Visions of cobia will occupy the daydreams of offshore anglers this month. Along with an expected arrival of a body of cobes, solid snapper fishing will continue to prevail through the days of March and will highlight the diversity of bottom dwelling fish that can be caught among the many reefs, wrecks, and snags that lay beneath the offshore waters of Martin County.
Lane snapper will still be posted up on near shore reefs and artificial structures in 50 to 60 feet of water and will land in big numbers on fish box ice, again this month. Sturdy mangrove snapper will also be representing in a similar zone and on structures out to 90 feet of water. Mutton snapper will make a solid showing in the March ocean, with medium to larger representatives of the species (10- to 20-pound fish) making their presence known along the naturally occurring reef line in 70 to 80 feet of salty liquid.
The anchored boat will encompass the best strategy for getting attached to these snapper groceries, as precision positioning will be crucial in cycling for “snapper slams” and will allow anglers to settle in overtop of favorite fishing spots to conduct a surgical strike against their scaly opponents.
As the winter days of March slowly and subtlety transition to the spring equinox (March 20), fishing captains and their crews will continue to monitor dynamic weather fronts and the winds that are associated with them. March is typically another windy and rough month in general, especially initially, and historically can taper to more fishing friendly conditions during the latter half of the month. However, since weather forecasting is not an exact science, it`s not uncommon to see late arriving cold fronts that wipe out the offshore playing field at any time during the month. So, with this in mind, keep a mindful eye on the weather and be prepared for when a user-friendly window does open.
Using forecast savvy web pages like Windfinder.com can help with planning for an offshore fishing trip for a particular week. Another excellent virtual, web page is Windstream at earth.school.net, which is a satellite wind map that gives a snapshot of wind velocity and direction, and allows the user to position a cursor, offshore, via a GPS number to determine wind velocity in an area one may be considering to fish on that day.
Open weather friendly windows will lead to a colorful bounty of snapper during this offshore calendar month and will also have the potential to host a flurry of cobia activity, as hungry cobes glide through our zone during the fishy days of March.
FORECAST BY: Capt. Rocky Carbia
Safari I
Pirates Cove Resort and Marina
4307 SE Bayview St. Port Salerno, Florida
Reservations: (772) 334-4411
www.Safari-1.com
