I've never fished POC but I'm heading down there this weekend. We'll have a 17' flats boat and a 12' Scooter. Do you think Pringle Lake is the best spot to fish? Or whats been good lately? Location and Bait? And do you think all the fireworks and traffic will have the fish spooked the day after the 4th of July?

good luck theres going to be a million people there including me

This is the first year in several that I'm going on the fourth. I just don't want to fight the crowd. The fishing will depend on the wind. This past weekend we found some trout everywhere we stopped, but did not find significant concentrations of keepers. Tide this past weekend was low in the morning and we had the best action wadefishing outside back lake drains, early in the morning.

Yeah man If I where you I would just stay home this weekend.

Did ya'll fish Pringle at all? I've heard fish it on an incoming tide and fish outside of it on the out flowing tides.

Well, we did fish along the island that forms the lake. You won't be able to fish the cut itself on a weekend. Too many boats. There are three cuts that lead to Pringle and boats will be running in and out of the middle and cut furthest east all day. The Rahal cut (furthest west) will bet too shallow to run on a low tide. You can wade part of it. It's boggy. Usually redfish there even at low tide.

If you run through the middle cut and the boat traffic will allow, run 3/4 of the way straight across the lake into the wind turn left run a few hundred yards, and drift fish. If conditions are right you drft back to the cut or the duck blind beside it. I've found the color changes in Pringle will hold fish.

There will also be a lot of boats wade fishing the ESB. Best option is to get an early start. Sunday we got to pringle before daylight with the intent to wade ESB. There was already a boat where we were headed. Also, if out early, leave your anchor light on. It will help boats from running right up on you.