SolarFlare

By the way John, nice Florida State attire; little classier than Yamaha Pajamas

user10309

Yeah I hear ya
My boy goes there I'm very proud or him, he's a great son. I've been up there a few times to visit and even caught a game this year. It was very cool. I'll definitely go to some games next year.

SolarFlare

So John, whats your prognosis for the bull reds the next couple of weeks?

SALTLIFE34

Are those your Wright and Mcgill rods? If so, how do you like them? Also, do you have any openings for December?

SolarFlare

Those r some good questions,tell us about the rods John!

user10309

Jeff, & jplvr
Great question. These cold fronts seem to help the bull reds, as I’ve always done very well after we’ve had a good cold front.
With the rest of December it should be good fishing for the big reds, just watch the tides and make sure you have some good water movement. Even though these fish are not on the flats they like water moving. If the tide’s just changing or not moving the bite is typically not so good, it’s good to wait at least a good 1.5 –2 hrs after the tide and that’s when the bite really turns on.
So the answer to your question is I think the rest of December is going to be very good as long as this wind stops blowing.
January & February are the coldest months in the Panhandle, but don’t fret, the fishing is still very good. You just have to pick your days and deal with some cold temps.

If you like specks, fish up near the mouth of the rivers in both Escambia & Blackwater Bay. You can catch both specks and reds in the winter, just slow down your presentation and you should have some luck. Try using a Berkley Gulp jerk shad and slow crawl it along the bottom or very slow bounces. I’ve found that the trout and reds are very much like northern bass in the winter. They get lethargic and to get them to strike you almost have to put the bait in front of their faces. Try fishing drop-offs like 3 ft to 8 ft or 6 –12 ft ledges. When it’s really cold this is where the trout will be holding up. And when you hook one, don’t leave; you probably just found a bunch of them. They like to stack up kind of like penguins do in the North Pole for warmth. (I’ve been watching too much Discovery Channel!)

If you like white trout, fish 3 Mile Bridge during the rest of December. January & February and usually produce bigger fish. Try using aBerkley Gulp 3” Shrimp on a ¼oz jig head and you should have plenty of luck. These fish are very aggressive this time of year. You just have to watch your bottom machine and find some structure, anchor up or down current of the structure, and fish just off the edges of it. I like to use my new Minn Kota I-Pilot. I set it and forget it, ok did I really just say that? I’m not cooking a chicken. (Any one get the joke?) I position the boat over the old bridge rubble and fish the edges, that way I don’t get hooked up and lose jig after jig.

With the Cobia run, it really doesn’t start till around March 26 or April 1st; there are some usually caught before these dates starting around the 1st or 2nd week of March, but the real good bite starts around the first week of April and lasts about 6 weeks to 8 weeks and then it tapers off.
This is mostly sight fishing with towers, but if you don’t have a boat, you can go to the pier, but that’s a whole other animal. Both are a lot of fun. If you’re pier fishing, it’s all artificials and if you’re on a boat, it’s both.

Jeff, about your question with the flats blue rods, I really like them. They are very well built and have a very nice fulcrum when fighting fish. I use the 8ft heavy rods for fighting these big reds. Another thing I like about these rods is the fast tip. Since the tip is a fast tip, it allows you to toss a light bait like a pilchard or cigar minnow very far, but this rod also has enough backbone to handle the power of the big reds.

Another cool thing about these rods is the camo blue color; the rod really does almost disappear when looked up at from the water. I notice this when I’ve taken a few pics, and I almost can’t see the rod. This helps when fishing the flats and it doesn’t spook the fish, and it looks pretty cool, too.

Sorry for the late reply with the two questions; it’s been kind of crazy with Christmas so close and running a few redfish trips.

Hope this helps.
Tight Lines.
Capt. John

nathar

Capt. John,
This information is gold! As a newbie to saltwater fishing, it's perplexing sometimes. Seems like every species requires a different bait, rig, and presentation technique. It's not like putting a cricket on a hook and fishing for bream with a cane pole.

Thank you for this info! I've printed it to a pdf and saved it.
Nate

SolarFlare

I'll have to catch up to you on those rods John, they stop making my Boron Rods I'm going to need some replacements.....

D35

Hello Capt. John,
I was with Jplvr the other day at the ramp, that was my Proline we were in. We realy appreciate all the advice you have shared in your posts. We are trying to plan a weekend to take a trip with you in January. I've got all of your in formation from you website. I will be in touch with you after the new year.
Thanks again for the help,
Dimitri