Fishing Report – January 20th, 2023

Here is the January 20th fishing report. My reports are published in the Tampa Bay Times every 4th and 20th of the month! Thank you for reading, and I look forward to getting you all out on the water soon! Capt. Brian.

Cold fronts are typical for this time of year. Some are more severe than others. Short dips don’t affect the water temperature too much, but can still shut fish down for a couple of days.

This past week, fishing was tough as water temperatures went back in to the mid to high 50s. However, some fish, especially sea trout, begin to acclimate and will eat after a while, especially during a warming trend. They are still favoring live shrimp on the cooler mornings, but will begin to chase soft plastics like jerk worms and grub tails as the day progresses and warms.

Sheepshead are a great target this time of year as well. They are grouping up in schools all over the place. Especially residential canals around docks and oyster beds in the back country. Ripping a shrimp into two pieces, then threading a piece onto a hook is a great way to prevent these sneaky predators from missing the hook and only getting your shrimp.

You must be patient though, allowing for a steady pull away before you begin to reel. Circle hooks are a tremendous advantage when fishing for sheepshead. They’re slow pull will allow the circle hook to set right in the corner of their mouth as it should. Redfish are also a nice bonus when fishing in sheepshead schools. They are foraging on the same food as the sheepies.

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