So my .mil of 30 years (Eric) lives there. I have been coming down there for 6 years.

He states blah blah blah...we catch on incoming and outgoing tide with shrimp...so he says...it's hit and miss = shit?!

WTF- what technique/bait/lures do I need when I come down this March!!!!

Please help me. I'm no asshole that will spread the "word" I just wanna catch fish.

If u r afraid to post in general please! yes PLEASE Email or PM me!

I wanna own my .mil shooter on a half shell!!!!!    PLEASE help!!!!

Thanks ahead - BTW I will provide thirst destruction if we do meet!

V
OUT

Fishing the shallows requires local experience.  I'd head offshore if I were you as the water temps have brought fish in from the deep sections of the gulf as normal for this time of year.  I landed 5 keeper black snapper last two times I went out and was only a few miles past the ten mile line.

If you seriously want to catch fish you may be better off hiring a guide or running a charter. Unless you are on the water weekly to see the changes, have local knowledge, you are kinda luck fishing at best. Most good charters post daily trip catches. Pick a few, call and ask whats hot in March and what type of fishing they offer. Then monitor the sites to see if the captains are putting their charters on good fish. Personally, id rather pay a charter if i was dead set on catching. If anything do that a day then if your buddy has a boat go try emulating the previous trip.

Dont know the type of water there ( flats,tidal marsh,tidal creeks,bay etc).
But.
If im hitting an unknow brackish/salt are i do the following.

Using live shrimp, ill cast structure, grass beds,mangroves etc.
Ill run a 7ft med action with 8-10lb test with 2 ft of hard mono or flourocarbon " leader" tippet.
If on deeper water( 4-8ft) i may run a simple cone boober and float the shirimp over grass flats. Or site cast into pockets.
I hook my shrimp through the tail, they cast easier that way imho.

Lures.
Doa shrimp, jigs with minnow paddle tail bodies. Colors - white/red, chartreuse/white, gold flake/white, red goldflake.. I reverse my DOA shrimp so the hook is in the tail vs the weighted head.
Top waters ill run red white mirror lures with one set of trebles removed.
Over grass flats fir trout we've drift...and just walk the dog with any top water. Think zara spooks...

We always fished outgoing tide..slack is ok...never liked fishing incoming.

Ymmv.
Its a cliff notes of my fishing the lagoon and ICW on the east coast for years.

Good luck.

Or just bottom fish and brag you caught 20 sailors choices and go by quantity over quality

We could fish together
caught my 1st 30 in snook on a red and white zara spook  about 50 years ago on Bullfrog Creek , now it's a top dog jr. from mirrowlure … same area

Perfect summary!

About the only other thing I could add to that are fishing live baits. Pinfish, croakers, and finger mullet!

Only time a croaker worked was tossing it a yard or so in front of a school of reds..... .
But worth it lol.

Over here..fish out going...at o dark 30...near and major causeway bridge and its tarpon time.

Zara would still work.lol..
Its just not the cool lure lol

I’ve always had success at that time of the year using a popping cork with shrimp in around 4 feet of water and a moving tide, should be some big trout around.

That is a proven method for the w coast. You can cover a lot of water.

The snook fishing will be good in March, depending on what the tides are doing when you go. I try to fish the outgoing tides and the back side of flood tides are really good. Stay out of the gulf and fish inside, Little Homosassa, mason creek and Salt River, don't throw shrimp, free line finger mullet or chubs on a 20lb floro leader past all the trees in the water and hit all the little creek mouths. You can cover more water with a skitterwalk or spook and have a white zoom fluke on another rod to throw at the redfish when you pass the rock points or bars.

If you want trout in March go to marker 20 and follow the  black govt  markers south toward Chaz point, miles of grass 3 to 6 ft of water. Drift and throw a mirrodine c eyes in greenback or pinfish and you will should catch a bunch. You should still see the pods of greenbacks on the surface of the water out there early in the day. I have caught some big trout out there on top also, most on zara pups in bone or thread fin color.

I'm trying to google the lures I need but am overwhelmed by the sizes, shapes, colors and can't seem to find the "real" names/manufacturers of the lures...

In short, my google foo sucks.

Help would be appreciated.

V
OUT

With basics like mirror lure i think the basic is 52m? Iirc. That may be an intermediate sinker( 1-3ft) or the original..im going off memory. Sorry, not home to check them.
DOA is just their basic shrimp in the weight you want.
Root beer, gold flake,red flake, chartreuse.

Saltwater assassin  H+H costal ,berky gulp with jig heads of size you want, colors like above.

But with the way my fishing went yesterday....I'd ignore anything i ever posted lol.

Attached File


REDFISH
You want to be sitting where the red circles are on an outgoing (preferred) or incoming tide.

Live shrimp work best, you can use artificials I like DOA Cal Shad Tail 3-1/2-Inch in Chartreuse with a circle hook.  Cast bring back in fairly quickly, the hook will set itself.  repeat.

*Get there well before the outgoing tide and get setup, the guides will be along to claim their spots.

GAG/SHEEPSHEAD etc head out to the artificial reefs and bottom fish with live shrimp.

WHITE GRUNT Easy, run out 10-15 look for structure and fish with almost anything.  They are actually very good fish to eat, white flaky like snapper.

Hope he’s not colorblind like me I can’t see any red circles lol
I presume the points are what’s circled?