Ahoy, anglers! Captain Adam Morley here with the latest fishing report for Flagler News Weekly. The weather fronts have been as unpredictable as the temperatures, making conditions a rollercoaster for us on the water. Inshore, the water temperature is holding in the mid to upper 50s, making our finned friends a bit more sluggish.
Janine from Genung’s Fish Camp reports hot bites, and she’s spot on for this time of year. Sheepshead are on a feeding frenzy, especially around rocks, docks, and pilings. Live sand fleas are the go-to bait for these toothy critters. Exciting news for members of the Flagler Sportfishing Club gearing up for the Sheepshead tournament this weekend!
Meanwhile, Black Drum are schooling up and chilling at the bottom of the holes. They’ve got a taste for shrimp, sand fleas, or blue crabs – a tempting menu for those looking to hook into some serious action.
Let’s not forget the majestic Redfish basking in the sun’s rays in shallow waters, from the back creeks to the flats around oyster bars. Fish live shrimp on a light jig head or opt for soft plastics with a slow, deliberate presentation – the key in this cool water.
For these bronze champions, remember, it’s all about the sloooow presentation. So, gear up, take it easy, and let’s make the most of these chilly but rewarding fishing days in Flagler. Tight lines, mates! 
Chris from Skinny Water Lures mentioned this week was full of rain, cold weather and low tides during the day, making for a tough week. Starting the week off on Monday the bite turned on due to a cold front and raining coming the next day.
A day prior to rain, fish tend to become more active as the drop in barometric pressure signals feeding opportunities. The approaching precipitation often stimulates fish to feed more aggressively, making it an opportune time to fish. However, immediately after rain or during a cold front, fish might become less active. The sudden change in weather conditions can temporarily disrupt their feeding patterns, leading to a potential lull in bites.
Patience and adaptability become crucial as you may need to adjust your techniques, lures, or bait presentations to entice bites during these post-frontal conditions. Understanding the nuances of fish behavior in response to weather changes adds an extra layer of strategy for success on the water during these times.
This week we push to the deeper holes with moving water focusing on the speckle trout bite. These deep holes or drop offs with moving water allow these speckle trout to gather in multiple numbers. These trout were positioned down deep or just outside the drop offs waiting to ambush the bait fish as the current pushes them over the deep holes. We focused using a Skinny Water Lures 3 inch twitch bait. This bait is a suspending style hard bait that allows the lure to be worked in a twitching motion, but also stopped periodically as it suspense motionless in the strike zone.
During this winter pattern these speckle trout cannot resist that twitch pause action, causing most strikes to happen on the pause. Knowing this pattern allows us to say the SWL suspending hard bait is our lure of choice for winter time speckle trout. As the week ends and moves into the next week, look for the bite to pick back up due to a Waxing Gibbous moon phase (full Moon).
