Water temperature is back to a more reasonable 67 degrees after a difficult cold spell. A lot of fish were killed, but I have yet to see any dead redfish or trout. All the other species took it on the chin. Snook were hit especially hard, and as a result the season opener has been postponed until Sept. 1. Virtually all of the guides I have spoken to agree with the decision. I would take it a step further and make it catch-and-release only until the stocks fully rebound, which could take years.I spoke with several anglers who went out last weekend, and none of them caught fish. It will be slow for a while, but the action on trout, redfish and sheepshead should pick up.
Grouper fishermen still have this weekend to put a few fish in the box before the season closes on Feb. 1. The closure will be in effect until April 1.
The best inshore action for the next month or so will probably center on sheepshead. They can be found on the artificial reefs at Bahia Beach and Port Manatee during the winter months as they congregate in the bay to spawn. Just enough weight to take you to the bottom on braided line with fluorocarbon leaders is the best way to catch them. You have to be quick with the hook set or they will steal your bait.
You can also find sheepshead in the deep holes and passes on the flats when the tide is extremely low — Mag’s Hole, Big Pass and some of the holes in Cockroach Bay come to mind. Here I rig the shrimp on half-ounce jig heads. Some like to hook them through the tail end — I think they hold up better hooked through the horn, but that’s just opinion.
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