by Capt. Billy Norris
This past month has been stellar fishing! The unusually warm winter has kept water temperatures higher and the bite has been on fire! The pelagic bite so far this winter has been, and continues to be, fantastic! Kingfish have been the stars of the show lately. All up and down the coast we have been successfully targeting and catching big kings nearly every day. Look for the birds and you’ll find the fish. Mixed in with the kings have been plenty is Spanish mackerel and big bonitos. For some drag peeling run, try catching bonitos on light tackle using 40/4000 level reels. Baits of choice for the pelagic bite has been big pilchards or threadfins. Mixed in with the pelagics are tons of big sharks, primarily bulls and large blacktips. All of the blacktips we have been catching are big 7 foot plus females with bite marks on them from mating. Although blacktips are legal to harvest, catch and release is highly encouraged, especially while they are spawning. There have still been some solid tripletail around, although they seem to be thinning out a bit. The nearshore wrecks and rock piles have also begun to hold numbers of big sheepshead and black drum. Target them with bottom rigs using either a knocker rig setup or a jig head. For bait, use either shrimp or crabs.
Backwater fishing has remained steady as well. The Estero Bay area has been producing some solid redfish all winter. In addition, there are plenty of snook and jacks around. The sheepshead and drum have also been reliable in the back and passes. For the first time since the 2018 red tide, trout have returned in sizable numbers. Important to remember that in our area snook, redfish, and trout remain closed for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to March, we should continue to see a strong wintertime bite. As spring begins to show up, we should also see the return of permit and tarpon, two of our most prized sportfish. Start getting your big gear ready now!
-Capt Billy
