Calendar says spring, but water temperatures locally are still low

The calendar says it is spring but water temperatures locally are around ten degrees below what they should be at mid-March. The night time lows are the culprit in  slowing the warm-up. White bait, spanish mackerel, kingfish, and the like will all arrive here sooner or later but I would place my bet on the later.

In the meantime there has been good to excellent action with the "big four" of this past winter. Trout to 24 inches, reds to 30 inches, sheepshead to 5 lbs, and black drum up to 15 lbs. have been encountered in the past few weeks.

The trout have been found all over the area bays in 3-7 ft of water. They have been going for a variety of artificial offerings including "Tsunami," "Cal" shad tail, and "Cotee" grub tail lures. The redfish have been breaking out of their winter lairs and beginning to roam around the shallower flats on rare warm, sunny days. The advent of spring tides will bring much higher water levels during the daytime and red hunting along the bushes and bars will get productive. The sheepshead and drum are still hugging the dock structure although I have heard tell of some big schools of black drum on the prowl in shallower water.

We really need a break in the wind pattern as of late to allow more gulf reef fishing. Things should be busting loose out there in the next several weeks.
 
Good luck and good fishing. Be careful out there!!

Capt. "Zach" Zacharias

"DEE JAY II"

941-795-5026

email: zachcap@aol.com

Docked on Palma Sola Bay at Parrot Cove Marina/SunnyShores

115th St W and 36th Ave. Cortez,Fl. 34215