I spoke too soon — winter is now upon us

The cold weather is upon us. The lack of cold fronts and rough seas I spoke of in last week’s fishing report are now coming back to haunt me. I kind of feel like a weather forecaster – expect light wind and warm temperatures. Not this week.

Despite our well due dose of winter, I’m still managing to find a few fish willing to bite. When fishing the beaches, live shrimp fished on the bottom or on a small jig is producing bites from whiting, bluefish, sheepshead, black drum and plenty of bonnet head sharks. This may not be the most glamorous bite, but hey, it’s a bite.

Fishing structure such as artificial reefs in Tampa Bay is on the verge of becoming really good. Sheepshead are beginning to school up to begin their spawn. Although the bite is a little sporadic now, expect it to improve in the weeks to come.

Lastly, dock fishing is still a go to on those windy cold days. Redfish, black drum and flounder call all be found lurking in these areas. Live shrimp on a knocker rig will put fish in the cooler.