MERRY CHRISTMAS! It’s gonna be a chilly one for sure.
With record lows forecast through Monday, this will go down in the record books as one of the coldest holiday weekends ever.
For many of you that hit the woods this time of year you can finally wear those down-filled jackets and bibs. The rest of us will get comfy in front of the television watching fishing shows.
With only a week or so left in chasing state water gag grouper, you may need to wait until late next week or be prepared for the coldest boat ride you’ve ever been on.
Speaking of grouper, this cold weather will have the big girls move even closer to shore. As temps plummet, bait will suck to bottom structure. This is like the dinner bell for gag’s as they prepare for their spawn. Run a shallow diving trolling plug or bounce a baited jig through the rocks and hold one. This should be good.
Here’s a boating tip you’ll want to be sure and use this weekend: As overnight temperatures will drop into or below 20, be sure to have any and all water drained out of your boat. This includes pulling all the drain plugs. Besides the main, you probably have livewell, baitwell and freshwater tanks which all need to be drained. It doesn’t take long for lines or pumps to crack when they freeze.
APALACHEE BAY
Otto Hough (Facebook @myhometownfishing) says, ” Winter solstice arrived this past Wednesday afternoon. Seemingly as an exclamation point, Ma Nature is delivering a strong Siberian blast of truly cold, blustery winter weather over the long Christmas weekend ahead. Gale force winds with will be blowing out of the northwest over Apalachee Bay Friday, remaining elevated in the NWS Small Craft Advisory range on through Christmas Eve, then diminishing only a hair by Christmas day. Some angler, somewhere must have been bad, really bad, as the current pre-Christmas Marine Forecast is somewhat akin to lumps of coal being dropped into the tackle bag or boat! Make good use of the time on the hill. Work on the boat, trailer lights or just scurry around doing last minute Christmas shopping while exercising patience.
Fortunately, there’s a glimmer of hope for the day after Christmas to have some enjoyable fishing conditions, albeit still cold conditions, but with diminished winds. This slight improvement should offer up a chance, granted a cold one, to tryout the new fishing gear Santa may have left under tree. Even if he didn’t leave any new stuff, Monday will be the first safe, decent day to chase the fish in one of our many rivers. Along the coast, post new moon morning lows will be negative by late morning, so stay in the rivers to chase the trout, reds and sheepies in those warmer, deeper holes and cuts. If running outside to chase the gags, take a moment to check the current buoy and Weatherstem wind readings before venturing too far offshore. Either way, inside or outside, file a float plan, layer up while wearing one of those new auto-inflatable PFDs Santa may have brought you if you didn’t get that dreaded lump of coal. Above all else, stay safe, boat wisely. Then, just FISH!
ST GEORGE ISLAND
Captain Russ Knapp (850-653-5072) reports, “The Winter Solstice this year was at 4:48 PM on Wednesday 12/21 which is great news as from now till June the days are going to get longer and give you more time to fish . That was the good news , the weather this weekend is the bad news as it’s going to be COLD with strong winds and add in the fact its Christmas frankly, I suggest staying home and wait for things to warm up next week. Tides this weekend at the Cut feature a 10 AM low of – 0.9 followed by a 6 PM high tide of 3.3’, this is a big tide swing for us and be aware the strong winds will affect things.
In the bay this week, Capt. Dan Fortunas (850 980 0101) has been catching nice Redfish in and around the Cut using finger mullet for bait on the rising tide. Capt. Dan also reports the Silver/White Trout are still on the oyster flats west of the low rise in the SGI bridge and Sheepshead can be found around the bridge pilings. Bring “fishbites” for the Trout and fiddler crabs or fresh shrimp bits for the Sheepshead. The forecasted cold front is going to drop the water temperature a bunch so things may be quite different next week —- be ready with plan B.
Offshore, Capt. Clint Taylor (850 370 6631) suggests that after the weather warms up, catch some large live baits and fish for Gag Grouper as the season is set to close on Dec 31st. The wrecks and reefs should have non-Red Snappers and Black Sea Bass that will be more than happy to bite nice small bit of Squid and provide you with a great meal.
Tip of the week — Aluminized Myler blankets will retain 90% of your body heat and are a must to keep on your boat especially during the cold months. They are very light, don’t take up hardly any room, are inexpensive and can be the difference in an emergency. All you have to do is Goggle marine survival blanket to find a supplier you like and cheap as they are buy a bunch and give them to your friends for a late Christmas gift.
KEATON BEACH
Capt. Pat McGriff, (onemorecast@gtcom.net) reports, “MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
MEXICO BEACH
Capt. Kevin Lanier of KC Sportfishing Mexico Beach, Fl (850 933 8804) reports” MERRY CHRISTMAS!
BIG BEND KAYAK REPORT
Salt strong coach Matt Lanier (Matt@saltstrong.com) tells us, “I hope everyone is ready for some seriously cold weather!
This past week was warm compared to what we will be getting over the next couple weeks, and the impending cold front had the fish feeding very well! Lots of solid fish caught that were feeding around creeks and creek mouths in a fall pattern, as they were getting ready to fatten up for this cold weather coming in.
With the heavy north winds, and cold temps, it may be best to keep those kayaks dry this weekend and enjoy the time with your family around a warm fire or heated furnace.
The heavy prevailing winds, mixed with the outgoing tides will often leave the water table very unpredictable.
Everyone should rest up, do a gear cleaning, and get all that fresh Christmas gear ready to get to the water after the rest of this heavy cold front moves through. It is okay to take a week off every once in a while, and this may be one of those weeks. Spend time and enjoy the holidays with your family, get the fresh holiday fishing gear ready for the water, stay warm, and remember the reason for the season!Merry Christmas!
LAKE SEMINOLE
Capt. Paul Tyre reports, “The Bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been excellent in December! The Bass, Striper, and Crappie fishing will get even better after this colder weather.
The big Largemouths have been feeding heavily on Bream, while the schooling Bass are feeding on Shad. The Hybrids and Stripers have started their annual Fall feed and will last through January!
We have been catching Bass on a variety of lures from Spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs to jerk baits. A Double Willow Leaf Strke King Premier Plus 1/2 oz Chartreuse and White has produced very well. This bait works well at fast speeds to generate a reaction strike. The new Strike King Thunder Cricket has been very productive this Fall and I expect it to continue to produce through the winter! The Strike King Thunder Cricket has incredible action to it and a built-in trailer keeper that works great!
Jerk baits have worked well this Fall and will continue through December. The key has been working them fast and at a erratic pace. As the water temps continue to drop, slow the pace down. The Strike King KVD jerk bait in the 200 series and the 300 series in any Shad color has also worked well. The Strike KVD series is one of my favorite Jerk Baits because of it’s cast ability and action.
The Hybrids and Stripers have been exciting to catch and we been averaging over 30 each morning by 10am! When fishing for Stripers and Hybrids, the right action rod and a 6:3.1 gear ratio reel is important. I prefer a Temple Fork Outfitters rod in the Professional series, it’s a 7’6’’ Heavy action rod and is ideal for catching big Stripers and Hybrids on an Alabama rig. It is a fast action rod but is moderate enough to handle the strong surges that you get when fighting big Hybrids and Stripers. On the business end of the A-rigs, I prefer the Bass Assassin 4 and 5 inch Die Dapper rigged on a Saltwater Assassin jig-head.
The Crappie fishing has also been very good, we have been catching them on Jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water. December is an excellent month to catch some BIG Crappie!
For a Lake Seminole Fishing Adventure give me a call to check availability at 850-264-7534 , follow us on Instagram @ Capt.paultyrefishing or email me @ paultyrefishing@yahoo.com.