Fishingcast for Wednesday, Dec. 10 - Friday, Dec. 12

Thanks to Captian Bill Walsh for the daily Fishingcast

Wednesday

• Wind:
  MORNING: SE@ 10-14 kts.
  AFTERNOON: SSE@ 13-18 kts.
• Seas:
  NEARSHORE: 2-3 ft. plus
  OFFSHORE: 3-5 ft.
• Storms:
  10% chance
  

Thursday

• Wind:
  MORNING: NW@ 12-16 kts.
  AFTERNOON: NW @ 13-18 kts.
• Seas:
  NEARSHORE: 2-4 ft. plus
  OFFSHORE: 3-6-ft. plus
• Storms:
  50% chance
  

Friday

• Wind:
  MORNING: SE @ 11-15 kts.
  AFTERNOON: NE@ 7-9 kts
• Seas:
  NEARSHORE: 2-4 ft. with swells
  OFFSHORE: 3-5 ft. with swells
• Storms:
  Clear
  

Best bets:

Backwater: Frequent fronts now keeping the water stirred up and the seas choppy. Need to find clean water probably far reaches of bays and cuts. Work the deeper holes for early season sheepshead and black drum nesting on same spots. Best to use cut crabs or shrimp worked softly on the bottom. Shallower edges should continue to hold snapper, some sheepshead and small (18-22”) snook especially as late morning sun warms the water. Here shrimp worked with just enough weight to hold bottom or small pilchards will do the trick. ICW spots deep and holding clearer water will produce some nice size whiting and trout taking shrimp or small jigs mooched along the bottom. If the passes clear on one of the stronger morning tides, good chance for working just off main current, over sand with tipped jigs for pompano. Good reports on nice catches of “nuggets” in both Caxambas and Capri passes over the past week. Again, clean water is the key.
Nearshore: If conditions permit, the more significant structure spots will be holding increasing numbers of early spawn sheepshead as they move inshore. Setting some deep chum and then working the bottom with shrimp rigs should produce action on enough keeper sheesphead to make the trip worthwhile. Other bottom action on the same spots will draw some snapper, triggerfish and loads of undersized red grouper. Make sure you are using the prescribed circle hooks to save the discards. Close in to the beach (water conditions permitting) try a drift over the sand bottom with small jigs or shrimp rigs for whiting and silver trout. Both easy to catch and good table fare. Mackerel have been scarce and conditions this period make keep them that way but there is always a chance. Keep an eye open for bird and surface action as telltale signs of their presence.
Offshore: Again, conditions permitting, mid-range bottom action possible with drifts over the hard bottom and rubble fields just off major structure. Shrimp rigs with weight to hold the bottom or heavy jigs tipped will work best. Colder water moving east has been a factor in drawing the gag grouper in goodly numbers to the inside fishing grounds. Major size gags will take live bait worked just off the bottom. Chum, used at anchor will improve your chances of good action.