Hello fellow anglers! It is time to get out there and get fishing. March is a great month- the weather has started to tame down and not be so ornery. Yes, the waters are starting to warm up and the migration of fish has too. There should be plenty of Spanish mackerel along the coast where there is bait to be eaten. There may also be some kings flying around also stalking the bait that gathers around the close to shore artificial reefs 30-40 ft. You can slow troll a blue runner or thread fin or what you can catch in the area to raise one of these smokers. Also around these reefs there should be plenty of the sheepshead and flounder to target as they migrate out to these waters to spawn. Out to the 50 ft. natural bottoms there should be lanes and mangroves too. And the grunts should be in full out feeding frenzy and they are great table fare. Because of the name some people don’t understand that if you mix in white grunt filets and mangrove snapper you will be hard pressed to tell the difference. All though the grunts don’t do well after freezing they are best eaten fresh. Yes, I tell my anglers to eat the grunts asap and if you need to freeze some fish, do the snapper and others in the freezer. My favorite way to fix white grunts and mangrove snapper is fried. Yup, I use McCormick’s cracker meal with Goya adobo seasoning in the meal with bite size chunks of fish dampened so the meal sticks. Let that sit for 3-5 minutes and add to 350° oil, cook till they start to float, then scoop them out. Place them in a bowl lined with paper towels. Next, I like to dash some Crystal cayenne pepper sauce and then some Key Lime juice just a couple drops, salt and pepper. Yum! then you eat all you have cooked and it still tastes like MORE. Yea most of the guides I know can cook some fish yall, that is because we get lots of practice frying fish. Well, if that don’t make you want to go and catch some fresh fish well, I don’t know. Let’s talk about some fishing inshore. Reds along the shores of mangroves, near the mouths of the creeks, and in the sand holes out in the grass flats. Also on the grass flats, there should be plenty of speckled sea trout that will eat a shrimp on a cork popped occasionally. Yes, I get my live shrimp from Fishin-Franks. They are good for redfish bait too. The snapper inshore should be hanging around the structures, pilings, and docks. Find some in expecting baits to consume.
Call or email Capt. Bart Marx, I can take you on my boat or I can go on yours to shorten your learning curve. So, call 941-979-6517 or email captbart@alphaomegacharters.com
And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{