Cold temps and water clarity

[redbelly7]

With all of the extreme cold temps we've had this winter, do you experienced fishermen think we'll have better water clarity in the spring time, if we have standard rain fall? I was wondering if the colder temps would kill off algae, etc , so there may be clearer water in the spring time.

[wishin2bfishin]

My experience shows that the water clarity on the flats is mostly controlled by inland rainfall. One of the worst years I've seen was about 3 years ago when South Georgia and the panhandle of Florida had rainfall totals in the teens. This flushed all of the swamps in this part of the country and it all ran downhill to the gulf.
The water on the flats from Aucilla to Fenholloway rivers were so dark that the sea grass was dying. We had to go toward Keaton to find water that wasn't like coffee. That was a bad spring and summer for my fishing but the fall was very strong after the water cleared.

[redbelly7]

Thanks for the reply as I've only done this type of fishing a short time. But this past summer and fall, we saw heavy rain and I only tried to fish Econfina a couple of times due to the stained water. I'm hoping for a good spring.

[wishin2bfishin]

I am hoping for a good spring also. If the water is dark around Econfina and the fishing is slow, you might want to move south toward Keaton. Usually you can get somewhere around Spring Warrior or Adams Beach and the water will clear up some. We have had some trips saved by finding the transition between dark and clear water and catching some nice boxes of fish.
Super clear water is just as bad as super dark water in my opinion.

[big bend gyrene]

Look for fairly clear water in the early spring, with continued clearing until nearly crystal clean as scallop season approaches, and then finally expect HEAVY rains to hit the very weekend before scallop season opens with truck stop coffee colored water lasting through the entire summer and into the late fall... at least seems that's been the pattern over the past few years.