Cold Water Strategies on Florida’s Inshore Waters...

Cold Water Strategies on Florida’s Inshore Waters

By

Jan Maizler

The key to good results when shallow waters turn chilly is to remember that fish are cold-blooded and need external help to keep their body temperature warm enough for survival. You can expect that as water temperature drops, flats and inshore fish slow down their overall activity as well as seek out the warmest possible water. Generally, the deeper contours and channels around the flats will have chilled the least because the water column is at its’ thickest for the cold air mass (of a cold front) to penetrate.

Another way that flats and inshore gamefish stay warm is by aggregating around warmer water outfalls. Examples of this are the discharge pipes and channels of power plants.
Gamefish seek out these waters, since it raises their own body temperatures as well attracting smaller baitfish.

Today was the first day of February and the waters in Biscayne Bay were in the very low seventies- I recorded 69 degrees early this morning. Though many anglers make the wiser choice of starting in the afternoon when the water is warmer, my thirst to greet the rising sun is irresistible.

I found out in short order that there were no bonefish in the shallows and moved towards the channel drop-offs. I changed my tackle to a 12-pound plug rod rigged with a ½ ounce Spro white jig. I sweetened the jig with a fresh shrimp tail and cast up tide. I let the jig bounce bottom (as the tide took it) by periodically free-spooling it back to the bottom “on the sweep.” Experience has taught me that if I want a bonefish in these conditions – or even a permit- that jig has to be bouncing off the sand. Generally, the mid-surface species like jacks and blue runners will hit in midway in the water column. This method netted me 1 bonefish of 6 pounds as well as about 40 nice-sized jacks and blue runners in an hour.

As the tide fell, I ran my skiff to a sunken boat in the middle of a channel a few miles away. I lightened the jig to 1/8 ounce to avoid snagging the superstructure of the wreck. I also increased the shrimp to a full size sweetener -minus the head- to give the possible larger gamefish a really decent meal. The next hour of casting and jigging netted me 3 permit to 12 pounds and 20 mangrove snapper to 3 pounds.

All this action occurred on a three-hour trip and life was good!

Jan Maizler

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