Thanks to Ron Davis, inventor of The Chatterbait, for this inshore report. Ron reports that for now the bite remains unchanged from a week ago, but if warm temperatures stay then things will surely pick up soon.

Spottail Bass: Fair. Redfish remain in winter mode, and with cold water temperatures they are in even tighter groups throughout the tide cycle. The water is very clearly and so it can be tough to stay on top of fish since they can see you as well as you see them, but it remains easier to spot fish during lower tide cycles when they can be seen pushing wakes along shallow main river shell banks. Fish are not feeding very much at this time of year, and some days certain schools can be tough to get a bite from. Creek fishing has really slowed down with cold water temperatures. To catch spottail bass in the creeks anglers should concentrate on deep bends with structure that is 15 to 20 or more feet deep. Scented soft plastics have been working better than cut bait.

Sheepshead: Fair. Colder water temperatures have moved the fish from structure in 10-15 feet of water to structure in 20-40 feet of water; this is common during the coldest periods. Fiddler crabs along with bits of clam and oyster are baits of choice for convict fish.

Trout: Slow. A few trout are being caught in very deep holes (15-25 feet) with structure, but overall the bite is poor. The good news is that it seems like the trout population may have survived the recent cold snap.

Flounder: Gone. Flounder remain offshore for the spawn until approximately April.