By: Capt. Bart Marx
Now that it is April in Southwest Florida, temperatures are warming up as the waters get up to the seventies and the fish will become more active. The king mackerel will be on the move to the north following the seventy-two plus degree water temperature, and spanish mackerel will be right there following them. Trolling is a great way to cover lots of ground and looking for the birds and the fish being attacked on the surface. Troll around the big schools with a planer and a spoon close to the size of the baits in the school as this a very productive way to find and harvest them. Specifically for the spanish, I have learned to use a buck tail jig and a spoon tandem rig. This technique allows when I find the fish I could land two at a time. Mangrove snapper and lanes are around from forty-five to eighty feet maybe some porgies too. Snook, reds and trout should get more active as the waters warm up in the inland shallows. With the warmer water the white baits should be coming back into the inshore waters, and throwing the net makes the catching these much easier. Traveling around the inshore waters, start looking along the outside edges of the bars for cobia and pompano. Pompano will jump out of your boat wake, and I will turn around and cast a shrimp or a jig to find them. April is a great month in our area to catch a lot of different species of fish and if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart you will learn how to catch some of these species.
I offer training sessions to accompany you on your boat if you are new to the area. I will show you how to use your tackle and where you can take your boat safely in the local waters from Englewood South to Pine Island. Call or e-mail. Capt. Bart Marx 941-979-6517 or e-mail captbart@alphaomegacharters.com.