March has arrived, and spring is not far behind. This month can be a tough month to fish. The cold fronts are still coming through, but there will be some really nice days to get out as well.
In March, the inshore fishing is pretty much limited to redfish and sheepshead. Reds should still be in the large winter schools, unless we have a really warm month and they split off into smaller schools. Fishing, this month, depends on weather and temperatures and is typically better later in the month. As the waters start to warm from the spring sun, the fish will eat and feed more aggressively as their bodies warm with the rising water temperatures. Bait is still not in the creeks, so you will have to buy bait from your local tackle shop or use artificials. Just as you did during the winter months, you will want to fish plastics slowly. Expect the fish to start eating better again as the water reaches about 60 degrees.
On my trips, I target sheepshead and look to fish in low water around docks, pilings or trees with oysters or barnacles on them. I use fresh oysters or shrimp if fiddler crabs are not available. Other baits to try are clams, blue crab chunks or sand fleas. March is one of the best months to catch quality sheepshead from the reefs off our coast as this is the time of the year they spawn. I used to think that all big fish migrated offshore to spawn and then returned later in the spring, but I have found over the years that the fish migrate in and out. This month, we catch a lot of small fish inshore, but there are still larger fish to be caught. As an old friend once told me, “You will not catch anything unless you get on the water.”
The fishing will get better as the temperatures rise, as will the variety of fish that can be caught. The reefs are pretty consistent all year with black sea bass, weakfish, reds, sheepshead and black drum that can be landed out there any month, along with other species mixed in and still others arriving when the waters warm even more.
Capt. Michael Waller | SaltFisher Charters
www.saltfisher.com | (843) 224-8197 or | (843) 343-7538