March Madness
With a warming trend finally in place, the shallows throughout St. Joseph Sound have come to life. As bait schools emerge inside passes and the water clarity is at a premium, both trout and redfish schools are working the flats on flooding tides. Some of the biggest trout of the season will be caught over the next couple of weeks as the full moon will have these females staging up along the spoil islands and oyster bars along the mainshore. Anglers working the swift current along points and dropoffs will have the best luck as these yellowmouths will wait to ambush an easy meal.
The redfish schools are holding among the mullet and can easily be sightcasted to as the darker muds will give away their location. Select-sized shrimp have worked best when “bobby-rigged” under a cork. This method keeps the crustacean down in the strike zone longer and draws vicious strikes. On quarter moon tides when the water level is not at a premium, be sure to fish the potholes leading into the flats, as these staging spots are easily seen with a high sun. Working gold spoons is a great artificial this time of year for redfish as it covers a lot of ground and different depths of the water column.
With “whitebait” as a weapon, anglers are able to catch snook making the exit from the backcountry. Deeper holes leading into bayous and rivers are the best places to try for the linesiders on falling tides. The outgoing tide will have warmer water and stimulate the bite for the prized gamefish.