Johnny caught plenty of redfish and spotted seatrout on Z-Man Diezel Minnows in the Sexy Mullet pattern on a recent trip with Capt. Mark Wright!

The first week of April is in our rearview mirror and the weather is still a bit bi-polar. However, like the past couple of weeks the fish don’t seem to care.

Water temperatures in the upper sixty to lower seventy degree range have spurred-on a decent trout and redfish bite in the Mosquito Lagoon. Boaters, please be aware the manatees have once again invaded the shallows. They’ll be here pretty much full-time until next winter.

Soft plastic lures of three to four inches designed to imitate mud minnows, fingerling mullet or shrimp are catching lots of fish. We’ve done very well lately tossing Z-Man Diezel Minnowz and Curly Tailz in a variety of colors. Muted and natural colors get the nod in clear water and brighter colors like Sexy Mullet where the water is stained. Dirty water calls for Aqua Dream Living spoons or spinner-baits/chatter baits which add flash and vibration.

Most certainly natural bait will catch plenty of fish, especially catfish. I took a pass on this activity this week as my people were all able to handle a spinning rod and lures just fine. I enjoyed the simplicity of tossing lures along with keeping a clean boat and the anglers enjoyed their bent rods and the satisfaction of fooling a few of the wary critters that call the Mosquito Lagoon home!

High spring-time water levels are allowing access to some backwater areas often too shallow to enter. If you’re lucky enough to find a hidden spot no one else has been in for a while the predators feeding there might be more willing and eager to eat than what we consider normal. I truly enjoy the experience when it happens and tend to keep tight lipped about “where” we found aggressive fish.