Warm Water and Small Baits: Keys to Catching Inshore Species in the Coldest Months

While inshore saltwater fishing offers some of the best opportunities to catch a wide variety of species, it can be a challenge during the winter months. Water temperatures drop, fish get less aggressive, and anglers need to mix it up to go out and catch their limit. So what should you do? Let’s dive in.

The first step is actually finding the fish in the winter months. During this time, species like speckled trout, redfish, snook, and sheepshead are going to slow their metabolisms due to the colder water temperatures they’re living in. However, any time they find an area with even slightly warmer water, chances are they’re going to start feeding.

When you can find these warm pockets of water, the fish are going to be stacked in them and likely actively feeding. Coincidentally, this warm water is also where the baitfish species are going to be looking to spend their time, making it the perfect scenario to start catching fish.

To find these warm areas, there are some options. Areas with flats like mud or dark bottom bays can be places where the sun warms the water really well, creating better temperatures for the fish. Areas with water discharge, like power plants and creeks, are great too. Pay attention to the tides as well, since the tide moving in can bring warmer ocean water into the inshore fisheries.

Once you’ve found the fish, you need to pick the right lure presentation to put in front of them to get the bites you’re looking for. That’s where smaller presentations come into play. The smaller presentations work for two main reasons. The first is that some of the common prey like finfish and shrimp, actually shrink in size when the water cools. The second is that the fish you’re after have slower metabolisms, and they don’t want to chase after big, aggressive baits.

By downsizing, you’re putting a more realistic-looking bait in front of fish who don’t want to work too hard for their next meal.

Soft plastics like paddle tails and shrimp imitations on a jig head can be very effective this time of year. Hard baits can work well too. If you notice the fish are suspending in warmer water, try a suspending twitchbait or even a small plug and work it through the water column at the depth you know the fish are staying at.

With these presentations, you want to keep it slow and subtle. Cast out, and do a slow retrieve back to you, keeping the twitches and movements as minimal as possible. If you go too fast, chances are the fish are going to ignore it entirely.

If you’re working a soft plastic or bait rig on the bottom, do some slow jigging, and make sure to mix in some pauses. You want to allow the bait to fall naturally through the water column and wait for strikes on the descent.