We had a pretty solid week of fishing, with some good-sized bait schools showing up along the beaches before the latest cold front moved through. The front brought some cooler weather and favorable conditions later in the week, and now we’ll see if it also helps push more bait into the area.
With the full moon, king tides, and NE winds lining up, we should start seeing more mullet moving along the beaches. The mullet run has been a little slower to develop than we’d like, which has been the trend over the past few years. Hopefully, the reports of good numbers of mullet from North Florida through the Carolinas will translate into more bait making its way down the coast. It would be great to see the large schools of mullet we haven’t consistently seen in nearly a decade.
For now, the key to the fishing is going to be finding the bait. Wherever you find good bait pods, there should be fish close by, both along the beaches and inshore. There have been plenty of tarpon and sharks working the beaches, although the sharks have been making it difficult to get through to the other fish at times.
The inshore snook bite has remained fairly consistent, with a mix of short, slot, and over-slot fish being caught. We’ve also seen the trout bite improve considerably in several areas, particularly where there is clean water and bait nearby. When the bait schools move close to shore, the trout have been quick to take advantage.
Early this week looks like our best window for getting on the beach, with lighter conditions expected before the winds increase Thursday and begin building the seas into the 3–4 foot range. If you’re planning to fish the beach, I’d take advantage of the early-week conditions and keep an eye on the wind and surf as the week progresses.
For the inshore anglers, don’t overlook the areas where bait is harder to find. Bait has been scattered and very inconsistent this year, so if you can’t locate a good pod, work the mangrove shorelines and areas with healthy grass flats. Those areas should continue to hold plenty of trout and snapper, with some redfish and snook mixed in.
Overall, we’re waiting on the bait to become more consistent, and once it does, the fishing should really start to come together. The combination of the full moon, king tides, and NE winds should have the mullet moving, so this could be an important week for seeing how the bait situation develops. Find the bait, and you should find the fish.