The cool weather is finally here and we're having our winter tides and fishing conditions.

The snook have moved into the backcountry and I'm catching them in the intercoastal waterway as well as the back bays and creeks. For fly fishing the EP Perfect Minnow and Bay Anchovy patterns have been working in the #1 and 1/0 sizes. Chartreuse, white and black/purple have been working well depending on the color of the water. For spin tackle shrimp and jigs are working.

Redfish are around but I've not been catching any big fish. The average size is 16-22".

We are still catching some baby tarpon but they will probably thin out if it stays cool. There is a creek in Rookery Bay with a couple of deep holes where I believe there are resident babies but are tougher to catch when it cool.

Sunday we threw Berkley Gulp, white mullet pattern jigs and caught a mixed bag. Snook, pompano, bluefish, ladyfish and even robin fish were caught. Jigs are an excellent way to catch fish especially in the winter. The can be worked either fast or slow, deep or shallow and catch everything.

We always have two high and two low tides per day. In the summer the lower of the 2 tides is in the afternoon or evening and in the winter the lower tide is in the morning. I'm always surprised after the summer higher tides how low the tide can get in the morning on the full or new moon especially when a cold front passes thru. This past weekend we had a strong cold front move in and the tide stayed out all day. The north wind blows and keeps the water out. It's a great way to learn the underwater terrain and contours when the tide is at an extreme low. it also brings out the wildlife which like to forage along the shorlines. This week we've seen wild boar, racoons, deer and last week we saw a bobcat.

Give me a call if you'd like to book a trip. We can check tides and waether to optimize our chances.

Below Mike Henry with a baby tarpon he caught on a EP fly.

Tight lines - Capt. Mark Ward 239-450-9230 cell