Inshore/River fishing: what am I doing wrong?

[Apalachee Inshore]

Get out away from the river. I’ve just been walking on the backs of seatrout to and from my fishing spots.

[Redbelly]

Get out away from the river. I’ve just been walking on the backs of seatrout to and from my fishing spots.

Sez the man with a 28" trout!

[Rainman]

Agree with the above. The fish are just not in the St. Marks this year. Move east and fish rock grass or creek mouths and into the creeks. Fish are everywhere. Fished 3 days this past weekend and caught limits of trout everyday for 3 people. If you are nervous about creeks, just check the tides, go slow and set up an entry path using google maps. You can see just about every single rock and piece of rock grass on google maps. I call it computer fishing and it has paid off big time.

[mpa_72001]

get out the river the water is to warm and fish the shallows you'll find em then.

[Swampcreek]

I thought it was just me. On new years day I fished the bay between live oak and shell island and did not get a bite. I should have taken the shotgun. Ducks were everywhere

[rickc]

trout prefer a salinity around 17 to 35 parts per thousand

well we all know in the winter when we have really cold weather the trout stack up in the rivers. when we get a big flush of.fresh water it.seems to push the trout right out of there.

this year has just been a constant flush of freah water and no real cold.weather.

now fresh water floats on top of salt water so it is possible on an incoming tide deeper areas around the river mouth might hold fish. probably best advice is get away from the river completely. as warm as its been fish are still on the flats. if you want to be scientific about it get you an aquarium salinity gauge and look for salty water. remember the water on the bottom may be much saltier than the surface.

[rockyg]

If you think you can see every rock between the Lighthouse and the Aucilla River on your computer you are sadly mistaken. Run down there in the morning on that negative 0.8 foot low tide and have at it. The marine repair shops are slow now and will appreciate your business.

[ropeman]

I appreciate the comments very much! My thought was the river is where the fish are when it's winter time but I was mistaken because of all the freshwater. I hope to scout a few new spots tomorrow with more salinity and less freshwater.

[rickc]

yep

glad those Rocks keep most people out of that area. i cring when i see the scallopers running through there in the summer.

for a new guy i recommend you run outside till about grey mare and then just ease in there. after a few trips you can have a clear pat on your chart plotter

[ropeman]

Thanks for all those comments! We had a good day out of Econfina. The bite didn't turn on until after 4 and I don't have lights so we had so run the sun down. 5 short reds and one 20" keeper! Good times!

[Burning daylight]

Did anyone catch any keeper trout today or any trout at all?? Me and a buddy fished spring warrior today and the one and only bite was a 21in red at around lunch time and seemed like everyone we talked to had about the same report as we did Im thinking hard about going again tomorrow but don't know if it's a waist of time

[Apalachee Inshore]

Did anyone catch any keeper trout today or any trout at all?? Me and a buddy fished spring warrior today and the one and only bite was a 21in red at around lunch time and seemed like everyone we talked to had about the same report as we did Im thinking hard about going again tomorrow but don't know if it's a waist of time

It’s never a waste of time.

[Redbelly]

True....it's never a waste of time!

I think the front shut them down yesterday. Plus its a matter of finding them too.

We are heading out of Ecofina today...…..

[4reels]

I went out last Sunday afternoon on a high tide. Headed over to some of the deeper cuts in the big pass / little pass area. My thinking was warmer water and more salinity should hold fish, and that area should check both boxes. The water was a little warmer once I got in there (around 62 - which was about the same water temp around the fort). Unfortunately, not a single fish to show for it. Could’ve been something I was doing wrong as much as anything.

It was also the first time I’ve fished by myself in my boat. I was just happy I didn’t embarrass myself launching and retrieving at Shields on a Sunday afternoon . . . I’m almost good at it!
LOL


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[SHOWBOAT]

Went inshore Sunday since grouper closed. Weather was a bit ominous, but we pushed through. Water is cold enough the fish are in creeks or holding on hard structure in front of creeks. Caught probably 40 trout between 17-25" along with a half dozen reds. Jerk baits and topwaters. Wife is going to make seatrout sliders from a recent version of Garden and Gun to do something different.

Don't be afraid to go exploring away from the rivers, just go slow if you haven't been there before. Hope to see more fishing reports and less nonsense going forward...