On the Water | It was another cold week out on the water

Several cold fronts brought windy days and a drop in water temperature for the week. Anglers reported water temperatures as low as the upper 50s with low 60s common inshore. Not the best week for fishing. However, hardcore fishermen fish no matter the conditions and actually turned in respectable catches.
Sheepshead were reported around the gulf passes including Boca Grande, Captiva, Redfish, Blind and around structure at either end of the Sanibel Causeway. Fishing docks, creeks and shorelines around St. James also turned up sheepshead.
Shrimp was the bait of choice rigged in various ways, including knocker rigs, split shot and hook and shrimp/jig head combination. Anglers also had success with larger sheepshead while using fiddler crabs, mud crabs or oysters for bait. A few black and red drum were also hooked mixed with the sheepshead.
Redfish, most running small, were caught around creeks and oyster bars in south Matlacha Pass and “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge. Average size was about 15 inches with an occasional fish over 18 inches. Sheepshead, small snook and snapper were also caught from these areas.
Small or undersize trout mixed with ladyfish were caught in north Matlacha Pass, grass flats around Bokeelia and throughout Pine Island Sound in 3 to 5-foot depths. Larger trout up to 20 inches were caught in sand holes and over grass flats near Rocky Channel and the fish shacks, west of Galt Island and between the channel and Buck Key. Best baits included live shrimp, DOA and GULP shrimp under popping corks, and a gold spoon with a slow retrieve. Pompano were also hooked from these areas.
Fishing slow and low worked for catch-and-release snook action in canals and creeks around St. James and Bokeelia. They tend to congregate in these areas during cold stretches. Snook are a tropical species and don’t tolerate cold very well. That’s why they are out of season during the winter. If the water temperature drops to low for several days, they become lethargic, and catching them can kill them. January 2010 was our last big kill-off from a cold winter. Canal, creeks and protected areas usually maintain a little higher water temperature, that’s why they congregate.
We’ve been waiting for the cooler temperatures to spark the larger sheepshead and it looks like we may have a few days with good weather this week to find out.
Stay up to date with fishing regulations by visiting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission website at www.myfwc.com. Also, upload the Fish Rules app on your phone. It has current regulations with pictures to help identify fish. If you turn on your GPS location the Fish Rules app updates to your location. In my opinion, it is more accurate and up to date than FWC’s website.
If you have a fishing report or for charter information, please contact us at Gulf Coast Guide Service — call or text 239-410-8576; website at www.fishpineisland.com; or email gcl2fish@live.com.
Have a safe week and good fishin’
As a lifetime resident of Matlacha and Pine Island, Capt. Bill Russell has spent his life fishing and learning the waters around Pine Island and Southwest Florida.