Rain gear was today's fashion statement. The day started with light rain no wind and mild temps. I put the Pathfinder on auto-pilot and sat back drinking coffee and listening to the Reel Animals radio show. It was a very enjoyable ride to the Little Manatee river as I was under the protection of my T Tower.
Small redfish and tiny hand size sheepshead chased shrimp after shrimp bounced along the bottom in 7'. I played with these scrappy little guys for an hour then decided to look for large trout. Unlike small trout that school up large trout over 20" are often solitary. You will likely catch one or two bruisers not 10 or 20 which is common with small trout.
Tossing a DOA Deadly combo in 2' of water did the trick. The first big trout absolutely crushed the lure! I was shocked by the aggressiveness of the 20" trout this fish had some attitude! Drifting and coverings lots of water is key. Look for lush grass flats with sandy potholes, its these spots large trout setup waiting to ambush their prey.
While drifting I would find smaller fish which would be fun but not today's target so I moved on. Another large trout of 22" clobbered the DOA with the same enthusiasm as the first large trout. I ended the day with 9 big boys over 20".
Captain Steven Markovich
www.onthemarkcharters.com
