Ahoy there, fellow anglers of Flagler News Weekly!
Captain Adam Morley here, bringing you the lowdown on the latest fishing escapades straight from the Matanzas River and its charming tributaries. You know, the kind of water where you can almost hear the fish whispering their secrets. Now, I’ve been soaking up the sun and enjoying the rapid rise in water temperatures lately. It’s like the local fish decided to throw a warm-water party, and we’re all invited!
The magic formula for our finned friends getting more aggressive? Low tides meeting the warm midday sun – it’s like a natural alarm clock for the fish, signaling them to shake off that winter chill. Those lethargic states are fading away faster than a fisherman’s story about the one that got away.
Just the other day, I snagged my first inshore slam of the year. Fishing with my buddy Mike Cook, the St. Augustine Sandman on YouTube (check out his shenanigans), we reeled in multiple Redfish, some Trout, and a Flounder, all in one trip! It’s like the holy grail of inshore fishing around these parts. Oh, and as a bonus catch, a 15″ Whiting decided to join the party – on a Fishbites paddle tail, no less! Talk about an unexpected guest.
Now, let’s talk about the big blues – the beastly Bluefish that keep showing up around the Matanzas Inlet. It’s like they’re throwing their own beach bash. The secret to luring them in? Free-lining live baitfish and tossing around those large casting spoons – it’s like they can’t resist the glimmer.
Reports on the Black Drum and Sheepshead have slowed a bit this week, but fear not, they’re still hanging around, playing a bit hard to get. It’s like a game of hide-and-seek, but with fins.
And hey, mark your calendars! The Flagler Sportfishing Club is throwing a shindig, a members clinic on Saturday, March 9th, over at Club 51. If you’re not part of the club, no worries – nonmembers are welcome to join the fun. We’ll be swapping tips and tricks on various fishing styles, dishing out wisdom like a fisherman with a good yarn.
So, grab your gear, hit the waters, and let’s make some fish tales worth sharing!
Tight lines and sun-soaked vibes,
Captain Adam Morley
Chris from Skinny Water Lures mentioned that the bite was starting to pick up this week, the excitement in the air was palpable. With the warmer weather finally pushing in, we were eager to hit the water and see what we could catch. This week, we decided to target creek mouths and flood grass, armed with our trusty SWL twitch bait. And boy, were we in for a treat. The redfish seemed to be in a feeding frenzy, striking our bait on the pause. But we didn’t stop there. We also had success jigging the SWL 4-inch paddle tail slowly off the bottom during the out-going tide.
On low tide, we switched things up by throwing the paddle tail on a spinner blade and working it parallel to the oyster beds. The reds were lurking in the deeper channels, waiting to ambush our spinner blade as it passed by. Not only did we reel in some impressive redfish, but we also managed to snag a few decent flounder along the creek mouths using the SWL curly tail grub. It was non-stop action all week long. And although we had hoped the warmer weather would kickstart the topwater bite for the redfish, it seems that the water temperature just wasn’t quite there yet.
As the weeks go on and the weather continues to heat up, that topwater bite should start to come alive. Remember when throwing artificial lures, focused darker the water darker the bait, clearer water, lighter bait. Follow that rule of thumb and you will catch fish!!
