Panacea Fishing Report – April
Captions:
1. Henry Ruehl shows off his big red!
2. Sheepy’s are still here!
It’s spring and the fish will be moving to the bars and flats in the bay. Out in front of Ochlockonee River, Piney Island and Shell Point should be holding, trout, redfish, and flounder finally. The sheepshead can still be caught on live shrimp around any hard bottom or structure. All predators will be slurping Bite-A-Bait fighters, Mirrodines, Redfins or soft twitch baits. Topwater lures should get things going this month as the fish get more active when water temp increases. The bay has been hovering around 60 degrees for a while now so everything will get more active soon.
Bait schools are running late this year but soon will be making their ripples into the hot zone to become dinner for larger eating machines.
Gag grouper season opened in state waters off of Franklin, Wakulla, Taylor and Jefferson counties from April 1st-June 30…2 Gags,24″ minimum/4 grouper daily bag limit per person. Remember gear rules require circle hooks and dehooking tools. The venting tool is no longer required. There should be plenty to choose from because reports from this winter have been seeing plenty of fish being caught and released.
This is an exciting time of year so make sure your heavier equipment is serviced before heading out. Remember to take a kid fishing and let them experience and enjoy the outdoors!