The surf and pier are producing whiting, sheepshead, blues and the occasional oversized red. Any red measured with the tail pinched that is over 27” must be released back into the water. Whiting are eating shrimp or fish bites that are fished on a whiting rig. These rigs come pre rigged and can be purchased at any tackle shop. The blues are hitting dead mullet rigged on a fish finder rig. Sheepshead will eat fiddler crabs fished very close to the dock pilings of the pier. Reds will eat a rigged dead or live mullet. Big reds will eat a bluefish or whiting head rigged on a 4/0 or 5/0 hook.
When I was on the beach Sunday helping my wife with a turtle stranding, there were pelicans and seagulls dive on bait about 200 yards off the beach. What they were eating I couldn’t tell but I suspect it may have been schools of glass minnows. I can tell you that a turtle stranding is when a dead turtle washes up on the beach. They take measurements, pictures and other pertinent information and send it off to the state. So far this year over 50 turtles have washed up dead on Flagler and Volusia county beaches. They think it’s some kind of respiratory aliment that is linked to a red algae growing on the turtles shells.
I finally got out to fish for a few hours on Monday afternoon. I hit one of my trout spots and started tossing a 7m mirrolure and had no luck so I switched over to a 3 ½” bomber in the fire tiger color. On about my 5th cast I connected with a 14” trout. I had a couple of more hits and then landed a 16 incher. I then moved to another spot and had no luck so I moved on. At the 3rd spot I landed a 15 “ trout and lost another that was about 3 lbs. At the 4th and final spot I landed a couple more 15” trout, lost a couple and had a few other hits. I also landed an 18” snook at the last spot.
I like to use deeper diving plugs this time of year because the fish are deeper due to the colder water. Use small plugs in the winter because the trout’s main diet is glass minnows. Fish these plugs slow. Most fish are pretty lethargic this time of year and don’t like to expend a lot of energy chasing bait. If you have a depth finder try trolling the dropoffs in the ICW. You’ll need a plug that can dive in the 6 to 10 ft range.


Photo: Fred Smith with a 20”, 6 spot red that was caught in the flats on a gold spoon.