March madness was all about fishing, and April should be just as good. The Sheepshead bite was off the charts the past few weeks, and should stay hot for the next month or so. Not only has the Sheepshead bite been great, but I'm also catching a fair amount of keeper Redfish and Black Drum. Speck fishing has started to heat up on the flats in the early mornings hours, and we're using live shrimp or Berkley Gulps on a popping cork. I've also caught a few big trout on top water plugs; so don't forget your favorite popper to entice a hungry gator.
3-28-07
Wednesday was a fun day out with a couple my good friends, Corby and Joe.
We only fished about 5 hrs that day and still loaded the box for a good fish fry planned for next weekend. Fishing with good friends is always fun.
3-29-07
Another good day out on the water. I met up with Mark from Orlando and his godfather Paul from Minnesota. The weather could not have been nicer, with calm seas to boot. The bite started off a little slow, because the tide was not moving too well, but as soon as the water started to move a bit, the bite was on! They both started to hook fish after fish for a good hour or two. Paul was in the lead for the first hour or so, but Mark was not going to be outdone as he started to fill up the box with his own big Sheepies! The last fish of the day for Mark was a nice 25" slot Redfish. What a way to end the day.
3-30-07
I did not like the conditions for fishing today: 12 –15 knots winds out of the SE.
I met up with Brian, Lindsey, and Gene from Arkansas for a fishing adventure and that's exactly what we got. I fished out of Perdido Key that day and when I came around the point just pass Big Lagoon; the wind slapped us in the face, blowing a good 15 knots. I knew it was going to be rough in the pass, and I told them it was going to be a little bumpy, so it was their call if they wanted to try it anyway. Brian said they were here to fish, so when we got there we had solid 2ft waves with occasional 2-½ footers showing up off and on. We tried to fish but the current and waves made it tough. We had a few good bites, but it was hard to feel them. I motored over to Ft. Pickens to get out of the wind and waves, and that was a good idea as we started to catch some fish, not any sheepshead, but we did manage to bring in two black drum and boat some big bluefish. This went on for a solid two hours and then I noticed that the wind had died down. We moved back to the pass, and what a difference two hours makes! The waves were a little calmer and the current was not as bad. Brian was the first to hook up, and he handed the rod over to his son Gene, who is 9yrs old and had never caught sheepshead before. Was this ever a treat for him, as these fish pull hard. The bite stayed good for another two hours, and Lindsay and Brian were hooking into some big fish, but once again the big fish of the day was Gene's slot 27" Redfish. I had to double check this fish to make sure it was in the slot with two different tape measures. When it came up, I was not sure if it was going to make the slot, but it did, and when it hit the ice in fish box, little Gene was all smiles.
Brian, Lindsey and Gene fished hard and didn't let the windy conditions and rough seas deter them from having a good time on the water.
Till next time, Bent Rods and Screaming Drags.
Capt. John
