Fishing Report:
Chris from Skinny Water Lures reports that in the beginning of March the bite really started to pick up, so we decided to target creek mouths and flood grass, armed with our trusty SWL twitch bait. And boy, were we in for a treat. The redfish seemed to be in a feeding frenzy, striking our bait on the pause.
But we didn’t stop there. We also had success jigging the SWL 4-inch paddle tail slowly off the bottom during the out-going tide. On low tide, we switched things up by throwing the paddle tail on a spinner blade and working it parallel to the oyster beds. The reds were lurking in the deeper channels, waiting to ambush our spinner blade as it passed by.
Not only did we reel in some impressive redfish, but we also managed to snag a few decent flounder along the creek mouths using the SWL curly tail grub. The beginning of the month turned into non-stop action.
Although we had hoped the warmer weather would kickstart the topwater bite for the redfish, it seemed that the water temperature just wasn’t quite there yet. As the weeks go on and the weather continues to heat up, that topwater bite should start to come alive.
Mid-month the artificial lure fishing was excellent. Having great success using a variety of lures, including soft plastics, and suspending baits.
The redfish were biting aggressively, especially during the early morning and late afternoon hours. We targeted shallow flats, grass beds, and oyster bars to find feeding schools of redfish.
Soft plastics like SWL paddle tails and curly tail grubs have also been producing good results. We started off rigging these baits weedless and working them slowly along the bottom to entice bites from redfish lurking in the grass and oyster beds.
Later in the day we changed lures to a SWL suspending twitch bait. These lures are effective at mimicking injured baitfish, and redfish have been unable to resist their realistic swimming action.
Overall, artificial lure fishing has been red hot in our area mid-month. With the warmer temperatures coming, the bite is only expected to improve.
The speckled trout were also on the move mid-month, biting like crazy. Using a combination of topwater plugs and soft plastic jigs, we were able to reel in some beautiful and elusive fish.
We also found early morning or right before sunset, we had good luck using a white SWL topwater plug to mimic the action of a wounded baitfish, which seemed to attract the attention of the hungry speckled trout lurking just below the surface. We also had great success with SWL soft plastic paddle tails, casting it out and reeling it in slowly to entice the trout into striking.
Overall, mid-month the speckled trout were responding well to the artificial lures. The key seemed to be varying the retrieval speed and using a variety of colors to find what works best on any given day.
If you’re looking to hook into some feisty speckled trout, be sure to stock up on a variety of SWL artificial lures and hit the water early in the morning or late in the evening when the fish are most active.
Flounder have also been biting mid-month on artificial lures. lures can be highly effective for targeting flounder. Flounder are ambush predators that often lie and wait on the bottom for passing prey, making them particularly susceptible to artificial lures that mimic small fish or crustaceans.
Soft plastic creature baits and curly tail grubs are a popular choice for targeting flounder in our area. These lures can be worked slowly along the bottom, bounced off structure, or retrieved through the water column to entice strikes from hungry flounder.
When selecting an artificial lure for flounder fishing, it’s important to consider the size, color, and action of the lure to match the local forage and water conditions. Natural colors like silver, white, and brown can be effective in clear water, while brighter colors like chartreuse or pink may be more visible in murky or stained water.
In addition to selecting the right lure, it’s important to vary your retrieval speed and presentation to find what triggers strikes from flounder on any given day. Experiment with different techniques, speeds, and depths until you find what works best in your local fishing spot.
The last few weeks of the month we found the water temperature starting to warm even more, allowing these predatory fish to start pushing out onto the flats earlier in the morning. Look for the bite to pick up even more as these warmer temperatures start to move in.
Chris Crego, Skinny Water Lures
Skinnywaterlure@yahoo.com