Lanark – March Fishing Report

Spring is here!  Which means its almost that beautiful time of the year: summer.  Hopefully you’ve already taken your boat in for service and upgrades insuring it will be back in time for this month’s amazing fishing opportunities.

Normally in March we see an increase in bait on the flats with the increasing temperatures.  This means fish will be more active and feeding aggressively.  The flats around Alligator Point and Lanark can produce some big catches this time of year.  With things heating up, I will increase the size of my baits and speed up my presentation.  Chunking topwater plugs across grass flats or beside docks can result in massive strikes by hungry trout and reds.  I’m a fan of the Skitter-V by Rapala and the original Skitter Walk.  Go-too color is the bone white.  Look for sand holes, structure, or depth change.  All of these are likely ambush spots for hungry fish.
If topwater is not getting the action you want or they keep “short striking”, switch to a suspending twitch bait or paddle tail on jig head.  Mirrolure seems to be my suspending hard bait of choice.  I match the color of the bait to the clarity of the water.  Clean and clear water gets a silver and green or similarly light-colored bait.  Dirty, stained water I’ll throw a purple or black bait.  A simple “twitch-twitch-pause” will get the action rolling usually.

Another way to target inshore fish is sight fishing.  If the water is clean enough to see fish, and you’re stealthy enough that is.  Moving sloooowww is the key to success in my opinion.  Both Dog Island and St George Island can offer good sight fishing opportunities.  Using a push pole to ease your way down a shoreline is the best way to sneak up to your targets.  If using a trolling motor is your only option, I would keep it on the lowest possible setting.  When fish are in skinny water they are typically easily spooked.  Once you’ve spotted the fish, be sure your cast is far enough in front of the fish as to not spook it.  Many words have been said after spooking a fish by casting too close, that would not be repeated in church.

Summer brings many opportunities to inshore anglers in the Carrabelle and Alligator Harbor area.  Get out early, try a new area and have some fun!  I have a few prime dates available for tarpon fly fishing.  If you’re interested give me a call!