Carrabelle 1-19-09

[WaltDawg]

Good job fellars.

[Reel Cowboy]

Nice work guys...appreicate the report.

The real question though, what is the trick for being able to fish on a Monday?

He's got today off too.

[caseycook]

Nice work guys...appreicate the report.

The real question though, what is the trick for being able to fish on a Monday?

Work for a quasi-governmental Association. It's a great gig.

He's got today off too.

I wish RC...we just get a longer lunch to watch the inauguration.

[lordsfisher]

Casey and Liam, You guys have it going on! I'm surprised to see you say you'd like to fish East next time. Do you think it's generally better East of St. Marks or West? I guess the east may get less pressure and have better habitat. But seems like it's outstanding to the west from your reports. Keep up the great reports and photos.

[TroutTrent]

Casey you don't need to go to Ecky there's no reds that way,,,I swear to the fishing Gods there's not

[captkeyser]

Congrats guys! Can't beat finding a school of reds on the flat with 50degree water temps..... and then catchin a few.

[caseycook]

Casey and Liam, You guys have it going on! I'm surprised to see you say you'd like to fish East next time. Do you think it's generally better East of St. Marks or West? I guess the east may get less pressure and have better habitat. But seems like it's outstanding to the west from your reports. Keep up the great reports and photos.

LF,

It's really good both directions from St. Marks 365 days of the year. We're very lucky to live in this area as there's great fishing both directions for over a hundred miles. I generally stay West (Carrabelle) during the summer and East during the Spring and Fall (St. Marks, Aucilla, Econfina, Keaton) and take a little time off during the winter.

I've talked with some of the best fishermen in the area about fishing certain areas at different times of the year. Side note: many of these people are NFGFC members and speak at our monthly club meetings - more reason to join and attend the meetings and fish the tournaments. They're of the opinion that the trout "show up" or move from East to West up the coastline early in the year much like an arrow moving slowly from east to west. I know this is a strange concept, but I believe it has to do with certain water being more attractive to trout / redfish than other sections. Maybe the water temperature is a couple degrees warmer / cooler, maybe there's bait present in certain areas whereas other areas are devoid of it, I don't know. These folks that fish every weekend / multiple times per week are able to follow the fish as certain areas get hot.

Take Carrabelle for example...there is deep water close by to the Carrabelle grass flats - deep water means that when the water temperature rises during the summer, trout don't have far to retreat to get to cooler water. They'll stay up shallow all night and remain there until the sun heats the water to a certain temperature and they'll fall back into the deep water during the middle of the day. At the Econfina, you might have to go 4 or 5 miles out to find 10' of water. Many trout will move out deep once the water temp reaches a certain mark and stay there until the water cools. Trout that move deep are much harder to find than ones that stay shallow.

The theory is that in early March the trout will be hot and heavy in Keaton, by mid-March the fishing has gotten hot at Econfina / Aucilla. As the arrow moves further west in early-mid April the fishing get really good around St. Marks. As the summer months approach, the arrow has reached the Ocklocknee / Lanark / Carrabelle area. Around the middle of September, the fishing slows in Carrabelle and the arrow does an about face and heads back to the East. Usually around the first or second week in October, the fishing is lights out around Aucilla / Econfina and will continue to be hot until the water temperature drops below a certain temperature and many of the fish head to the creeks.

By no means am I an expert, but by looking back at some of my notes and from discussions with people I respect greatly as fisherman, this is the common thought. Some people know enough spots out of certain ramps that they can do well at all times of the year. I've just found that it's easier for me to catch a solid limit of trout if I follow this pattern from East to West and back again as the year progresses. Just my thoughts... Other opinions / thoughts are appreciated.

[lordsfisher]

trout "show up" or move from East to West up the coastline early in the year much like an arrow moving slowly from east to west.

Casey, That's really interesting. I appreciate your sharing of knowledge. I'll have to take your word for it because I certainly don't understand it. Mackeral, pompano and others apparently do a similar thing but cover more distance. Of course some of them stick around. I understand why these would move north as the water warms, but I wonder what triggers keep them moving west. There might not be any relationship, but ecosystems tend to be intricately tied. And like you said, more likely it's tied to the movement or migration of their food. And also like you said, I bet temperatures warm up quicker in the spring in the broader east flats in the spring.
Questions:
1) Have you noticed any major changes in speckled trout diet through the year? (e.g., switch from pinfish, mullet, to shrimp or something)
2) Does that arrow pattern seem to hold for redfish as well?

Good stuff... thanks again.

[Littoral]

Casey, great stuff. The east west pattern(s) of seasonal action is spot on. The genetic research on trout indicates that there's not a lot of movemment east/west but more north/south, inshore (creeks, rivers...) and back out deeper. Many of exceptions within that 100 miles I would equate to differences in the of hydrology the rivers.

1) Have you noticed any major changes in speckled trout diet through the year? (e.g., switch from pinfish, mullet, to shrimp or something)

Yes, because of what's available.

2) Does that arrow pattern seem to hold for redfish as well?

Yes, but the pattern is not as strong.
My 2 cents.

[Talltails]

Good topic here. Casey's observations seem to be generally correct as it applies to mature adult fish. A redfish, for example, takes around three years to mature. In their juvenile stage, reds generally habitate in a specific area ( in our area, north/ south or in and out of creeks and rivers) as water temps dictate. As they mature, they tend to follow a larger migration pattern. Thus, the slot reds we catch here are generally not more than two years old and a very limited movement pattern.
The school of reds Liam and Casey found the other day were more than likely in some transition stage. The water has just now gotten truly cold. I wouldn't be surprised if that school ends up somewhere up the Carabelle or Ochocknee river by this weekend.

[striperguy17]

nice day casey