by Capt. Matt Mitchell
These big weather swings of a Florida winter that we are experiencing are not unusual and require different patterns to successfully catch fish. Generally, these cold fronts come through every week to ten days, slowly raising our water temperatures and then quickly plummeting them. With our backwaters being so shallow, seeing a 10 to 15 degree drop in our water temperature overnight is quite common.
Just like us, fish look for warmer, sheltered places during these sudden temperature drops. During the strong winds that accompany a cold front, open waters become rough and extremely stirred up. Finding that cleaner, deeper water in a sheltered creek or on the leeward side of the sound can make all the difference. Once you locate these fish, you often find some of the fastest-paced fishing of the year. This scenario played out over and over this week, even though the location would change some days; finding the right setup was the same.
One of the things I really enjoy most about guiding is that every day is a puzzle, and no two days are ever exactly alike. Taking the information I’ve gathered over the past few days and using it to build on is what creates a good day of fishing. I always start my day with a plan, but being flexible and able to adapt to what the day’s wind, tide, and water temperature are is what bends rods. No matter how good a spot was yesterday, if the setup is not right, it’s not going to happen, and it’s time to move on. So many trips this time of year require moving again and again until you find that spot; often, 90% of our catch comes from one spot.
Extreme low tides are my favorite time to fish during our colder periods. Simply put, the fish have much less water to be in on a negative low tide and will stack up in big numbers in deeper channels and holes. Getting the bait on the bottom in these areas is key to catching these fish, and nothing does it better than a weighted jig head. A jig head gives you a better feel of the bite, which at times can be very subtle in cold water.
Shrimp fishing is in full swing during these cold periods. This morning, our water temperature was a frigid 56 degrees to start the day. After trying a few deeper docks without success, I moved through a narrow, sheltered mangrove channel and set up on a deeper point with fast-moving current. Every cast was either a Redfish or a Sheepshead until the tide bottomed out and stopped moving.
Capt. Matt Mitchell moved to Sanibel in 1980 and has lived in St. James City since 2000, when he started his fishing charter business. He spends over 300 days a year “living the dream” fishing. For questions and info: bookings@captmattmitchell.com
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