January has been a pretty good month so far. As most know in North Florida it can get pretty cold up here with temps as low as 15 to 20 degrees some days and as warm as 72 degrees other days. This has what's it's been like so far this year, drastic temperature changes and some very windy conditions has made the fishing tough some days.
When fishing the very cold temps, remember to slow down your presentation and work baits like MirrOlure's Paul Brown. MirrOlure came out with new bait this year in the Paul Brown line called the Soft Dine. Trust me, this bait is going to catch some trout. It's designed just like the Original Paul Brown, but it's shaped like the 17MR baits, and so far it's a big hit. Just like last winter, this year the good trout fishing is near the upper bay areas of both Escambia and Blackwater Bay. On very cold days, fish deep (12 –20 ft) and when it's not so cold, fish a little shallower, (6-9 ft) and you might even try depths like 3-4 ft. When the sun come up and warms up the flats, these big trout move up on the muddy flats and sit and warm themselves up and when they see your bait slowly move by, they won't hesitate to jump all over it.
The big reds are still around, but not crazy thick like they were back in November and December. Remember that January and February are great months to trout fish. Some days it's cold out, just bring some hot coffee, wear layers, and go hook a few.
Here are some other baits I like to use during the winter and early spring months.
Baits used:
ZMan Paddler Z & MinnowZ, MirrOlure 17MR & 18 MR, Original Paul Brown and new Soft Dine.
Depths: Redfish 3 – 9 ft when temps are average for winter --- 12 - 20 ft when it drops in below 50 for a few days.
Areas Fished: Escambia Bay / River, and Blackwater Bay / Yellow River
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