By: Capt. Billy Norris
Last month was a wild one! It felt like we went through three different seasons with all the crazy weather we’ve had. We saw plenty of 80-degree days, mixed in with cold snaps in the 40s, and even a few mornings that dipped below freezing. One day, we actually had to chip ice off the windshield before heading out! Despite the rollercoaster conditions, the fishing has been solid across the board.
Offshore action has been all over the place. Before the big temperature drops, we were hammering the gag grouper. Even though the season is closed and they have to be released, the fish have been impressive with lots of keeper-sized gags and quite a few topping the 30-inch mark. Big sharks have also been putting on a show, with tigers, bulls, lemons, and sandbars all making appearances boat-side. The snapper bite has stayed steady, too. Mangrove snapper have been the main attraction, along with a few quality lane snapper mixed in. A few years back, we were catching big lanes every trip, but the 2024 red tide really hurt their numbers. Seeing them return is a great sign their population is bouncing back. After the cold fronts in late January, the big sheepshead moved onto the nearshore wrecks and reefs and have been eagerly eating shrimp and crabs.
The backwaters have held their own as well. Winter isn’t always prime time for inshore fishing, but we’ve still been putting together productive trips. Sheepshead, black drum, snook, and redfish have been the steady performers. We were worried that the freezing temps might lead to a major snook kill, but thankfully we haven’t seen any signs of that here. Unfortunately, some areas just north of us weren’t as lucky as the cold hit hard and wiped out thousands of snook. It’ll take time for those fisheries to recover, but we dodged the worst of it in our area.
All in all, fishing has been great, the weather is finally shaping up, and there’s no better time to get out on the water. If you’re ready to make some memories and reel in some Florida fun, give us a call, we’ll get you out there!