Absolute Florida Flats Fishing reports with the cooler weather and fronts rolling through our area weekly, the big Gator Sea Trout are beginning to move into the flats from Clearwater right on up the coast to Tarpon Springs and New Port Richey, and a lot of them are the biggest of the year ! On the low tides focus on the outer edges of these vast flats, keep your eye’s on the water for bird’s dipping on baitfish, and showering bait (bait-fish grey-hounding on the surface) . Both artificial baits like jig’s 1/4 oz. with a baitfish imitation, my favorite color in deeper water rootbeer, strawberry, tiger stripe green, up on the flats on the higher tides go to a silver flash, pearl with sparkle or pilchard, ballyhoo colored jerk shad tail, Mirro-lures work well also the Mirro-dine in the greenback variety are my favorite. Live bait like select shrimp, work’s well for anglers that do not want to cast and retrieve as much and around different structure all used on light tackle spinning equipment a good graphite 7-8 foot rod rated for 8 to 17 lb.’s, spooled with 8-10 lb. Berkley Ultracast in green or invisibraid and a Vanish fluorocarbon leader of at least 4 feet. The live bait can also be rigged with a popping cork !



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