Well, the weather has definitely turned for the angler's benefit. This week, as it was last week, the forecast looks great for fishing, with light and variable winds and temps in the low to mid eighties.
The speckled trout bite has really started to heat up on the flats. We had some rain last week, and that helped push the trout out onto the flats, and it even mudded up the water a bit. I find that this helps with the bite, as the clearer water spooks ‘em and they get leader shy. I've been catching some nice redfish in the same areas as the specks, just slow down your presentation, and you'll be sure to hook up. The sheepshead bite has slowed down a bit; they are still around, but most have already spawned in the gulf and are making their way back to the rivers and inlets where they will hang out the rest of the summer.
The big story the past week is the abundance of Spanish mackerel in the bay and pass. I've even caught some while trout fishing up in the sound on the flats. The other big thing with the Spanish is their size! They are running big; most of the fish are well over 20", which is big for early spring. If you venture out along the beaches of Pensacola in search of more Spanish mackerel, keep a close eye out for the brown clown, better known as Cobia. The annual run is still going strong, but should start to taper off in the next two weeks, and then most of the cobia will be caught while bottom fishing as they will hang out on offshore reefs. The red snapper bite has also been very good the past few days, and seeing that the seas are going to be less then 2ft all week, I'm sure that a few will be sitting pretty in the ice box. I plan on making a trip or two out to finally bring home some of that red snapper that my wife has been craving. Perhaps I will hook into a cobia, too! Yep, that's what springtime fishing in the Panhandle is all about! Get out there soon and enjoy yourself!
