All too often, weather plays a vital role in most fishing trips. Nothing can be worse than planning a day off, or just needing a day out on the water only to find the forecast to be a complete mess! Fortunately, inshore there is always a place to hide from the wind, and even the occasional rain shower, and this week was one of those weeks!

Despite the crazy, windy weather this week the inshore bite was very strong. With these type of conditions I definitely like to utilize the wind and boat to my advantage. I prefer to set up ahead of mangrove points with the wind at my back. Utilizing power poles or stick anchors are great in these situations. Use the wind to make a long cast with a little larger artificial baits — a little larger disturbance tends to stick out and create a good bite. 4″ gulp shrimp, or large Topwater’s bright and early make for a good morning! Anglers using cut bait or small live mullet have an even better odds with a lot of wind! The scent moves much faster and carries greater distances than it would if it were slick calm out.

Another good area to fish is residential canals lined with mangroves. The deeper pockets are great places for fish to hide from the heat, not to mention they typically are great shelter from the wind! Skipping artificial baits to cover a lot of ground are definitely the most effective, once you find a section you seem to have a lot of action changing over to a live or dead shrimp fished tight to the bushes can yield amazing results!