Capt. George Hastick (727-525-1005): Capt. George reports that until we see some warming next week, anglers are going to do best shifting to wintertime tactics. Those include focusing on species that are not so affected by the cooling, with sheepshead among them. They are on submerged rocks, around dock and bridge pilings and are particularly fond of live fiddler crabs, though shrimp also gets them. Capt. George said the good news is that more of the big ones have shown up over the past week or so. The artificial reef off the St. Pete Pier is another place to try and may also produce sheepshead and mangrove snapper. They can be tricky to hook, and he likes to use self-setting circle hooks in No. 1 of 1/0 sizes with little or no weight and 20-pound-test fluorocarbon leader, which is harder for the fish to see. Redfish are fairly tolerant to cooler water, and they also are hiding out under docks. There has been an abundance of undersize rat reds this season, so he recommends dock hopping until connecting with larger fish. Live shrimp is a good bait choice, though fresh-cut ladyfish is a very good choice in cool water. Deep channels and canals can produce some nice catches of silver trout and whiting, with live or dead shrimp on the bottom working well. Speckled trout may be there with them, though on sunny afternoons it’s a good idea to test the 6- to 7-foot depths over patchy grass and shell bottom, as they like to move from the depths into shallower open-water to soak up the sun’s rays. Live shrimp and jigs with soft-plastic tails work. Just work the jigs slower, as the trout have less energy to chase fast-moving lures due to them being cold-blooded creatures. Jacks provide some sport, and anglers will want to look for feeding schools of them. Most found lately have been running between 3 and 8 pounds, the larger ones putting up a great fight on light tackle. They will eat about any natural or artificial bait thrown at them.

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