Trout can be Found Everywhere

Trout can be found everywhere
By CAPT. SHAWN CRAWFORD - Special to The Herald

Trout are coming back in season on Jan. 1, and there are plenty out there in the slot. We have been catching a bunch of these fish on every trip, and they are hitting everything from shiners to Berkley Gulps.

The snook are closed right now but we are getting 15 to 20 fish a trip with some 30-inch fish mixed in. But if this warming trend continues, they could go crazy to say the least. It happens almost every year around this time, when the weather gets nice for a couple of weeks and the water temperature gets up into the mid 60s, these bigger fish will come out looking for a mid-winter snack. I can tell you some of the best snook fishing I have ever seen has been in the dead of winter when we have a warm spell.

The reds are abundant in the river as well in Sarasota Bay and they are in real skinny water trying to stay warm. We have been catching them on live bait as well as cut bait and jigs. The lower the tide the better.

Sheepshead are also out there in plentiful numbers but the bite isn’t quite as fast for these bait stealers. But if you stick it out you can have a great day fishing for these convict fish.
The grouper and snapper have been in 30-55 feet of water on the days we can get out there and there is plenty of action out there as well with short redfish, and gags while waiting for the bigger ones to come along.

All in all it has been a very productive winter to fish, but remember that if the weather continues on this warming trend we should have an explosive few days for the snook action.

n Capt. Shawn Crawford can be reached at (941) 747-3856. Web site is www.captainshawn.com.