Well the cold weather finally moved in last month. With that the fish have moved into their winter spots. The Trout bite has been very good this year on artificials. Now is the time to bring the kids out fishing. These winter months are the best time to take kids fishing. When you find the Trout schools, it is nothing to have 50+ fish days. This is great for the little ones with a very short attention span. There is nothing better than to watch a kid fighting a fish that feels like a Whale them. Yes sometimes they do have more fun playing in the bait well with all the bait, but you have to agree, if you don’t enjoy watching a child fighting a fish you need to you rethink life itself.
Artificial is not the only way to catch trout, a live shrimp under a cork also works well. But this time of the year artificial baits out produce live bait for the trout along with the jacks that have been hanging around the power plant outfall. The trout are here all year long but now is the time when you don’t mind keeping a few for dinner. During the summer month’s trout along with some of the other targeted species develop worms and even though the worms won’t hurt you, it’s not always appetizing for some people to see them in the fillet. But in the cooler months it is not as prevalent to find the little white spots in the meat. I like to eat the trout the same day as they are caught. They just don’t freeze well, the meat seams to get soft after you freeze them, fresh is always better. So when you and your buddy’s are out for the day you don’t all have to keep your limit to take home and it also gives you a good excuse to have to go out on the water more often.
The Jacks have been around and they are great fish for the kids. When you can get a school of Jacks on a feeding frenzy this is a good way to teach kids how to work a lure. I like to use the MirrOLure Mirrordine. This is a great lure for kids, it is easy to work back to the boat. Most kids don’t have the patience to use artificial baits but once they hook up a few times with one their confidence level goes way up. Then you can slowly get them to spend more time using them. Schools of Lady fish are also a good target for the kids using artificial baits. Just remember the ladyfish like their bait moving fast.
Other areas to target this time of the year is docks. We have a ton of docks in our area, but not all docks will produce fish. Look for older ones with a lot of crustations growing on them, these docks will hold bait which in turn brings in the reds and sheephead. Also look for the docks with the bigger boats this usually means deeper water underneath and in the cold months the fish will be hanging out in the deeper water. The bigger Sheephead are more plentiful this time of the year and docks along with bridge pilings are the best place to find them. When fishing around the structure use a 1/0 hook with at least 30lb leader with a small split shot to get the bait down. Bait of choice is a piece of shrimp and be ready because they will steal your bait quick. These guys are some of the best eating fish this time of the year.
The Jacks have been around and they are great fish for the kids. When you can get a school of Jacks on a feeding frenzy this is a good way to teach kids how to work a lure. I like to use the MirrOLure Mirrordine. This is a great lure for kids, it is easy to work back to the boat. Most kids don’t have the patience to use artificial baits but once they hook up a few times with one their confidence level goes way up. Then you can slowly get them to spend more time using them. Schools of Lady fish are also a good target for the kids using artificial baits. Just remember the ladyfish like their bait moving fast.
Other areas to target this time of the year is docks. We have a ton of docks in our area, but not all docks will produce fish. Look for older ones with a lot of crustations growing on them, these docks will hold bait which in turn brings in the reds and sheephead. Also look for the docks with the bigger boats this usually means deeper water underneath and in the cold months the fish will be hanging out in the deeper water. The bigger Sheephead are more plentiful this time of the year and docks along with bridge pilings are the best place to find them. When fishing around the structure use a 1/0 hook with at least 30lb leader with a small split shot to get the bait down. Bait of choice is a piece of shrimp and be ready because they will steal your bait quick. These guys are some of the best eating fish this time of the year.
