A Total Backwater Adventure

 What January is really about? To me, I guess it means the start of a new year, resolutions I make that will never, ever happen. And tides to low to get anywhere close to the mangroves. If you stroll out on to the harbor this month , and visit areas such as Whidden creek and Catfish creek. Now is the time that familiar buzz is in the air. The buzz is the sound of air boats and tunnel hull skiffs, fishing the pot holes in the back country  that no one else can get to. And if your boat will not  run in a couple inches of water, you find your self sitting on the outside of the bar. Asking your self how can I get back their? Well the answer is, you don?t. Because even if you are lucky enough to get back there, you might not be lucky enough to get out. You might find yourself waiting around till spring. That would just ruin your New Year or put a little damper on it. My advise to you is fish the deeper water you know. For instance out side the bars will hold fish this time of the year. One of my favorite spots for winter time fishing, has to be the bar south of Burnt Store Marina. This time of the year you can always find fish on that bar. What we do is use our trolling motor and skirt the edge of the bar, till we see fish. Most of my winter time fishing is done with either shrimp or artificials. I fish these baits not only because I?m comfortable throwing them, it?s because frankly I don?t like getting wet this time of year. It?s cold and getting wet and running across the harbor is really not my cup of tea. Besides that, fish will eat them. If you are throwing shrimp, a popping cork will work extremely well for trout and reds, where you do not see them. The sound of a popping cork imitates a fish feeding and will trigger other fish to eat as well. But in situations where you can see the fish  this becomes a different game. If you throw a popping cork on them, chances are they will spook. This is where I will switch to a lighter line and a small 1/8 or even a 1/16th oz. jig head. Jig head selection is important when it comes to this style of fishing. You want to buy a jig head, not for what it looks likes. The hook straight is the most important feature, many jig heads on the market today are made with cheesy hooks made of thin wire. Nothing is worse than hooking up a nice redfish and having that fish straighten the hook out. Try to buy the stoutest hooks you can get.  The importance of  the light jig head is so that when you cast and the shrimp or rubber body enters the water, it will not make a loud splash and spook the fish you are trying to cast on. If you can get a cast in front of the fish without spooking him 9 out of 10 times, he will eat. Other than staying out side the bars you may want to take the opportunity of the low water, to visit some of the harbor?s man made reef?s. This time of the year a lot of grouper and snapper are held up on these reefs. It won?t take long to find out if they are there. I will usually troll a large lipped lure, such as the Mann?s  stretch 30?s, or the Rapala XR mag. Series. The good thing about the Rapala?s are that they come in 15?s, 20?s  and 30?s, witch means you can troll a couple plugs all at once on multiple rods and cover the entire water column. Just trolling the plug over the inshore reefs is a great way to get a rod bent and can  be a blast when the fish are there. It?s not often we as inshore anglers get a chance to do something a little out of the norm. Maybe I will make that one of my new year resolution?s .    

 

 Book early for 2009 Tarpon season .