March Coastal Angler Fishing Report

Hello fellow anglers – it’s another sunshiny day and a great time of year to be on the waters of SW Florida. There are some that enjoy offshore fishing and those that would rather stay inshore. I am talking about the fishability and not whether you can see land or not, some just can’t tolerate that. Anyway, fishing offshore in the Gulf, depending on the water temperature, the fish that can be harvested are sheepshead, flounder, grunts, and mangrove snapper.  They should be plentiful on the close to shore reefs and natural ledges out in 30-50 feet of water. There also could be some spanish mackerel in these areas too. I use a knocker rig to fish for these species. The knocker rig is where the weight slides freely on your line all the way down to the hook. Most of the time I use 1/0 VMC circle hooks and Sufix performance braid 20 lb. with 1oz. egg weight, a Redbone rod with a Quantum Boca 50. This rig is heavy enough for bottom fishing and light enough to trout fish too. Get your boat anchored and start fishing with frozen baits first. As you get the bite started, the fish that you bring to the surface purge and create a natural underwater chum line. This brings other fish into the range of your hook. After you have tried all the different frozen bait you have, and as the bite slows, you may then turn to your live baits. I bring shrimp from Fishin’ Franks, and or live white bait if it is in the area, or some small pin fish, quarter or silver dollar size that I catch with a cast net. This is great fun for kids as it usually is lots of action with fish up to the 3-4 pound range. Inshore you can find reds and trout hanging around the grass flats. The reds like to find the sand holes on these flats and lay in them as the water warms up with the sun shining down. They wait for unsuspecting baits to swim into range, like a shrimp under a popping cork, or a ¼ oz egg weight and 1/0 circle VMC and a shrimp. The trout like to hide along the edges of the grass too, even in the prop scars that may be in the area, a shrimp and cork works here too. You may even sneak up on a few snook as well. The snapper you can find around structures with moving water - mangrove points, docks, and bridge structure. They can be picky eaters so have as many different baits as you can for the snapper. If you have guests from out of town visiting and they would like some of this action, call Capt. Bart Marx 941-979-6517 or e-mail captbart@alphaomegacharters.com They can fish with me on my boat or I could join you on yours. So always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile.<*((((()>{