The winter drop in water temps have the inshore trout bite around Naples and Marco island firing!   This time of year you have to adjust to these colder temps. We do have some weeks where our weather can be in the mid 70s and you can start to see some snook chewing again but for the most part, you have to dial into the winter Fishery.  With this said it’s time to focus on artificials,  a.k.a. jigs.  There’s no live bait(pilchards) around this time of year and with the cold water temps you really have to slow your presentations down.  

Still my favorite go to is a 3/8oz stand-up jig head with a DOA paddle tail , root beer or white in color. I love seeing these new or full moon negative low tides in the mornings as I know these fish will not be underneath the bushes, but packed in the deep holes in the backcountry.

There is one problem getting to these places on a negative low tide.  If you are able to navigate the maze of shallow waters and make it back to these deep holes, you can usually expect lots of action.  I have been finding lots of sea trout, pompano , whiting , jacks and redfish .  The morning low incoming tides have been my favorite as these fish tend to be on the move or nosed up in the current looking for an easy meal. I always tell my anglers to bundle up this time of year and stay warm while that morning sun is rising. Dressing properly can ensure you have an enjoyable morning session on the water. See you out there ! <•{{{{{><

Capt. Tim Daugherty
www.fishthesalt.com
(239) 280-8138

First of all, I’d like to start by saying I hope everybody had a great holiday break with there families and friends.  We have been seeing some warmer temps in the Naples and Marco Island areas. This has really fired up our fishery and has these fish on the move looking for food .  The inshore fishing continues to produce some great winter time fishing with snook , redfish , sea trout and pompano being on the top of our hit list .  Like I was saying we have been having some warmer temps and just a few degrees has made our snook bite really turned on..  I am finding some snook on the outside islands, but most of my action has been deep in the back country using live baits.  We have been seeing morning negative low tides, and this is my favorite time to wedge myself back in the creeks , as I know these fish will be pooled up on the deeper shorelines.  

Live bait has been a little bit, tough to catch, but I have still managed to fill my live well and bring these nice tasty treats right to their front door.  Later on in the afternoon on the higher tides, I’ve been finding red fish in tight to the mangroves . A well placed cast into the open pockets will surely get your odds in the right favor. There has been plenty of jacks & sea trout just about everywhere I’ve been fishing this past week.

Its been really nice to be able catch some really nice trout everyday for my anglers to take back to the grill.  It looks to be another drop in temperatures(cold front ) coming this weekend so make sure you get out this week and get it while the getting is good. 
Tight lines !!!

Capt. Tim Daugherty
www.fishthesalt.com
(239) 280-8138