How To Catch Redfish, Snook, & Trout In High Winds And Cold Weather [VIDEO]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Imagine being able to head out in 15+ MPH chilly winds and consistently catch redfish, trout, and snook while everyone else is back at home complaining about the wind (and in many cases the cold wind)…
But first, let me ask you a question.
Do 15-25 mph winds and cold fronts ruin inshore fishing?
For many years, I would have quickly answered a confident “Heck Yes!” to that question.
I even used to cancel fishing trips if a winter time cold front pushed through the night before because of the high winds and cold weather that they bring…
My theory was simply that the fish were too cold to eat.
But as I began being a diligent student of inshore fishing, I began seeing trends in my trips around cold fronts that started showing different results when targeting redfish, snook, and trout.
In fact, some of my top days in terms of quality fish caught per hour of fishing have been during the winter on the cold mornings with high winds ripping from the North during and after a big cold front pushed through.
And some really active days have been logged even on the gloomy and windy days when the fronts are pushing through…
But the tactics used on these cold and windy days are completely different than what I do on a warm and calm day.
Best of all, once some fish are found on these cold and nasty days, they are often with many others so the fish catching can be very quick once they are found.
And the even better news is that the strategies used to locate the fish have proven to work in all regions because redfish, snook, and trout behave very similarly throughout the year regardless of the specific area.
To prove the case, I filmed a recent trip to an area that I’ve never fished before the day after a strong November cold front pushed through FL.
We were armed with nothing but about 15 minutes of online research prior to the trip and a hand-full of artificial lures.
Details and a fun video are below…
Where To Find Inshore Fish After Cold Fronts
Winter-time cold fronts almost always bring strong winds from the north along with a drastically colder temperature.
So we need to plan for both…
#1 – Strong Northerly Winds
Even on the windiest of days, there is going to be a shoreline, cove, or creek that is sheltered from the wind…
And this is important because calm areas are easier to fish since there is less wind drag on your line so casting and feeling bites is improved, and it’s easier to hold to a spot once fish are found to catch more (redfish, snook, and trout often hold in schools in winter months).
#2 – Temperature Drop
Just like all animals, fish become less active in cold water compared to the average temperate in their respective areas.
So when the water dips below the norm, they are quick to seek out the warmest sections of water.
But one important thing to keep in mind is that a dropping air temperature travels into the water fastest from wind resistance on the water (aka… waves created from wind)…
This means that the calmer water takes longer to cool down compared to rough water.
And an added tip is that a dark muddy bottom holds onto heat much longer than a sandy bottom.
Putting It Together
Since calm areas are the easiest to fish on a windy day along with the fact that calm areas have warmer water after cold fronts push through, it is clear that the wind-protected shorelines, coves, and/or creeks should be the focus on a cold and windy day after a cold front.
And for extreme (or extended) drop in temperature, seek out wind-protected areas with a dark muddy bottom.
How to Catch Redfish, Snook, & Trout On Windy Days After Cold Fronts
Now that we know the fish will be seeking warmer water, and that the calm areas with dark bottom will have the warmest water after a cold front pushes through, it’s time to use free online maps to find prime fishing grounds.
And to show exactly how I’ve used basic weather information along with free online maps to consistently find qualify redfish, snook, and trout, just watch the video below to see a recent trip where we fished an area we’ve never been to before the day after a strong cold front at the end of November.
Just wait until you hear how hard the wind was blowing at the end of the video!
In this video, you’ll see the following:
- My favorite type of structure after cold fronts [hint: docks]
- The top lure used to fish docks along with fish caught from it
- Video footage of our exploration fishing day right after a cold front pushed through
- [Best of all] – I’ll literally show you the exact locations where we caught the fish on Google maps so you can look for the same types of areas near you
Inshore Angler Membership Options
As described at the end of the video, we have some private membership options… first step is to start a 7 day trial of our popular Inshore Slammer Course…
Inshore Slammer Course
This is the online course covers everything you need to know and have to consistently catch quality redfish, snook, and trout throughout the year without being reliant on getting live bait.
Click here to sign up [100% guaranteed to help you catch more fish]
NOTE: If you haven’t read the hard-hitting (and somewhat controversial) “Inshore Fishing Manifesto” click here to be taken to the page where you can download the free PDF.
Top Lure For Fishing Docks
After years of testing out various lures for fishing docks, I have found that the basic 3″ Gulp shrimp rigged on a light jig head is hard to beat.
Typically, I use a 1/8th oz red jig head when fishing docks in the 1′ to 5′ depth range, and I’ll bump it up to a 1/4th oz jig head if it’s deeper than that or if the current is too strong to allow it to be bounced along the bottom.
For color, I continue to find that less is more and I’ll take no more than two options (one light and one dark). I most often take New Penny (dark) and white (light) with me and I start with dark in the winter and light in the summer.
On the trip shown above, I tested out Gulp’s “Natural” color scheme which is a green top and white belly, and it seemed to work great too.
Click here to see how to rig Gulp shrimp
Conclusion
Cold fronts don’t have to be our worst enemies in the winter when it comes to going after redfish, snook, and trout.
In fact, I often find them helpful because they often force fish to seek out the warmest water, so those who know to look for warm water get rewarded with a fun day of catching fish.
Best of all, having a successful day on the water in the winter doesn’t require years of local knowledge for the region or a huge livewell full of live bait…
All that is needed is a few lures and simply knowing where the fish are going to be holding.
P.S. – If you think your angler friends would like to see this post, please Tag them or Share this with them. It would mean a lot to me.
P.P.S. – Make sure to read our Inshore Fishing Manifesto to learn the 3 breakthroughs that skyrocketed the amount of quality fish per hour of fishing… click here for direct access.
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Luke, were you inspired by the tournament weather to post this?
Bwuuuhahahahaaa
Haha!
2 days of high winds tore up the bottom of the areas of 2-5 Feet . There was a lot of grass floating. I had always heard that if the bottom is torn up, the bigger fish have gone to deeper water. Is that true?
Since I started the course and have been reading your posts, I cant wait to get back to Florida and try your methods and lure’s. I now have some knowledge of how and where to fish. My first year was last year and it was just hit and miss. (Mostly Miss) as I had no idea what to use or how to use it. Love the posts and video’s Hope you keep it up. Don’t know if I will share you with my buddies though. I want to out fish them. Just kidding, I already told one of them about your site.
I’d like to hear from guys who are fishing the Micco/Sebastian area and how they aproach the spoil islands as well as the San Sebastian River.
Thanks for the great video and the article explaining your tips and strategy for fishing during and after a cold front. In Florida that’s going to be a common weather pattern for the nest few months and your advice should prove helpful to many.
You were fishing in my back yard. The Veterans Park ramp is one of the best in the area, featuring two double-wide ramps and two singles for a total of six. It’s a Pinellas County park and charges $6 per day for vehicles with trailer and $2 for car only. The parking lot is large and, although popular, I’ve never seen it full. In addition to the close-by areas you fished, it also is very convenient to John’s Pass for those who want to fish offshore.
The dock area you were fishing is usually known by locals as Jungle Prada although technically Jungle Prada is a little further south. The City of St. Petersburg also has a free boat ramp in Jungle Prada. Although smaller than Veteran’s Park it’s also a good, well-maintained ramp with good parking and there’s no charge for parking or for using the ramp.
The area you were fishing north of the Bay Pines bridge is Long Bayou and Cross Bayou and is a great area for canoes and kayaks but most of it is accessible to larger boats only during high tides. Several years ago it was closed to fishing and crabbing due to water pollution but as far as I know it’s fine now.
Since you’ve revealed your “secret spot”, I’ll offer a couple of other nearby areas to try. First, the islands and sandbars just inside John’s Pass, due west of the Jungle Prada ramps, are excellent on weekdays. There’s too much boat traffic most weekends but the fish are still there, Secondly, if you head north in Boca Ciega Bay past the Madeira Beach causeway, on the northeast side you’ll see Boca Ciega Millennium Park. The mangroves and nearby flats from there north through the “Narrows” all the way past the Park Blvd bridge to Indian Rocks are great areas. There’s also another Pinellas County boat ramp just south of the Park Blvd bridge. All of these areas are well-known so I’m not really giving away any secrets but weekdays there isn’t usually much fishing pressure or boat traffic. If you fish on the weekend, you’re better off getting as far away as you can from the boat traffic. Fish On!
Thanks for the great tips Jim!