It is cold, FREEZING cold! But that doesn't stop fisherman, it just means we wear more clothe.
What this extremely cold weather really means for us here in central Florida is adapting our fishing style to make our day on the water successful. Let no one tell you that this abnormally low temperature doesn't make the fishing tougher. These temperatures plummeting to below freezing over night kills a bunch of sea life. Turtles, puffers, needle fish, trout, and redfish can be seen floating or belly up throughout the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. Though the fish kill seems to be limited to smaller fish it still affects the behavior of larger ones. Surface temperature of the water has reached well below 41 degrees in the past couple of weeks sending all that lives in it into survival mode. What that means is redfish, black drum and trout can be found in areas of warmer waters such as deeper holes or areas with sandy bottom. Deeper water allows for fish to escape from the surface temperatures which drop significantly over night as the cold wind blows across it. Sandy areas reflects heat rather well so as the sun rises in the sky sandy areas reflect the sun's rays and warms the water around it better, (think of a desert).
So what does all this mean to us anglers? First don't rush to get out on the water at first light. Wake up late enjoy your coffee eat a little something. The fish are moving from their overnight accommodations in deeper water to shallow water sandy areas as the sun rises. The middle of the day when the sun is at its strongest is when the bite has picked up, which means up from nonexistent to feeding slower than a snail. To put this metaphor in perspective this past week we had a piece of cut ladyfish sitting in a three foot diameter hole that contained 8 redfish and it took five minutes till one decided to take the bait. Which is the next thing that will need adjusting, PRESENTATION. Slow down everything allow baits to fall and sit in potholes. Like my friend Steve says, "Slow down your presentation to the point where it almost hurts." So take your spoons and spinners off the table and rig up to use finesse or natural baits. There is a ton of dead baitfish in the water so the redfish, trout and drum have plenty of easy meals to forage on so the right bait and placement will count for a lot.
Just because the cold temperatures are record breaking it doesn't mean there isn't some great fishing to do on the river and lagoon. It just means that your approach and methods need some adjusting. In years past I have had some monster redfish landed on charters on days that started with ice on the boat. So break out the jacket and get out on the water either on your own or with your favorite guide, and Get your fish on… Florida Fisherman Style!
Capt. Mike Ortego
The Florida Fisherman
http://www.floridafisherman.net
