That's easy. Where the fish are of course. Perhaps a better question would be, "Where are the fish?". Honestly, if someone knew that 100% of the time, they could make a fortune as a Tournament Fisherman or a Fishing Guide.
The fact is, fish move. They follow the bait, or they go to spawning areas, or they migrate with the seasons. Take Snook for example. They are a local Tampa and South Florida favorite. They can reach enormous sizes, up to nearly 50 lbs, they are ferocious fighters and great tasting table fare. They are fairly predictable in their habits and migratory patterns as well. In the colder months of the year, they can be found in back country mangrove tunnels with muddy bottoms that absorb warmth from the sun to help them stay warm. When the water temp gets too low, they pretty much go comatose and don't eat or swim or anything and become very susceptible to being caught by people with cast nets. As the weather and water temps warm they start moving towards the mouths of creeks and passes and other areas where there is an abundance of water flow which moves bait into areas where they can ambush it. Then as summer approaches they start moving out to the beaches to spawn. During the hottest part of the summer it is nearly impossible to catch a decent sized snook in the mangrove areas and passes where they hang out the rest of the year. And conversely during the winter time you will be hard pressed to find any snook on the beach.
So depending on what time of year, what the water temperatures are etc should help you determine where to go looking for snook.
Redfish are another favorite of inshore and flats anglers. They are hard fighters as well but don't usually provide the aerobatic jumps that a snook will, but what they lack in flash they make up for in tenacity. They fight hard and with lots of stamina. They tend to move around a little differently than snook. Redfish kind of patrol a certain area and if you find them in an area one day, there is a good chance they will be in that area then next day if the conditions are similar, by conditions I mean water level, clarity, temperatures etc. I have an area that I fish that I know that when the tide is coming in and reaches a certain level, the redfish will be coming in as well, and when the tides changes to outgoing, the redfish will leave with it.
And then there are Speckled Trout. That's easy. Look for sea grass in 2 to 5 feet of water with sandy bare spots in it, sometimes called potholes. Cast to the potholes in these sea grass beds and you will find the trout as well as flounder and the occasional snook or redfish. I usually consider trout a sure thing. Fall and Winter are usually the best times to find the bigger trout, but there are almost always little ones to be found year round.
All of these fish can also be found around docks in residential canals. Especially in fall and spring. Some docks will hold fish year round, and docks with lights are notorious for night time snook fishing.
So get out and explore and you will find the fish.
The fact is, fish move. They follow the bait, or they go to spawning areas, or they migrate with the seasons. Take Snook for example. They are a local Tampa and South Florida favorite. They can reach enormous sizes, up to nearly 50 lbs, they are ferocious fighters and great tasting table fare. They are fairly predictable in their habits and migratory patterns as well. In the colder months of the year, they can be found in back country mangrove tunnels with muddy bottoms that absorb warmth from the sun to help them stay warm. When the water temp gets too low, they pretty much go comatose and don't eat or swim or anything and become very susceptible to being caught by people with cast nets. As the weather and water temps warm they start moving towards the mouths of creeks and passes and other areas where there is an abundance of water flow which moves bait into areas where they can ambush it. Then as summer approaches they start moving out to the beaches to spawn. During the hottest part of the summer it is nearly impossible to catch a decent sized snook in the mangrove areas and passes where they hang out the rest of the year. And conversely during the winter time you will be hard pressed to find any snook on the beach.
So depending on what time of year, what the water temperatures are etc should help you determine where to go looking for snook.
Redfish are another favorite of inshore and flats anglers. They are hard fighters as well but don't usually provide the aerobatic jumps that a snook will, but what they lack in flash they make up for in tenacity. They fight hard and with lots of stamina. They tend to move around a little differently than snook. Redfish kind of patrol a certain area and if you find them in an area one day, there is a good chance they will be in that area then next day if the conditions are similar, by conditions I mean water level, clarity, temperatures etc. I have an area that I fish that I know that when the tide is coming in and reaches a certain level, the redfish will be coming in as well, and when the tides changes to outgoing, the redfish will leave with it.
And then there are Speckled Trout. That's easy. Look for sea grass in 2 to 5 feet of water with sandy bare spots in it, sometimes called potholes. Cast to the potholes in these sea grass beds and you will find the trout as well as flounder and the occasional snook or redfish. I usually consider trout a sure thing. Fall and Winter are usually the best times to find the bigger trout, but there are almost always little ones to be found year round.
All of these fish can also be found around docks in residential canals. Especially in fall and spring. Some docks will hold fish year round, and docks with lights are notorious for night time snook fishing.
So get out and explore and you will find the fish.
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