April through June is my favorite time of year in Central Florida. Typically the weather is at its best and the fishing is consistently good. Gone are the cold fronts and blustery winds howling from the north and the summer’s heat has not yet gripped us in a stranglehold.
Water temperatures are not only near perfect for the baitfish and gamefish in April, it’s also warm enough to allow an algae bloom. While I cannot say for sure if we will have another “brown algae” bloom this year I can tell you we are seeing a mild bloom in mid-March. Much of the South Lagoon is still crystal clear, though some areas are cloudy. To date, the fish don’t seem to care!
Only time will tell if we’re in for another nasty bloom as April moves along. Keep in mind we still caught fish in the blooms of years behind us.
Let the mullet tell you where to fish if the water is dirty. We employ this technique whenever the water is filthy with mud, algae or debris. You’ll often notice the mullet skirting the edges of the foul water meeting the clear or at least relatively clean water. Fishing along these transition lines can reap huge rewards for the astute angler.
Speaking of mullet; I hope you’ve noticed their early arrival this March. Before April’s end they should be thick on the flats. Even though we still have a local population of shrimp throughout the region redfish and gator trout are aggressively feeding upon fingerling mullet moving across the shallows.
Mullet are not the only “fin-fish” showing up early this spring. Pinfish are already a nuisance on the flats and will quickly pick a live shrimp apart when tossed into a sand spot. Live shrimp are nearly useless now except when sight-cast to an aggressive predator able to pounce on it before the pseudo-piranha do!