By: Capt. Dave Stephens
We are approaching the time of year when a little bit of everything is happening around the waters of Southwest Florida. The water is consistently staying warm enough for the tarpon to start showing up in the harbors. Snook are feeding and getting ready for the summer spawning season, and the trout are on the local flats and bars. Areas with grass and sand holes mixed in 3 – 4′ of water normally will be holding good fish. Often drifting is very successful, once you catch a couple fish anchor up and work that area. A fish that is often overlooked that migrates south in the spring is spanish mackerel. These fish can often be found in large schools in the harbor and are a lot of fun to catch, and you can fish them in many different ways. The most popular way is to anchor up on one of the local reefs in the harbor and chum with live bait. You can also put out a chum bag to help get a chum slick going. Another popular way is trolling, most people like to troll little squid spoons with a small piece of light wire. If this is the technique you prefer, locating birds like turns will help to find feeding fish, and if you decide to anchor up and chum, I recommend having a big rod ready with a bigger bait. All this chumming could possibly attract a cobia or possibly a shark or two! This time of year, the options are wide open, so maybe spend a day outside your normal pattern. You never know you might find something you really enjoy.
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