Winter Options The action heated up this past week as water temperatures approached seventy degrees. Bait started to gather along the beaches of Marco and it actually became worthwhile to use it. I started out my mornings deep dropping with shrimp. We caught plenty of sheepshead, snapper and jacks. We also caught a few redfish and a couple of black drum. I was also surprised that we caught three small permit over the course of the week. We also have been catching plenty of trout on the grass flats and along the deeper runs of Marco and the Ten Thousand Islands. I have been using quarter ounce jig heads with screw tails or Hybrid bodies. For those dedicated bush whackers I caught bait and worked the shallow shorelines for snook and redfish. We hit pay dirt with slot sized redfish and small to oversized snook. They were not there in large numbers but we were catching enough fish with frequency to keep things interesting. Another cold front is passing through Florida with temperatures starting in the low forties. This will knock the water temperature down again. It’s still winter so you have to roll with the punches. The good news is that there is always something to fish for. I’ll see you on the water.