Black drum still waiting for us and right conditions

I don't know about you, but I am ready for some spring-like conditions. Back to back northeasters are beginning to wear on me. I believe the fish are here and are ready to chew, but we need the conditions to improve to fish effectively.

Today, the low tide will occur around 8:49 a.m. and the high around 3:05 p.m. Lighter winds are predicted and we have a perfect tide to try our luck.

Floating a live shrimp about a foot off the bottom along the mouth of feeder creeks, along oyster bars or the end of your favorite dock should give you good results this time of year. A jig rigged with a live shrimp hooked through the tail is another method for tempting redfish. Topwater plugs such as the Rapala skitter walk, skitter pop, Heddons Zara spook and the Mirrorlure Top Dogs are a few of the plugs that have been working recently.

Plastics, including jerk baits and grubs, also should be deadly today for reds and trout. I've had a few reports of flounder starting to show up in the creeks. Mud minnows rigged with an egg sinker above a No. 7 swivel tied to 12 inches of 20-pound test fluorocarbon leader tied to a No. 4 widebend hook also will do the trick this time of year.

The black drum are still here, we just need the conditions to hook one up. Reports of 30- to 40-pound fish have come in this week from the sounds and the rivers. Crabs, clams and large shrimp have been the go-to bait when fishing for black drum.

The last hour of the falling tide and straight through the incoming tide should be the tide to fish the north or south jetty today. Bull reds, black drum and sharks along with sheepshead, trout, redfish and puppy drum on light tackle will be available.

Grouper and snapper are still available at our inshore reefs and a few cobia have begun to show up. The flounder have shown up at FA, FC, FB and BA bottoms. Rob Hester and Gus Martin aboard the Amelia on My Mind reported an excellent day of bottom fishing April 5 at the 40-mile bottom.

This team reported football-sized beeliners and released many undersized on that trip. Kenny Crawford aboard the Real Yellow Pages reported two consecutive weekends of excellent bottom fishing. Kenny and crew were using Boston mackerel for bait. The fish are there.

We did not have many reports come in from the surf or piers this past week due to the high winds and seas.

If the conditions are right, I hope to see you on the water this weekend.

Until next time ... Capt. Jim.