by Capt. Phil Muldrow
Surprise, surprise, surprise! Our new outside boat ramp project is operational at last!
Now for some fishing news: Our inshore action is still pretty dadgum good. Water temperatures are still in the 60’s and clarity is not an issue except during our big blows when things get a bit stirred up. Trout are now pretty much evenly distributed, some in the creeks, some around the oyster bars, some along the deep cuts and channels, and even some on the grass flats. Our spanish mackerel run is still on, but due to an overabundance of strong 15-25 knot northeasters it’s been too rough to get a fter them on Seahorse Reef. Just like the trout, our red fish run is still alive and well and has actually gotten better the last of October and so far this November. Once again, due to day a fter day of strong NE winds, not many folks have been able to take advantage of the inshore bonanza. So far, November has certainly been mighty naughty and if December is like November, it too could be very ugly. Just flat out too much wind. All the cooler weather and drops in the water temperatures are wonderful but 15-25 knot wind won’t get her done.
Lastly, the same above-normal wind patterns that have plagued the inshore fleet have obviously all but shut down our band of grouper fishermen. Today is November 14. We have only had two days so far to make it offshore. The fishing and catching, releasing is now simply off the charts. On my last trip just before our current big blow, we limited out on gags on just two stops. We were done in about an hour with 10 beauties, six between 28” and 30”. That action was in 36 . We needed eight more red grouper so we pulled anchor and made a seven mile run to the west and finished up our remaining eight red grouper by 12:30PM. Oh, by the way, we released at least 10 more keeper gags; even had a 20lb king to the boat before pulling the hook as I just put my hand on the gaff . It was a stellar day indeed. That was yesterday. Today, it’s 20-30 knot winds and the seas at the 100 mile buoy are 12 ft. All we need is just a few more days of decent weather. Maybe Christmas will come early for the grouper fishing fleet. Remember, our gag season closes at midnight on December 2. So far this gag season it seems Mother Nature is on the gulf council’s payroll. Oh well, it is what it is, and as always, time will tell.
Sure hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. Good luck and good fishing. See you next month, “if nothin’ don’t happen!”
FORECAST BY: Captain Phil Muldrow Native Son Charters, Inc. Cedar Key, Florida 352-543-9930