Well, February was been a crazy month to say the least, and it looks as if March is going to be a strange one too. Aboard TEAM BRODIE CHARTERS we’ve already caught Florida pompano, gafftopsail catfish, bull reds, sharks, white trout, and ground mullet in the Mississippi Sound in February, so look for a cobia to be next on the March fishing list.
Speaking of white trout and ground mullet, March will continue to deliver good catches on the deeper rocks, wrecks, and fish-havens around the barrier islands. And by mid or late March these tasty bottom dwellers should be showing up on the near shore reefs in good and steady numbers. Anglers fishing scaled down bottom rigs using shrimp, squid, or cut bait will do well on the silver-hued trout, and provide some of the best frying fillets on the planet.
March is also one of the best months to catch the structure loving sheepshead. With the spawn going on in March these fish can be found in good concentrations at the mouth of the bays, around bridges, and especially at the barrier islands around various sorts of structure. A live shrimp will be an excellent offering to the bait stealing sheepies, and on light tackle these dark-hued scrappers are simply a delight to catch.
If you’re looking for something really big to challenge your light fishing gear, look no further than the flats and shoals at the barrier islands for the big black drum. This time of year they gather in the shallows, and often you can encounter hundreds if not thousands of the 25 to 50-pound creatures in compact schools. Generally they are easy to approach, and a shrimp on a bottom rig or jig will lead to amazing battles. If possible cast ahead of the cruising fish, letting them swim over the bait sitting still on the bottom.
Redfish will begin to stir a bit more in March, too, and look for fish around the barrier islands to become more active around the bridges and various structures in the lower sections of the bays.
Flounder will begin to stack up on our near shore beaches and rock jetties too, and since we are catching a few in February, well, let’s hope we’ll have an early March run on the delicious flatfish. Jigs, especially those sweetened with cut bait slowly bumped across the bottom will produce strikes, but a live bull minnow is simply an offering these aggressive bottom feeders can’t resist. Once you feel the flounder snatch up the minnow give him a few seconds to swallow the bait, then set the hook hard, and be ready to quickly scoop him in the landing net.
If you like to battle sharks, it looks like these fish will be prowling the waters just outside the barrier islands in March, and will be easy to chum up into a feeding frenzy. In the process you may very well come up with a jack crevalle or even nice cobia, and that’s always a nice March bonus.
Look for speckled trout to work their way to the front beaches and barrier islands, too. With all of the rain we had in February the bite should be good as the weather heats up. Bottom line, plenty of fish to catch in March and a nice variety at that, so load up and let’s enjoy March Madness Mississippi style. Good fishing!
Capt. Robert L. Brodie
TEAM BRODIE CHARTERS
228-697-7707
www.teambrodiecharters.com