Here we are with another year going to the past. I hope 2011 was great to everyone and that 2012 brings even more enjoyment to your life. Now lets talk some fishing we have finally experienced our first major cold front of the year which has cleaned the water up dramatically. With the strong north winds that has came along with the passing fronts has pushed alot of the water out of the northern lagoon system,has forced alot of the fish out of the creeks into deeper water. In the past week or so I have been seeing schools of redfish anywhere from five to two hundred in some places just keep in mind when there is no water on that grass flat that you usually fish those fish had to go somewhere . I have been catching these fish on a variety of baits from Aqua Dream spoons to live shrimp. The trout bite has been just as good with large numbers being caught on soft plastics and popping corks while the larger fish are still looking for that live finger mullet. The FWC has also announced that there will be no closed harvest dates on sea trout for 2012 which tells me that the population has came back twice fold in the past years. Another great benefit to the winter months is not just the water clarity but the water temps, this is a time of year that you can sleep in a little because most of your fish are not really turning on until later in the morning as the flats start to warm up. With that being said look for the redfish schooling on the shallow mud and sand flats later in the morning gathering the warmth from the sun and the larger trout can be found holding in the sand holes on the shallow grass flats doing the same. Good luck be safe and have a happy 2012. Capt Patrick Rood www.spotntailcharters.com