Transition

April is a transition month when changes abound.  As the water warms more consistently by the stronger and longer sunlight the fish become more active.  With metabolisms on the the increase, both baitfish and their predators start schooling and moving and feeding.  Nearshore and just of the beaches it is not unusual to see birds collecting on schools of baitfish. Spinner sharks are everywhere and sometimes in huge numbers. Great numbers of big Jack Cravelle daisy chain in yellow/green schools while Mackeral, both King and Spanish browse for food.  Even cobia are nearshore seem to hit anything that looks like a good baitfish.

Inshore activity, by comparison, is more subdued as the move to a summer pattern gains momentum.  Snook begin to move up from their lower haunts and look for larger bait with greater aggression.  A quiet approach to a lighted dock at night on the rivers can reveal hundreds of Snook when the water is clean.

The lack of rain improves our water quality and visibility providing a healthy environment for the inshore fish but making them wary and temperamental.  Low light provides the best fishing.  Resident Tarpon show more readily in the early mornings and Trout are found on more flats.

All in all, it’s a great time to fish, but keep in mind that the weather can change fishing plans dramatically.  Good news is that we have lots of options this time of year and, of course, it’s still fishing.

Snook Action

Most consider Snook off limits when out of season and this year that will last until September.  It’s true that you can’t keep them but we sure can play with them.  It’s not only the closed season that turns off anglers, but the cold of winter keeps many away.  There’s no doubt that Snook are less available during the colder months, but they must stay alive and therefore must eat and consequently they continue to be an active source of entertainment.  And cold is relative.  Just ask those in NJ.
We find Snook most available at night and on docklights.  If you’re a fly fisherman this is game not to be missed.  Our trip last week brought nearly a dozen to the boat including a half a dozen Bluefish, a bunch of Ladyfish and a nice Trout.  No time to get bored with that kind of action.  Although it was an unusually damp and foggy night, the weather had no effect on our efforts.  At night, we don’t travel very far and we fish the 50 feet or so between the boat and the dock.  And we can see most of the follows and strikes.  It’s great fun and not tough if you practice your distance casting in advance.  This fishing is uniquely suited to the fly rod as we are presenting small baits near the surface from a reasonable distance.  And don’t worry about having to be extremely accurate.  The bigger fish are not under the bright light anyhow.

When a plan comes together

Today’s charter was not so much about the extraordinary, but more about what we expect to find on a nice day on the water in Stuart, Florida.  We chose an early start in order to meet the customer’s schedule and avoid the Sunday madhouse at the ramp.  It was cool until the sun got through the offshore cloud deck but then we could run with general comfort and because seas were down, we headed out the inlet to look for action.  The usual  herd of boats was meandering incessantly looking to catch the few bait available where one one boat picked up two on his Sabiki rig.  We didn’t go there; not a live bait day.
Near shore was the plan and we worked the reef in search of rod benders.  Bluefish, Blue Runners, Jacks and Spanish Mackerel were all there to give us a game as the natural drift pushed us along the reef in clear water.  We saw far more fish than we caught.  Spanish Mackerel were plentiful, but not willing to eat what ever we offered.  The commercial boats seemed to be successful mostly with nets.  The flotilla of boats chasing them wandered constantly, like a hungry pack of wolves, as they searched for willing fish, but we saw no evidence that they were successful.  When they hit the shallow reef, they seamed to finally stop as they began catching Bluefish and Blue Runners.  We had been enjoying the same catch until they overtook our position.  We moved to another part of the reef and consequently found some bigger fish. 
So we spent nearly 4 hours fishing successfully, enjoying the day and the scenery and the weather.  We weren’t jumping Sailfish or Tarpon or fighting slot Snook, but we were enjoying what the weather and the water had to offer us on a Sunny Winter Florida day.  And it was good.  I think they’ll be back.

First Meeting

A great experience when young Snook meets young Man for the first time.  Fished around quite a bit looking for this guy but finally met up by the end of the trip.  The water is fairly chilly at 61 and the wind kept us from effectively working some of the best spots, but these waters are full of Snook and they’re available to those with the right tools to catch them.  As usual, on my boat, this one was seduced by a DOA shrimp.  At 21 inches and well out of the slot this one when back to the water quickly after the picture as all others must until September.

Wintertime Action

Fishing during the Winter months on the Treasure Coast is more active than you might think.  The big fish, Tarpon, Snook and Jacks are less active but hard fighting schooling fish like Spanish Mackerel, Bluefish, Ladyfish and Pompano are around in large numbers.  If we can get to the fish, we can usually catch plenty.  All are great fighters and can generally be found in predictable locations.  Wind is the primary adversary as rain seldom interferes during winter months.

That’s not all.  Snook are around, of course, but most are less active and need some considerable effort to catch.  And don’t forget that season is closed until this fall.  If the water warms up, however, the Snook action will pick up as well.  Trout can be found on the flats and nearby troughs and holes when the sun gets high and winds are low.   Redfish are in the waters north of the power plant but not so much around Stuart.

Action is Just Around the Corner

It’s been a quiet summer with few charters.  Tough economy not withstanding, it seems the oil spill in the Gulf has had a dramatic effect on our charter business here on the Atlantic coast.  As the oil scare subsides and cooler months get closer we are hoping business picks up.  Fishing has been great this summer even with the obstacles set in our path.  Cold water uprisings were more prevalent then anytime in recent memory.   There’s something really weird about heading out the inlet and finding water temps in the low 70’s in mid-summer.  Not sure this has anything to do with the lack of tropical storms, but it seems to correlate.  And, of course, we had the fish kill last January that cost many thousands of Snook, Tarpon and other tropical fish their lives.  Only our resident Tarpon seem to have been effected here and we’re certainly hoping things will get back to normal by next year.

This being September we’re anxiously awaiting the Mullet Run.  Mid month is generally when they start to show up.  Action is just amazing, especially for the first week or so, and the lucky customers who are able to take advantage will not forget the experience.   Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to fish with live bait.  Action on topwater plugs turns on at the same time and fly fishing with big streamers and baitfish patterns starts to take off.  It’s a magical time for us, and there’s no question that we all look forward to an active Mullet Run.

If you’re reading this and want to check on the status of the Mullet Run, just give me a call, email or text and I’ll let you know what’s going on.

Snook Doing Well

Three good anglers, live bait and Snook.