By: Capt. Greg Poland
March is a great time to fish in the Florida Keys. Now that we are transitioning from winter fishing to spring fishing, depending on the weather there are plenty of solid options for catching fish.
On windy days, the backcountry of the Everglades shorelines are hard to beat for snook and redfish. Medium spinning gear with jigheads tipped with live shrimp or pinfish work well. Carry a range of jighead weights so you can adjust to the current and fish different parts of the water column. Focus on undercut banks, downed trees, and shoreline structure that holds bait as those areas are always worth fishing slow and thoroughly.
When conditions are calm, I like to switch gears and fish the Atlantic side for pelagic species. A 20 lb. spinning outfit paired with live pilchards, threadfin herring, or ballyhoo is a great setup. Take the time to load the livewell will pay off, especially when live chumming to get the bite going. On the right days, the reef edge can be excellent and it’s an easy run offshore out of Islamorada.
March is also a transition month, with Spanish mackerel still active in the Gulf, along with the chance of kingfish, cobia, and the first tarpon of the season showing up on warm days. Patch reefs continue to produce a solid mixed bag of snapper and other bottom fish with a chum bag and a few shrimp.
Whether you’re fishing the backcountry, the reef, or offshore, March offers something for everyone. If you’re interested in booking a charter, I’d love to get on the water with you my website is www.gregpoland.com I have a new Contender 29ft Bay Boat in the mold, I am so excited to get in it for the season to be able to spend a little more time out on the Gulf Wrecks and venture out a little further into the backcountry. I think its going to be the perfect boat for my charters here in the Florida Keys.
— Visit Capt. Greg at 305.393.3327 or email gregpoland@icloud.com |
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with Capt. Greg Poland