Fishing is about to improve around the area
The official spring season begins at the end of this week and if you are a serious fishermen, you have got to be excited. In Southwest Florida we are fortunate that we have good fishing all year, but it’s hard to argue that springtime fishing here is about as good as it gets.
To begin with, the weather starts to settle into a stable pattern – yes cold fronts are still probable but they become milder and less frequent as the days go by. Daily thunderstorms aren’t a threat for a couple more months so it’s easy to fish any time of day or all day. The temperatures will get warm enough for comfortable fishing, but not overbearingly hot as it often gets in the summer.
With the stable weather and the bright sunny warm skies over the past week or so, the water will soon warm to that magic temperature where sea life of all sorts and sizes move into our waters. Fish begin migrating back up the coast – first the baitfish and right behind them game fish. Large schools of bait can appear anywhere at any time and you can bet if you are rigged and ready there is something larger beneath them willing to bend a rod. Several of our species, including sea trout, mackerel and snook, will be on the move and begin their spawning activities in the upcoming months and they like to gorge themselves on oily pilchards and herring. Many of the larger trout we have caught in the last two weeks are already loading up with eggs so the transition has already begun.
Speaking of snook, they will be on the move, relocating from their winter safe havens from the cold to areas where food is abundant. In the winter snook don’t have much of an appetite due to their metabolism slowing way down in the cold water, but once the water temperature stabilizes in the mid 70s look out. They can make up for several months of a lean diet real quick as they feed heavily on oily baitfish and look a like imitations. If you hit it right, some of the best snook fishing of the year occurs during this time.
The largest trout of the year will also be caught during the spring fling. It’s common to get on a bunch of trout where almost all the fish caught are over the 20-inch slot. The largest trout on my boat every year are caught while snook fishing. They are generally loners or in pairs and group with pods of snook in sand potholes and on the edges of oyster bars on high tide. They can’t resist a frisky pilchard or a top water lure imitating the speedy baitfish.
It’s been a long time for redfish anglers that fish under the mangroves to have enough high water to work with. That’s also about to change as the spring tides also begin. We will begin to see some good high tides during the day time once again allowing anglers to work their favorite islands. Along with the live baitfish and imitations, shrimp and cut bait including ladyfish and Spanish sardines are also good at attracting the reds attention under the shadows of the mangroves.
The big boys will begin to arrive in town soon. Tarpon won’t yet be in the huge schools we fish in another two months, but they will begin filtering in and begin grouping up. Many are hooked by accident in the upcoming month as they are relocating and are often hooked by anglers fishing open water areas for trout and mackerel. Some sharks remain throughout the year, but there presence will greatly multiply soon. They can range from just a few feet to well over 10 feet and you can expect to find them lurking around the pods of bait. The baits schools attract a host of small predators including ladyfish, bluefish, jacks and mackerel; these are all shark candy so you can bet if you find the little guys the big boys are nearby.
Also moving up the coast off the beaches will be king mackerel and often big ones known as “smoker kings.” A few are caught right in the passes but the majority are found several miles offshore where they lurk over artificial structure and limestone ledges. Some big cobia should also appear over the same structure and we should get reports of cobia of all sizes showing up on the inshore waters. The cobias generally show up around your boat in shore while you’re targeting other species. The bigger fish are real tackle busters so it often pays big dividends to have a heavy outfit rigged and ready for a quick presentation if the opportunity presents itself.
There are so many different species that come into play as the water warms that there just isn’t enough room to mention them all. For the angler it’s a great time to fish our waters, the hardest part for the next month or two might be choosing what to fish for.
If you have a fishing story or photo that you would like to share or for charter information, please contact us at (239)283-7960 or visit us at www.fishpine-island.com. Have a safe week and good fishin’.