Grouper season is nearing it’s end but we’ve been getting some good ones. With water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico as cold as they are now we’ll change from primarily trolling to bottom fishing. Clients are more apt to breaking off and losing fish like this but grouper can tone down the aggression when it cools down. Primarily baits will be thread fin herring, sardines, and live pinfish. 20-30′ has been the most productive. These same rocks we grouper fish on will hold sheepshead in just a few weeks! When they do we’ll switch to light tackle and live shrimp. That’s fun fishing.

Spotted Sea Trout

This is the time of year can really offer some great tout fishing. They do move around quite a bit with the cold fronts pushing through but we work hard to stay on top of them. Once on a school you can stop the boat and keep casting in that same spot. Look for trout in the river on really cold days or close to the river mouth on warmer days. Live shrimp on a 1/8th oz jig head has been our primary rig.

Redfish

Reds have schooled up in the back of creeks and on the rocky points of the main river. You may still be able to get on them around the outer islands if you have enough water to access them. Live shrimp has been our bait of choice and just like the trout if you find one keep chugging away on that spot as there will be more! Plenty of undersized reds out there as expected this time of year.