Drift fishing on the reefs in March can be exciting. Kingfish are biting good with some bonitos mixed in with them. Some 30 to 40 pound smoker kingfish will get caught on the drift boats over the next couple months. These smoker kingfish almost always bite a flat line. A flat line is just a regular kingfish drift rig, that is rigged with no weight. It makes sense that this bait entices the biggest and wisest kingfish because a flat line sinks the most natural. Sardines, ballyhoo and flying fish are all great baits to use drift fishing for kingfish. Some bull dolphin and bigger tuna come in on the reef this time of year too. They come into the reef chasing the flying fish and ballyhoo schools. We usually have a 2 week period in March when the dolphin fishing just goes off the scale and we catch 20 pounders on the reef all day. Get ready for that, it will happen any day now.
Night fishing is good as always. The yellowtail bite has slowed down, but mangrove snappers have started chewing. Mangrove snappers are on average larger than yellowtails, with most of them 3 pounds or bigger. A ballyhoo plug on the bottom may also catch you a big mutton snapper. Try a fluorocarbon leader for an extra edge. The mutton snappers will start biting better every month from now until August with the best bite happening just before and just after the full moon. Groupers, though out of season, will start biting really good later in the month and continue biting throughout the spring.
This is the start of an action packed spring fishing season. Good luck to everyone out there fishing. Sea ya on the water.
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
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