Nearly April

The crew from Tennessee finished up fishing Friday.  The weather and bait didn't cooperate for a sailfish photo op, but the crew had a fine time fishing the Bay for steady action and a little bridge fishing.

Weather and bait have been big topics lately.  Pilchards are harder to find that normal and ballyhoo on the reef have been iffy.  Several guys are starting in the Bay to catch the more reliable ballyhoo and pinfish before heading out top the ocean side.  Even the Threadfin Herring on the bait spots are playing harder to get.

Most of the weather problem and possibly the bait problem is the variable wind direction with way too much West wind for my taste.  A west wind down here just seems to make catching much more difficult since the prevailing wind is normally Easterly in these latitudes.  Friday we had an East to Southeast wind between 15 and 20 knots most of the afternoon which is normally very fishable even in smaller boats.  However, since the winds have been variable, the chop was more confused than normal for what should be a fishable breeze making things more of a challenge.  With April nearly here the west wind associated with the more wicked of the northern cold fronts should be less of a factor.

April is a major transition month into our more summer species, Dolphin, Tuna, Tarpon and Permit.  The Spanish Mackerel and Kings will be thinning out and heading north along with most of the Cobia than haven't found a wreck.  Snapper, Mangroves, Yellowtail and Muttons will be a little easier to find and likely a bit larger on average moving into the summer spawn and there is only one more month of Atlantic Grouper closed season.

More predictable winds should also make it easier to book in advance.  The way things have been going I have everyone trying to book the same week which makes it tough.  My dedicated reef Yellowtail guys should be able to plan a trip with more confidence.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

 Tight lines,

 Capt. Dallas