Fishing throughout the seasons
Winter (January - March)
The winter months in Litchfield mean hitting the inlets and backwater creeks hard. Fish this time of year are stacked up shallow over muddy bottoms in search of that slightly warmer water temperature. This time of year we see our larger speckled seatrout and more numbers of them as they are schooling in deep pockets. Red drum will also be abundant on mud bottoms looking for shrimp and other invertebrates. Artificial soft plastic lures and a live shrimp under a floating cork are used predominantly. Flounder can also be caught this time of year however keeper fish are typically still offshore breeding before moving in for the warm weather. Sheepshead are thriving in the colder clear water along any type of structure.
What you can expect to catch:
Beach
Beach excursions are not offered during the winter season
Inlet
Flounder, Red Drum, Black Drum, Speckled Trout, Sheepshead
Spring (April - June)
When the weather starts to warm up so does the fishing. The first few weeks of April tend to see a lot of action off of the surf. Whiting, pompano, sea robins, pufferfish, and more can be caught just within the breakers. Bluefish will also be abundant and can be caught along the waves. May and June bring in our blacktip and other smaller sharks which lay their pups in the inlets this time of year. Back in the inlets things really begin to heat up with baitfish schools showing up by the hundreds of thousands. Wade fishing is fantastic as the flounder begin to show size and red drum will become more active feeders on larger baits. Overall a great time of year for numbers of fish.
What you can expect to catch:
Beach
Whiting, Pompano, Sea Robin, Pinfish, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Pufferfish, Dogfish, Small sharks (1-4ft)
Inlet
Flounder, Red Drum, Black Drum, Speckled Trout, Sheepshead, Croaker, Spot
Summer (June - September)
The summertime is my personal favorite time to fish Litchfield as the biggest size and variety of fish is found this time of year. At sunrise off of the surf massive schools of menhaden and mullet are being exploded on by large king mackerel, tarpon, sharks, bluefish, and more. Behind the breakers, we fish for the king mackerel and tarpon with live baits. Then, throw topwater poppers for the sharks. The largest sharks of the year are off the beach so this is the time to book a shark excursion. Right in front of us, there are troughs that act as fish highways that fish use for safety within the shallow surf. Here we catch our good table fare fish such as whiting, pompano, spot, and flounder. After the initial early morning action, the mid-morning bite takes place with tons of variety in the breakers. At around noon the beach fishing dies down as the surf flattens. The afternoon bite occurs in the inlet where the fish are at their peak activity as the sun goes down and the tide changes.
What you can expect to catch:
Beach
Whiting, Pompano, Croaker, Spot, Ladyfish, Jacks, Sea Robin, Pinfish, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel, Sea trout, Spadefish, King Mackerel, Croaker, Spot, Tarpon, Pufferfish, Dogfish, Sharks (1ft-12ft)
Inlet
Flounder, Red Drum, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Speckled Trout, Croaker, Atlantic Spadefish, Bluefish, Stingray
Fall (October - December)
When the weather cools down and the days shorten we know the fall is creeping in. Fall is a big transition time for fishing around Litchfield as the larger-sized inshore fish are moving out such as flounder and red drum. Big bull Red drum will be caught off the beach using large chunk baits in the breakers. Back in the creek, flounder and trout will be stacked up in deep holes. Sea trout fishing really begins to heat up as the weather cools as well.
What you can expect to catch:
Beach
Whiting, Red Drum, Black Drum, Sea Robin, Sea trout, Pufferfish, Bluefish, Spanish Mackerel
Inlet
Flounder, Red Drum, Black Drum, Sheepshead, Speckled Trout, Croaker, Spot, Bluefish, Stingray