Early Springtime Patterns
What’s Hot- With springtime upon us, many inshore tournaments will be on the hunt for an inshore slam consisting of a trout, a redfish and a snook. This triple crown of inshore fishing will have anglers working different patterns to catch all three species in the same day. The speckled trout bite has been great while the tide floods around the spoil islands off the intracoastal waterway. Work the deeper edges with sardines or imitation crankbaits. Be sure that the bait placement stays near the bottom, where these predators are feeding. As the tides rise, redfish will work into the shallows and feed among the mullet schools that are easily found among the flats of St. Joseph Sound. Pinfish, shrimp and cutbait are top offerings for reds which feed primarily off scent. The schools of redfish are averaging 22 to 30 inches and will give away their location by muds mixed in with the mullet. On higher water, work the mangrove roots to dig out the bigger bruisers that use the structure as ambush zones.
The most difficult fish of the slam will be the snook, as water temperatures keep changing by the week. Most of these linesiders are making the transition from the backcountry toward the beaches. If the water can warm up a little and keep the mercury climbing up towards the upper-seventies, the snook bite should get good in the deeper holes leading out of the bayous and rivers. “Whitebait” or sardines are the most valuable tool to catch springtime snook. This candy will make even the most finicky “robalo” eat when presented properly to them.