Happy Fishing! Check out this weekend's Big Bend fishing report

2023 has welcomed us with some pretty nice weather so far.

With that has brought some excellent in-shore fishing along the Big Bend.

Major cold front seems like a year ago. Oh, 2022 two weeks ago. Fish stacked in the river, NW winds pushed water so far out even the kayaker’s had problems getting to their favorite spots.

With daytime highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s, shallows have hit and are maintaining that magic number of 65 degrees.

Creeks and tributaries off the main channel up and down our beloved area is prime for good size and numbers of redfish. Now’s a perfect time to take advantage. That’s if you’re not in the woods or afraid of an early chilly boat ride.

When you go, bring a couple rods. Jig tipped with your favorite soft plastic swimbait, a spoon and a top water. In January you say? I say yes.

Oyster bars are key for reds. They’re a little skittish in the early AM before it warms. Once that sun hits the ten o’clock hour it’s like a button is pushed. If the tide is right, hold on!

Over the weekend we hit the jackpot. Every other cast was a redfish strike on top. Didn’t matter the bait, color was key. White, Orange, Mullet. Any or a combination got plenty of Mr. Reds attention.

Don’t assume when that bite is over the fish are gone. Change it up. Spoon, jig or hard jerk bait.

Trout was the word. They’ve now scattered with the warming trend. We boated over 175 in just 4 hours. Half were keepers. Watched this scenario repeat itself up and down where the river forks. Poles bent, happy faces, great way to get kids started in the sport. Although it will spoil you.

Jig, shrimp, popping cork, toss, reel in fish. Now you need to work for them if it’s seatrout you’re after. Rocky or oyster riddled bottom off the main channel is a good place to start. Hard or soft jerk baits.

If you prefer freshwater it’s just as good.

Crappie are being caught big time in lakes Talquin and Seminole. Fish are running in the 12” to 14” range respectively.

Trolling jigs on either lake along with live crappie minnows or shiners worked in key holes will boat a limit also.

Offshore guys are no longer able to chase gag grouper. Red grouper are in season though. So are Trigger fish. One of best tasting out there in my opinion.

Weekend’s forecast is more than favorable for fishing. It’s still cold in the mornings and during that boat ride so layer up. Once the sun comes out you’ll thank me.

Until next week, be safe have fun and ALWAYS wear your life jacket while boating.

APALACHEE BAY

Otto Hough (Facebook @myhometownfishing) says, ” Classic Big Bend rollercoaster fishing weather has been visiting the Big Bend; from freezing cold Christmas, warm New Years weekend followed by a record high this past Tuesday with nippish mornings ahead this three day stretch it's a definite rollercoaster water ride for the trout. One thing for certain, the warming trend over the past five or so days that pushed the skinny temps up ten degrees or more got things happening along the coast. That rise in water temps got the trout and reds venturing back out to the river and creek mouths, in a frisky feeding mode. That has especially been the case around the Aucilla and Econfina rivers. In East River, the bar cuts were holding good numbers of slot trout as were some of the St. Marks bars near Big Pass.

With the full moon looming, early morning wintertime low tides along the Big Bend coastline are going to be in the negative column just after sunrise. If targeting the trout and reds early, just be aware there'll be little to no water in the creeks, with the rivers becoming mere rivelts as there'll be a steady north wind pushing the water way out for a good while.  Remember, fish need water, so, those deep holes and cuts become their haunts during these periods of extreme low tides. As the tide turns Friday, expect a slow rise given the predicted north wind. An angling bonus of sorts with the weekend rising tides, there's a major solunar feed tracking those midday rising tides. If targeting trout, take time to target the darker, hard bottomed creek mouths. Those areas will warm up a few degrees by midday to the liking of the trout. However, not all the trout will be at the creek and river mouths, as lots of lower end slot trout are still well up each of the Big Bend rivers. Those wintertime river trout, reds and sheepies will devour an offering of a lively shrimp on a Carolina rig or jighead. With the preponderance of finned ones in the river, it's a good time to take the kids or grandkids "ditch" fishing in one of the rivers so they to can get hooked on fishing.

Last weekend, being a long New Years holiday with plenty of warmth, the landings and waterways were slap dab packed. If I were to hazard a guess, plan on seeing more than a few boats plying the waters Saturday and Sunday with folks getting out to enjoy the predicted sunny days. Practice nautical safety as well as boating etiquette when on the rivers. Don't go slow trolling right past folks that are anchored up fishing a hole, bend or cut. And again, wear an auto-inflatable PFD. Boat safely, just FISH!!

ST GEORGE ISLAND

Captain Russ Knapp (850-653-5072) reports, “Our week late New Year's treat from the weather Gods is a great forecast for the weekend with seas forecast at no more than 2 feet, winds around 10 to 15 knots and sunny skies with temperatures 60 to 65 degrees.

Tides at the Cut this weekend are also in the favorable to fishing range with mid-morning lows at - 0.6 feet and late afternoon 1.1 foot highs. This is almost too good to be true for early January so as always recheck conditions before you leave the house.

In the bay, Capt. Dan Fortunas (850 980 0101) is finding nice Sheepshead and Black Drum that would love you offer them a bit of fresh shrimp both around the rocks in the Cut and the SGI bridge pilings.

Current regulations from FCW are Sheepshead must be 12" with an eight fish limit, while Black Drum have a slot of 14" to 24" with one fish over 24" and a five fish limit. Capt. Dan says if the stripes on a Black Drum are faded you can plan on it being an older fish and most likely full of parasites therefore you are best off to release it.

We really don't have much to report on offshore fishing this week with the biggest news that Gag Grouper season is closed and Red Grouper season is open.

Tip of the week -- Capt. Clint Taylor (850 370 6631) reminds you if the air is warm and water is cold you have an excellent chance of running into sea fog this time of year which can ruin your day quickly. With modern GPS units' navigation isn't a big problem but other traffic and floating surprises are a major problem,  so SLOW DOWN and double the lookouts -- the boat you save may be yours!

BIG BEND KAYAK REPORT

Salt strong coach Matt Lanier (Matt@saltstrong.com) tells us, “I hope everyone had a fantastic New Years! The cold temps and high winds has subsided a bit and are much more manageable, making for some great fishing to go with this warming temperature trend. There were some solid fish caught this past week!

With the hard cold front that we just experienced, there was a sad number of fish kill from fish that just couldn’t take the temps. Unfortunately, the bigger fish, like gator trout, are the ones most affected, as the smaller ones stay in numbers and retreat to deeper waters.

But with that being said, the fish that are still around, are hungrier than ever as they are trying to recover calories they lost while trying to keep warm during the cold conditions. So it is super important to find the 90/10 zone!

The trout that are schooled up, are still found in their usual haunts around structure and ledges and depth changes. Be sure to use jig heads heavy enough to get you down in the deeper part of the water column, where those fish are at; and now that we are in the colder part of the year, exposed jig heads will be optimal, as there is less grass to get hung up in.

It can often be helpful to downsize the size of your bait in the colder months, going to a smaller presentation, to entice the bite from those more lethargic fish. The fish have a slower metabolism in the winter and will not use calories to chase a bait down like they will in the warmer months. Therefore, fishing smaller baits, on the bottom, is a great wintertime tactic.

With the warming trend, redfish can still be found roaming the flats in some of those late fall habits, cruising in creek mouths and oyster beds during the ringing tide, and in the soft current seams in depth changes on the falling tide.

Productive lures have been ranging from paddletails to shrimp imitations and hard baits like the MR17, but the biggest factor is warmth. It the sun is shining your lure choice can be a bit more aggressive and you can fish faster, but if it is a dark and cloudy day, try to go something smaller, and more subtle to illicit those strikes from fish that are slower to react.

Topwater can still produce great in the morning and even into the afternoon on those calm days, so be sure to throw those favorite topwater lures (Moonwalker, Skitter Walk, One Knockers) with that enticing walk-the-dog action for those big fish looking for an easy meal.

If you find yourself on the water and fishing in a spot where you haven’t gotten a bite for the last 15 minutes… it’s time to move. Keep looking for the 90/10 zone where those fish are holding.  Don’t waste time in unproductive areas. The fish are moving and so should you!

To get the kids on some fish quickly, a live shrimp or GULP! under a popping cork around creek mouths and grass lines is a solid producer of fish. And the best part is you never know what you’ll catch because everything eats shrimp…  EVEN ME!

If you plan on getting out this weekend, always make sure you check (and double check) your gear and the weather. But most importantly… STAY SAFE & HAVE FUN!

Tallahassee local, London Bush, caught this beautiful Snook while visiting her father in Crystal River over Christmas break. Fish was caught off a private dock at night.  (London Bush photo)

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here is this weekend's Big Bend fishing report