Dec 25 – Clearwater Holiday Fishing: Mix

Slicked-Out Morning in Palm Harbor - Redfish on the Incoming Tide Today’s three-hour charter started out of Palm Harbor with an incoming tide, 86-degree water temp, and a simple goal: keep the rods bent while giving ourselves a chance at a quality redfish. The family visiting from Maryland fishes quite a bit back home, so they were comfortable on the water. They normally spend their time chasing striped bass, which made our shallow-water inshore fishing a completely different experience. With a 10-year-old along for the trip, I wanted to balance good action with the opportunity to put a bigger fish in front of them. This 10 year fished like a seasoned pro and handled the biggest fish of the day with ease. We started by working the main oyster points on some islands where bait was popping in the current. The first stop produced redfish and trout, giving us a quick start and confirming that fish were already taking advantage of the rising water. From there we moved to another area with a shallow shelf alongside a deeper channel. The fish were holding up on the shelf in the potholes and grass, where we found a mixed bag of mangrove snapper, grunts and trout. It wasn't necessarily the fish we were looking for, but with a family charter I will take steady action while the better water develops rather than leave biting fish just to chase a particular species. As the tide continued to rise, the redfish bite improved. Our third stop was the difference-maker, producing several reds including the best fish of the evening, a solid redfish just shy of 27 inches. We added a few more redfish before the trip was over, along with a sail catfish to round out the species list. Overall, it was a good trip and a nice example of why I like fishing an incoming tide around Palm Harbor. We didn't need to make long runs or spend the entire trip searching. We let the tide push the bait, stayed mobile when we needed to and found multiple areas holding fish. If I had been scouting instead of running a three-hour charter, I would have stayed out later and fished the beginning of the outgoing tide. I would have liked to see how the redfish repositioned once the water started pulling back out and whether the falling tide would force some of the bigger fish out of the flooded areas and onto the edges where they were easier to target. Conditions: Incoming to dead high tide • 86°F water • Warm summer conditions • Waning crescent moon near the new moon Catch: Redfish • Speckled Trout • Mangrove Snapper • Grunts • Sail Catfish Another good day on the water and another piece of the Palm Harbor puzzle coming together.

Today's four-hour charter was timed around the peak of the morning high tide before fishing the first half of the outgoing tide. The 3.4-foot high tide made things a little more challenging by allowing fish to push deep into the flooded mangroves where they had plenty of places to feed and hide. Ideally, we would have started earlier in the morning, but this was the best window for the clients. After all, not many people want to wake up at 5:00 AM on vacation—and honestly, neither do I. The plan was to start deep in the flooded flats along the mangroves before gradually working toward deeper edges and transition areas as the tide fell. Conditions were warm with light winds, scattered clouds, and typical Florida summer weather that kept us watching the sky while still allowing us to cover plenty of water. A morning without thunderstorms was a welcome change of pace. The morning started with live shrimp under popping corks worked tight against mangrove shorelines and pockets where redfish often stage on high water. As the tide began to fall, we mixed in bottom presentations and covered a variety of nearby habitat including oyster edges, grass flats, creek mouths, and deeper shoreline transitions. By staying mobile and letting the tide dictate our next move, we were able to keep fresh water in front of us throughout the trip. The fish were definitely more spread out than concentrated, but each stop helped tell the story of what the tide was doing. As the water pulled out of the mangroves, the better opportunities shifted toward areas that provided a little more depth and current. Redfish were the primary target throughout the morning, with black drum showing up as well. By the end of the trip, we had landed several redfish along with a black drum, with fish coming from several different types of structure rather than one dominant pattern. While there wasn't a single "magic" location today, the fish rewarded staying patient and continuing to adjust with the changing tide instead of forcing one area to produce. That's often how summer fishing goes—keep moving, trust the conditions, and eventually the pattern reveals itself. What I Learned The outgoing tide continued to improve as the morning progressed. The falling water gradually pulled fish out of the flooded mangroves and into more predictable feeding areas. At peak high tide, there were simply too many places for them to hide. Fish weren't heavily grouped, so covering water was more important than camping on one spot. Mangrove shorelines produced early before the better bites shifted toward transition areas with moving water. Live shrimp remained the most productive bait throughout the trip. I think cut mullet would have produced as well, but there was no reason to change what was already working. Having a plan for mid-tide areas where shallow flats drained into deeper channels produced exactly as expected and reinforced how important it is to fish the tide instead of fishing memories. Every trip adds another piece to the puzzle. This wasn't the ideal tide to fish, but it was the best window for the clients, and that's part of being a charter captain. Rather than forcing one area to produce, we let the tide guide our decisions throughout the morning. In the end, the lesson wasn't about finding one magic spot—it was about understanding how fish reposition throughout the tide cycle and staying one step ahead of them.

The redfish are making the most of the recent rainy weather and have been holding in deeper pockets around exposed oyster beds during the lowest stages of the tide. With water pulled off the flats, fish are concentrating in smaller areas, making accurate casts and slow presentations the key to getting bites. The best action has come on artificial shrimp rigged weedless on a 1/4-ounce jighead. A slow, steady retrieve with occasional lifts has been producing the most consistent results around docks, seawalls, and oyster structure. Recent trips have produced several quality redfish, including fish in the mid-20-inch range, along with the occasional catfish mixed in. Large schools of mullet remain throughout the area, and plenty of bait is keeping predators active despite the summer rain. As the tide begins to rise, expect these fish to move back onto nearby mangrove shorelines and shallow oyster bars. If you're planning a trip, fishing around tide changes and covering water until you locate active fish has been the most productive approach.