Live bait or artificials, the choice is yours in the month of January. With cooler water temperatures swirling around Biscayne Bay, a number of species are present and feeding that typically do not inhabit our waters while year 'round residents are bigger, fight better and feed throughout the day. Does it get any better? This is the time of year when I consistently put my anglers on mackerel and enjoy hearing the steady repetition of screaming drags. For mackerel fishing I have been using Tsunami's Zip Jig Pro's and Buccaneer Glass Minnow Jigs with great success. These are great lures to use throughout the water column and their durability allows for quick catches and quick releases, critical when the action is hot. I like to use a 4" trace of #4 wire attached to my 30lb flouro-carbon leader by way of an Albright knot, no swivels here as the sight of swivels tend to get fewer bites and the bubble trails created when a fish runs attracts bites on the swivels and therefore cut offs. If using live bait for mackerel, few baits are better than live pilchards on a dark long shank hook with a 3' section of 30lb flouro -carbon leader.
Another fun fish this time of year is trout. This is a great sport fish on 8lb class spinning tackle or on a fly rod but one that should be taken care of. Since our trout are not migratory fish we have these fish all year long and care should be taken to not damage their soft mouths during the fight and release. I always encourage anglers to release as many of them as possible. This is one fish in which I strictly use artificials for with great success as I have found no need for the use of live bait. My go to lure for Biscayne Bay sea trout is the Tsunami Holographic Shrimp under a popping cork. By rigging the soft plastic on 20lb flouro-carbon leader to remain just above the grass (2'-3' under the cork) you have a great set up that will catch numerous fish without having to spend time re-baiting. What I like about the Holographic Shrimp is its soft, life-like feel. This allows sea trout to hold it in their mouths longer for more consistent hook sets yet they are durable, lasting dozens of trout before needing replacing. Typically, I will drift a flat popping these rigs and catching trout along the way re-drifting if the flat has produced to its potential. As an added bonus, by-catches this time of year in the 3'-5' deep trout grass flats will be mackerel, bluefish, lady fish, snappers and at times short groupers.
Night time tarpon fishing is a treat we get to enjoy during the winter months along Key Biscayne and North Biscayne Bay bridges and again, lures and live bait both work to bring smiles to anglers faces and sweat on their brow. Big hand-picked live shrimp is a traditional choice when hooked through the horn on an extra strong circle hook with a 4' section of 60lb flour-carbon leader using 20-30lb spinning tackle. Don't overlook a 3" blue crab hooked through the shell point as a good second bait since these bring plenty of tarpon to the boat as well. As for lures, large plastic shrimp imitations work well when fished just like live shrimp and a 4"-6" mullet imitation swimming plug allowed to wobble in the current behind the boat will ensure you hook a drag screaming adversary revealing their identity upon the initial powerful jump.
Moving onto the bonefish flats, few baits are better than a medium sized live shrimp or a nickel sized live blue crab for bonefish. Shrimp can be hooked through the horn or rigged weedless depending on the bottom composition of the flat. When fishing Oceanside flats I like to hook the shrimp through the horn as the grass on these flats is not as much an issue causing hang ups. On the west side of the bay however where there is much more grass and lighter current I like to hook the shrimp weedless to ensure the hook remains free of grass and ready to set in the bone's mouth. Blue crabs are rigged the same as for tarpon, through the point of either side of the shell. The advantage of uing blue crabs for bait is that you are ready for the occasional permit you are sure to run into while chasing bonefish. Artificials for bonefish is rather straightforward, a pink or brown ounce to 1/8 ounce flat jig works great, especially if tipped with a piece of shrimp. When using the fly rod, I love using small crab patters on either side of the bay. The key here is to use a weight fly that is appropriate for the depth of water. For example, a heavier fly for deeper water and lighter fly for shallower water (I.E. low tide tailing bonefish). These crab patterns work well for permit as well allowing you to target two species with one fly.
There you have it, whether you are a purist or a live baiter January is the month for you so grab the rods, hitch up the boat and go make that drag scream! Happy New Year everyone!
Capt. Mo Estevez
www.MiamiBoneFishing.com
786-853-1409