Inglis – Yankeetown – March Fishing Report

For those of you, who have waited and waited for the winter doldrums to go away, it is now March, and you can feel Spring in the air. We don’t need a groundhog to tell us Spring will be early; we have alligators! The gators have been out and about sunning towards the end of February in Bennetts Creek; it’s about to get really warm.

Sheepshead can still be found offshore for another couple of weeks, but then look for them along the spoil islands, as they make their way back in. Sheepshead make excellent table faire, but are tricky to clean. I use the Filletzall blade I found at Captains Cove Outfitters in Inglis, to make fast and easy work of it. Shrimp will still be your best bet, but a fiddler or mud crab will get them to bite if it is slow.

Water temps started to rise late in February, pushing a lot of the red drum out from the creeks, expanding into the rivers and inner bars. Mullet have been seen in droves around the inner bars. A nice finger mullet on the bottom, and or cork, should generate a nice bite from the larger reds. As the water warms, the reds will also hit faster moving artificial bait. On calm mornings and evenings, try a top water plug to get the adrenaline flowing!

Mangrove snapper will be eating well in the 20 to 35-foot depths. Mangrove’s are very leader shy. I recommend using as light a fluorocarbon leader as possible in at least an 8-foot length to generate more bites. A simple knocker rig with shrimp, and or cut bait, works best, but you can always chum heavy and try to freeline a shrimp behind the boat to spice things up.

For a lot of you, this month will be the first time the boat has been out for the season. Verify that everything is in good working order, and that you have all your safety equipment and documentation before hitting the ramp. As always, just have fun; that’s what it is all about!  Please reach out to me at capterichasty@gmail.com with any questions you may have. In addition, check out We Be Tailing, live Wednesday nights at 7:00 for more tips and tricks at the ShastyMcNasty Fishing Facebook page.

Capt. Eric Hasty
ShastyMcNasty Fishing LLC
www.shastymcnastyfishing.com
352-220-3206