Creek mouth schools

Already grouping up as their spawn progresses, redfish have been keying on local creek mouths taking advantage of the recent rain. Glass minnows that call these brackish nurseries home have been flushing out with the tide keeping redfish close by.  Out of Ponce Park in Punta Gorda, the entire shoreline and adjacent sandbar south to Alligator Creek is worth keeping an eye on as multiple groups of fish have been moving up and down the shoreline between about half a dozen separate creek systems. They have been most active on moving water and the earlier you catch the tide the better. Basically, they feed better at the beginning of the tide stage. Both incoming and outgoing are fine. To match the glass minnows, I’ve been throwing small baitfish patterns on a seven or eight weight rigged with a weight forward floating line.  As always, I like a # 1 or 1/0 Puglisi finger mullet but I’ve also been throwing a locally tied pattern, the Kwan.  On a spinning rod, a small top water plug like the Mirrolure top pup is a good bet.  Here, all you need is a medium power seven-foot fast action rod.