Spring has sprung, and the fish have too. The weather and bite are HOT in the Gulf right now! Snook have awoken from the winter slumber and are eating every pilchard in sight. Redfish are ganging up with hundreds of their closest friends and scouring the flats, and cobia are chasing stingrays like metal scrappers chase the free section on the marketplace. What a time to own a fishing pole!
The snook will likely make their way out to the Anclote beach by the end of this month, but for now, they are stacked in every creek and spoil island in town. Live bait is always the preferred method, whether it’s greenbacks, pinfish, or finger mullet. Some of the larger swimbaits work well in the morning and evening light, and nothing beats going out on a calm night and throwing a big topwater for them.
Redfish are schooling up on the flats in great numbers right now. The beginning of the incoming tide or the end of the outgoing tide is what I like best. Cut pinfish works better than most, but if you like artificials, now is a great time to get out your scented shrimp or crabs on a light jig and tickle them across the bottom in front of the schools. The water is clear and shallow, so they can be a bit spooky, though. A skiff, kayak, or even wading are good bets for them.
Cobia and trout are hanging in the same areas on the flats, so I like to keep a rod rigged for each while drifting the flat. The jig you throw for trout will also get eaten by a cobia, so don’t be surprised if that tug turns into screaming drag on your next trout adventure!
Captain Bill is a Florida native who grew up fishing the Gulf Coast. Being a proud Army Vet himself, he founded a charity called VetCatch that takes disabled veterans on cost free fishing trips in the Tampa Bay area. He guides out of New Port Richey fishing a 24-foot Shoalwater tower boat as well as the custom 25-foot VetCatch pontoon if needed for elderly/disabled fisherman. www.rustybucket.fish.