MARCH
24, 2006
THE FISHING 2 STEP
Here we are, doing the "Springtime
2 Step". This is two steps forward and one step backward!! A
cool front has pushed us back a notch, just about the time that everything
was beginning to click. Whitebait, (pilchards) were starting to show
in various spots around the area, snook were becoming more active
and Spanish mackeral and "school size" kingfish action
was picking up in the Gulf of Mexico. The cool front pushed through,
cooling us down and the windy conditions kept boats out of the Gulf.
Cool AM temperatures combined with wind, first out of the south and
now coming out of a northerly direction has dropped water temperatures
and moved fish and bait to deeper warmer water.
During this transitional
period from Winter to Spring, fish are more sensitive to weather
changes than they would be later in the year, after a hot summer
and cooling down period in the fall. We will rebond, but before the
set back, fishing was progressing nicely. Snook and redfish were
active and feeding on glass minnows and some of the very small whitebait
that had moved onto the flats. Last week, I worked a pod of snook,
trying to get one to bite on artificials without much sucess. I twitched,
jerked and crawled just about everything I could think of past their
noses without spooking them and they just were not interested. Maybe
a live bait might have sparked them but all I had was artificials.
All of the fish were keeper size and one was at
least 40 inches or so. In the areas I've fished, north of the Manatee
River, the water for the most part has been crystal clear and as
I've also mentioned, in other articles, clear water makes for spooky
fish. Usually a long cast is required, but sometimes vibrations from
your boat or trolling motor can give you away and shut the fish down.
Redfish for me have been on the small side and you may be able to
see groups of fish, but most times you're only going to catch one
or two before they wise up and shut down.
Spotted sea trout have
been very slow and I guess we're going to have to wait awhile for
them to recuperate from last years redtide damage. As I mentioned,
before the front things were looking good, the Spanish mackeral and
school size kingfish were showing up off of the beach and actually
they still may be out there, but as I write this article, the wind
is making it difficult for boaters, at least small boats to get out.
Angler's I've talked to that were able to get in on the first run
of Spanish, reported that some fish were in the 5lb. range, and the "school kings" were
8 to 10lbs. The South Skyway Pier reported decent Spanish mackeral
catches along with keeper gag grouper, some mangrove snapper and
of course the sheepshead bite is still going on.
As I look back on
past years, the one constant thing from year to year is we can always
expect a cool front to set us back for awhile, but eventually, things
will straighten out and we'll be into some terrific Springtime fishing.
GOOD FISHING, CAPT. THOM SMITH OF FLATS LADY CHARTERS & ANGLER'S
REPAIR 941-795-6711 & 776-1187. ALSO, "ON THE WATER WITH
CAPT THOM" EVERY THURSDAY FROM 6-7PM ON 1490AM RADIO. Call the
show at 941-745-1490. YOU CAN ALSO LISTEN ON THE INTERNET AT: www.1490wwpr.com
or www.fishorshutup.com . CHECK US OUT!
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