Tips & Techniques

Snook are in the canals and hugging spillways. Throw a Spooltek right into the spill, and give a steady retrieve. Swimbaits and Vudu Mullet are working great in the canals and spillways, unless you can get your hand on live bait such as mullet.

Tarpon are sharing the same habitat as snook, and are taking the same baits.

Sea trout are hitting paddle-tails and topwaters in the morning and evening, and shrimp is working under a popping cork in 3′-5′ of water.

Sharks are scattered all over, and readily taking jacks, ladyfish, and mullet, as cut or whole bait.

Surprisingly, there have been a good number of small gag grouper being caught under docks. Sizes are not huge, although a few keeper sizes have been caught. Try using a heavy jig, 1/2oz or more, or even football jigs with a crawfish trailer, to imitate crabs. The grouper are also hitting shrimp, and pinfish.

Pompano have been steady on the piers around Placida, but they are transitioning back to the beaches. Almost any color silly willy jig works, especially pink, yellow, and chartreuse, and choose a weight dependent on chop, water depth, and wind.

Nearshore, Spanish mackerel and Jack crevalle are hitting almost anything in front of their face. Gotcha plugs, spoons, X-Raps, and live baits are all producing.

Swimbaits and Chatterbaits have been crushing bass lately. Natural colors are your best bet. Try using a Z-Man chatterbait and a DieZel minnow as the trailer, and fish it slow. Swimbaits like Reaction Innovations and DOA 4 inch shad rigged weedless can be fished at a steady pace.

LiveTarget Lures has produced a great line of fresh and salt water swimbaits, and they are recieving great feedback. Bass are hammering the 3.5 inch threadfin shad, and snook and redfish are taking the 3.5 inch scaled sardine model. Tarpon are finding their selves hooked up on a LiveTarget mullet swimbait. Either size or color works.

With the colder weather approaching, there will be certain species moving into the area and will be in good numbers. This includes sheepshead, pompano, black drum, and even the Fall kingfish run just a few miles off the beach. Get ready for these species! The time is almost here to catch them in good numbers!