Winter wore on with less then desirable conditions. We still caught some fish but mentally it was draining. I was just hoping for the sun to come out and stay out. It eventually did clear up with good light throughout most our early spring. The fish numbers in the interior marsh were very good and the temperature stayed cool almost all the way though May. Pretty good trout year too.
The weather this past fall never seemed to clear up with what seemed like never ending cloudy days. When that happens you need to adjust your expectations… cherish the calm days and try to make every shot count. This fall was full of less then desirable forecasts that we had to make the best out of. Although I did reschedule many days because the forecast was so dismal. We ended up fishing some days that didn’t have great forecasts and the fishing was still good, we also had some days that had great forecasts and ended up having terrible weather. The old saying is true that “you don’t know unless you go.” Reality is sometimes you do know and sometimes it’s a tough call, but if you go out with the right expectations you will always have a good time.
This past January proved to be one of the best Months of the season. Although we only had one hard front during this month we had very good pre front and post front fishing. February was warmer then usually which forced me into the interior marsh to target spring time fish that payed off with many fish in the 6-12 lb range and a couple bass as well. We also boated the largest black drum ever on my boat mid February.
After a warm October it was nice to have some solid cold fronts come through and push some big fish into their normal fall/winter spots. Cooler temps also brings some warm lunches for some of my foodie anglers…
As many of you know I’m not big on miss leading people into booking with me. I’m all about being as truthful as possible in order to manage expectations. With that being said… This October was by far the worst October I have ever experienced. It wasn’t a shock considering the water temp pretty much stayed in the mid to high 70s all month. The big fish do not want to get shallow in those temps so most big fish were happy to just stay offshore. That mixed with almost constant 15-20 mph winds made targeting the offshore fish impossible. Now we did have a handful of calm wind days which made for good fishing but overall October was a let down. The only silver lining was with the higher water temps the Jacks stuck around later then usual.
Late February into early March has been pretty good this year. Although the water clarity has been some of the worse I’ve seen at this time of year, luckily the tailing action has continued to be good. The average size of the big fish has been impressive too 28-31 lb range(42-46 in). Probably switching gears to fully spring fishing soon. Looking forward to short runs and backing fish.
Starting in mid November and going through mid March is what I consider Sheepshead season. Not to say there are not sheepies here through the year it’s just easiest to fish for them during these times. This is due to the fact the water in the oyster ponds tend to get very clear during this time. With the water being so clear, this usually affords you the opportunity to get good distance shots on the sheepies. Distance is important for two reasons. First they are spooky and will feel the boat even if it just slightly moves during your cast. Further away you are, less chance of them feeling the boat. Secondly the distance gives you time to entice the fish to eat. Most of the time a sheepshead will not just swim up to the fly and eat, you really have to sell them the fly. 
Although we have had a mild winter, we are still seeing a healthy amount of wintering redfish in the marsh.
Boothville-Venice
Last Updated on Dec 2 2019, 10:51 am CST
Weather by NOAA
Current Conditions: Fair
Temp: 52°F
Wind: North at 16mph
Humidity: 49%
Windchill: 47°F