Alafia Report

Bassin Assassin

Launched at Williams around 1pm. Water was low, but coming in. Water temp was a chilly 59 degrees and reached 62 in some areas later in the day. Worked docks, and a shallow bay going towards 75. Nary a strike. Did spook some very large fish sunning in shallow water. Getting late so I decided to hit another shallow area. Working down and seeing a lot of puff-outs. Finally hooked into a small snook around 4:45pm. Worked that area till sunset and caught 6 more snook with the largest being 25". Most were around 18". Conditions were pretty tough after the front, but nice to get out and catch a few.

Gypsies Call

Nice job Dave... it is tough this time of year... were you using topwater or plastics? I got two this afternoon on the Myakka...

Bassin Assassin

Thanks GC. I don't even have any topwater in the bag right now. I caught all fish on the 3" RT mullet in smoke. Trying to expand my soft plastics with some Zoom Fat Albert grubs, twin tails, etc. Anybody use these with success? Conventional bass wisdom says fish deep or tight to cover post-front, but I only saw and/or caught fish in shallow water. What bait did you use to catch those snook GC? Shallow or deep?

Gypsies Call

Got both on my usual... Skitter walk SSW-11 in bone. Both were caught just a couple feet off the shore, along an edge that drops off pretty quickly to deep water. I tried a 4" RT in smoke for awhile in deep water around the 41 bridge, but got hung up and broke off. I was in the kayak, and with the current, I was getting pushed around a bit more than I like, so went back to the bank area and fished the edges so I could have more control with the boat. I'm going back in the morning... will hit the bridge again and spend more time fishing the deep water... all my plastics are 4" though, and I don't have any that are 3". From my house on the river, it takes about 30 minutes or so to paddle to the bridge, and I was time limited this evening... will have more time in the morning. Should be a good day.

Bassin Assassin

What is the water temp on the Myakka? Wondering if water temp makes as much of a diff in sw as it does in fresh. May have to re-think that. I did see some fish suspended so you might try gradually increasing your depth around the bridge. You might get you some 3" RTs. Pair it up w/ a 1/16 oz. Mission Fishin jig head and it will be productive, especially in shallow water where you can reel it slower. Look for some shallow bays with mud bottoms that are protected from northern winds and get a lot of sun exposure. Good luck.

Gypsies Call

I don't have any way to measure when on my kayak so can't say exactly what the temp was... looking at tidesforfishing web page for the Myakka River 41 bridge, it said the temp was 60 degrees, which is probably pretty accurate. Yesterday afternoon was overcast, and so I don't think the shallow water warming trend that usually occurs was a factor that much yesterday afternoon. Unlike your comment about seeing the puff-outs, I didn't see any, which is a bit unusual.

I went back to the bridge this morning - 4 small trout and one small snook, all on jigs. I used every color I had, including pearl, smoke, electric chicken, etc., and got most hits on the pearl. I wish I could have hit the water this afternoon instead of this morning, but with family obligations...

My biggest frustration around the bridge is that there are lots of rocks and snags on the bottom... yes, having the structure helps... what are your thoughts about using a weedless type hook?

I need to get some more jig heads... went to the website, and they have some that have the weedless guard - have you ever used them?

Bassin Assassin

I don't really use a lot of weedless jig heads. You might try those 3 to 4/0 hooks that have the 1/4 oz weight clamped onto the hook about midway down the hook. Rig it like the Texas rig for bass and bring the hook up thru the body and out where the hook is buried just under the top of the swimbait. May have to take a trip to get some Peace of mind.

Gypsies Call

Yeah, I haven't seen any posts in awhile from you regarding that... beautiful place I hear... just never seem to get a chance to get there... lol.

dieselbeef

how many casts do ya give a certain color before swapping

bs was looking for yer posts the other day...been awhile

Bassin Assassin

I usually fish the same colors for a while because I have a lot of confidence in them. I like natural and muted colors in clear water and chartreuse in dirty water. If I haven't gotten a strike in an hour or so, I might switch baits or colors. Most of the time I believe I just haven't put my bait in front of feeding fish.