The most effective way of all to catch seatrout is with a live shrimp and a popping cork. Use a splitshot to keep the shrimp down, but position the float so the shrimp can’t make it to bottom. Every so often, give the float a jerk. The popping noise drives trout crazy.

Cold, blustery winds have an adverse effect on flats fishing. Still, bonefish quickly return during warm spells. Florida Bay snook have high-tailed it for the backcountry, where they’ll feed heavily whenever water temperatures rise.

Schools of Spanish mackerel and bluefish should be in Biscayne and Florida bays in force. Look for birds or other signs of surface activity or try chumming with block chum and glass minnows. You’ll find fish just outside Stiltsville and Government Cut, and other nearshore areas where current concentrates baitfish.

While some types of saltwater fishing experience a midwinter lull, freshwater anglers are going great guns. As a prime example, bass fishing in the Everglades canals is improving steadily as water levels recede. Canal fish are small this time of year but they’re willing to hit on top. As a result, spin and plug fishermen catch all they want on small surface lures like the Chug Bug and Pop-R. Flyfishers get their share on weedless popping bugs in sizes 6 and 8. Regardless of your preferred method, for best results in off-color water, try switching to a lure with a brightly colored “firetiger” or chartreuse finish.

BEST BET: SOUTH

Spin-fishing for largemouth bass in the Everglades canals is so much fun. With spring just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to hit the swamps. Bugs are practically nonexistent and bass are there in numbers. They’re hungry, too, so you’ll find excellent topwater fishing. While you won’t catch many 6-pounders (at least, in the canals), you’ll get plenty of action. Another great thing about this time of year is that the bass feed all day long—regardless of cloud cover or the lack of it.

The action starts along the Broward/Palm Beach county line and works its way southward. Look for good fishing in the Holey Land and Sawgrass Recreation Park before Alligator Alley and the Holiday Park turn-on. By early March, bass will be biting all the way to the Tamiami Trail. You’ll find good access along the Alley, as well at Sawgrass and Holiday parks. Look for numerous ramps along the Tamiami Trail.

FS