Capt. Eric Shinner 3-17-09
Fishing charter on Saint Patricks Day. Target Redfish and Snook. A cold front was blowing through that night, it has been nice and warm the week before and the water was warming up nicely 72 deg. in the harbor and 79 deg. in 14" of water . The conditions were perfect for that day. Winds were South West perfect to drift the west wall with a drift sock off the stern this makes for a nice and slow drift for casting artifical baits. This will let you get two or three casts in the pockets of the mangroves befor the next one come to range. The fish are way up in the mangroves when the water is high need to cast way up in their to produce strikes. My client Steve hooked 8 redfish, 1 trout, 1 snook and lots of ladyfish "poor mans tarpon" not bad for six hours on the water.
Tarpon season is just about here water needs to be 76 deg in the harbor and the bait is just starting to show up we should be hooking tarpon in two weeks in the harbor only no beach fish yet that comes late May. Snook are moving out of the rivers to fest on the white bait that is coming soon. Redfish are always eating. The cold water does not slow them down if it smells they will eat it dead or alive.
I'll keep updating the reports, Capt. Eric