Fishing Strong Days Before Cold Front!

Approaching cold fronts are a reality anglers deal with his time of year. Usually before a front hits, the fishing can be fantastic. This is mostly because warm southern winds are pulled north a day or two before the front is here, making conditions ideal. Fish can detect a change in pressure and eat veraciously similar to behavior around a new or full moon. This week the fishing has been better than normal for the first week of January, as a cold weather front is arpproaching. Trout are schooling up and still inhaling sardines that are prominent in north Pinellas. Spoil islands from Clearwater to Palm Harbor are holding high numbers of trout. Pinfish and shrimp are getting worked over as well, yet greenbacks are the main focus. Chumming with cut baits along the edge of the flats and into sandy potholes has been very effective for Redfish. Especially around the extreme low tides we’ve had. As the cold weather pushes through the ease of finding the scaled sardines will diminish and live shrimp and artificial baits become the norm. Other species targeted in the cold months are sheepshead, jack crevalle and ladyfish. Sheepshead respond well to cut pieces of shrimp cast near rocky edges of oyster bars in the backcountry and around docks. Although redfish and trout are also willing to eat, many popular species such as snook are less likely to bite.