January 20, 2006 The fishing and weather was nowhere near as good as it was last week. On Monday's trip to Mosquito Lagoon, I discovered that the weekend cold front had pushed the water temps back into the low 50’s. The flats that were full of redfish last week were totally barren. After hours of searching, we found a few redfish cruising the shallows in the mid afternoon. Hooked one red on an Exude crab and one on a baby bass Zoom fluke. Both shook loose. In nine hours of fishing, only one small red was brought to the boat. Tuesday and Wednesday were windy and I did not fish. Thursday, my plan was to search the south end of the Mosquito Lagoon for some black drum. I was greeted by a stiff wind and clouds when I arrived at the ramp. The water down south was so dirty I could not see the bottom in one foot of water. Shortly after arriving, I was told to leave by a NASA security helicopter. I headed back north in search of some cleaner water. After 45 minutes of poling through some very shallow water, I arrived at a spot I hoped would hold some 30” trout. There were a few fish there and I caught several trout and reds on baby bass flukes and fly. The biggest trout measured 28” and was caught on a baby bass fluke I spotted him lying in a small sand hole and he took the bait as I saw it over his head. Although fish do not normally like a bait which is swimming towards them, laid up trout will attack baits traveling head on if you keep the lure above them in the water column. I tried the redfish magic spinnerbait for a while and only caught trout: The numerous clouds made it difficult to sight fish but a few reds made it easier by waving me over with their tails. The baby bass fluke was mistaken for a meal by this 29” fish. This weekend’s warm weather should bring more reds back to the flats. Lures such as soft plastics that land softly and worked slowly will draw strikes. Live baits such as shrimp are also effective but are not necessary to catch fish. Live shrimp cannot be cast as far as an artificial without adding weight.  They also do not hold up well with repeated casts. When searching for fish, watch for stingrays and mullet. If you see them, it’s a good bet the reds are nearby.