where you might not only score on quality sheepies but a wide selection of snappers, grunts, porgies and pop-up-anywhere-any-time Spanish mackerel. The phosphate docks at Boca Grande are a good second inshore choice while on-foot angler traffic on the Matlacha Bride reports on and off again sheepshead catches.
I recently got a second visit to my friend’s top secret, downtown Cape canal and sheepshead honey-hole. Use your electronics to find your own Cape canal structure which holds a variety of fish throughout the year, especially winter sheepshead, while saving fuel and running time. Some of the biggest snook that swim in our area live in the Cape’s canals without ever seeing a lure or bait. I’m talking fish in the 45-inch and beyond class…