We’ve been fortunate enough to be invited on some trips with friends and spend some time fishing for ourselves. Here is what I can tell you… the Trout and Redfish bite has been really good and the Sheepshead fishing is getting better and better.

We are finding Trout mostly near heavy structure such as docks, rocks, and trees in about 8 feet of water. Of course you can find them in other places too, but the heavy cover has been tested and proven over and over again lately.

DOA shrimp, Mirrolures, and of course live shrimp have all been big producers. This time of year I really like to Carolina rig a DOA shrimp with a light weight for Trout. I think that this works great when compared to just fishing a heavier weighted DOA because the bait still gets close to the bottom, but because the weight is further up the line from the bait it will suspend longer just off the bottom. This means more time in the strike zone and less snags.

If the current is swift I would suggest using a different method. But when the current isn’t all that fast and you’re able to use a bit of finesse, I love an un-weighted DOA rigged Carolina style.

While talking with my friend Capt. Tim Cutting, he told me that this year it is a “white Christmas”. No we’re not predicting snow, but baits that are primarily white seem to be doing the trick for Capt. Tim. If you don’t have any white baits in your box, you might want to grab a few before your next trip.

On the nearshore reefs the Sea Bass bite has been excellent and the huge Bull Redfish that were around the inlets a couple of months ago are hanging out around the reefs now. On days when the weather is good, the reefs will prove to be a great place to go bend a rod.

Tournament News

The start of the 2015 Elite Series is right around the corner and I am counting down the days until it’s time to hit the road for the Classic in March. We’ll be fishing for record paybacks and the best Redfish pros in the country will be battling it out on national television. Fans will be able to see all the highlights of the season starting in the third quarter on Destination America on Saturday mornings.

I will also be raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through my tournament endeavors by pledging a monthly contribution, raising awareness, and asking friends, fans, and followers to donate $1 for every pound of fish I weigh during the 2015 season.

This is really going to crank up the pressure on me to weigh some big bags of Redfish!

You can check out the tournament schedule in the image below or by visiting www.theredfishseries.com .