Capt. James Vadas
The local Anna Maria Island commercial fishermen have a saying that goes like this, “when it’s blowing from the East you should fish for Spanish Mackerel on the beach.” It’s not the first time I heard the “wind” mentioned in a fishing report. My grandfather sold bait in a small shop on Lake Michigan in South Chicago. I spent a few summers hanging out in the bait shop with my grandparents. I loved them very much, and I wish they were still with us. Their customers also shared that love. They would call Grandpa all day long and ask how the fishing was. I overheard these fishing report phone calls. My Grandpa didn’t like wind if it was blowing more than 15mph, and if it were coming from the North he would use the F word. I didn’t understand then why Grandpa didn’t like the wind. 30 years later, as a full-time fishing guide, I finally get it.
It all makes sense to me. Fish on the Gulf side of the island when the wind is blowing from the East, because the island blocks the wind within a half mile from the beach. If you go out any further, it starts getting windy and rough. If the wind were blowing from the West, you would want to be fishing on the east side in Anna Maria sound.
I launch the boat in dark and by the time I’m ready to throw a cast net, the sun is just starting to rise. Before I throw that net, I say a prayer and take time to share pictures and videos of the amazing sunrise that our loving God paints every morning, with my Facebook friends. But, even though the sun was up and I was in an area that was blocked from the wind, the water was dirty from all the rain. I just couldn’t see the bait very well. I had to throw the net on faith. After a few throws, I had plenty of bait and three mullet to make some smoked mullet dip with later. Ron and his crew had an amazing day of mackerel fishing that was almost non-stop action. They also landed a couple of tough fighting Bonita. This is a trip I won’t soon forget, and to top it off, Ron sent some pictures of the Spanish mackerel his wife prepared in a stir fry. So, even if it’s windy, you can still have a great day of fishing. You just have to know where to go and have a little faith. God bless and tight lines. Yours Truly, Captain James
