Redfish and trout has been the name of the game this week! With more fronts moving in and some less than perfect conditions I have been doing most all my trips inshore.

The redfish and trout bite has really been picking up with the cooler weather! Most of my fishing has been in the mosquito lagoon, with plenty of cooler water with some days the temp being as low as 56 it’s time to slow things down a bit! The best bite this week has been off smaller soft plastic lures fished in deeper holes and troughs. A 3″ gulp shrimp on an 1/8 oz jighead has really been getting it done!

For the live bait guys a hand picked shrimp on a popping cork fished in about 2.5 feet of water works wonders this time of the year as well as small pieces of cut mullet. With the water getting cooler it has also been cleaning up which is typical for this time of the year, with this being said it’s not a bad idea to tone down the size of your leader to 15 or 20 pound test. I prefer fluorocarbon over mono mostly for its abrasion resistance.

Another great presentation that often gets over looked this time of year is a fly. Fly fishing anglers can find their best opportunities between 11 and 2 when the sun is at its highest point. During this time, look for fish crawling shorelines or sitting in laid up sand holes. A stealthy approach and a small shrimp or crab imitation fly in tan, orange, or brown really works well.

I highly encourage everyone to catch and release in the rivers and lagoons, the more we catch and release the more opportunities we have for an even better fisheries in the future.