By: Capt. Billy Norris
Finally, after a long winter filled with unexpected cold fronts, seemingly endless windy days, mysterious fog and a gigantic red tide bloom, we finally see light at the end of the tunnel! The water is warming up, the red tide is completely gone, and it’s time to get ready for our springtime species!
The backwaters have been relatively productive the past month. There have been snook and redfish hanging around the mangroves, and plenty of spotted seatrout on the flats and in the channels. Additionally, there have been some nice pompano being landed from the flats and sandbars. As always, the star of March has been the sheepshead, with plenty of fish being caught, including some offshore-sized sheeps that have been hanging in the back. As spring starts to arrive, expect to see more and more snook make their way from their wintertime stomping grounds up in the rivers as they make their way to the passes and beaches. After being absent for several weeks due to the red tide bloom, good backwater-sized pilchards have shown back up on our beaches, so we can finally throw the net for bait again.
Offshore has been equally as good. Inside of 40 miles the grouper bite has been fantastic. Red grouper have been chewing very well, and limiting out on a trip hasn’t been much of a problem. The big offshore sheepshead have also arrived in our area. We have been landing plenty of them in the 18-22 inch range. Sheepshead are a local favorite for the dinner table, but can be tricky for inexperienced anglers to catch. Small hooks or jigs with bits of shrimp is the way to go. One thing that has been missing this past month has been the pelagic fishes. Usually this time of year, we should be crushing kingfish every day. However, due to the red tide the kings didn’t migrate in this year. Permit, cobia, spanish, and other pelagic have also been scarce. However, just within the past week we have started catching pelagics again. This is due to the fact that the red tide has cleared, and the water is pristine again.
We also had some excellent offshore trips 40 miles and farther. There are more big hungry amberjacks around than you can handle, and the African pompano bite has been on fire! In addition, yellowtail and mangrove snapper have been chewing well farther out.
Spring is here, so make sure you are ready! Start swapping out the sheepshead rigs for tarpon gear, and get prepared for the arrival of our spring and summer fish! If you’d like to get out on the water and catch fish in the backwater, offshore, or on deep runs give Pale Horse Fishing Charters at (239)285-7710 and book your trip today!