Bait is thick around deeper structures in the bay again and we have been using it to catch some quality fish on our inshore fishing charters. The Full moon two weeks ago fired the redfish up and clients caught quite a few nice fish during that stretch as well as black drum and sheepshead.

Last week the trout bite picked up and has been about as good as it gets, lots of solid keeper fish are being landed. I expect this action to continue for a little while, the slot fish are some great table fare 15-20 inches to keep and 4 per person. On some of the deeper grassy areas there has been a mixed bag of trout, Spanish mackerel, ladyfish, and bluefish to keep anglers rods bent. We have been landing the trout on whitebait and artificial lures like the Mirrolure Mirodine.

Snook are starting to get back up on the flats with the warm trend we are having and with the new moon approaching the tides will be good to target these fish and they will be hungry! They are catch and release until the end of February. Sheepshead bite is still strong on the near shore artificial reefs and we should start seeing some kingfish in the next couple weeks.

If you are looking for a fishing charter for the upcoming months in the Bradenton & Sarasota areas give me a call at 813-220-8725 to book a trip and catch some fish! I am a full time fishing guide and I can assure you a great day on the water.