Neue Bokeelia Angelberichte

If you enjoy flying kites as a hobby then the month of April has been quite the thrill for you with the El Niño pattern and the high winds we are experiencing here in Southwest Florida. It’s been tough to find a day where the weather is just right but despite the chop and wind we are still having a great spring on the water. Snook are abundant and we’ve been finding slot fish in alot of areas (that’s our fish between 28 and 33 inches). Mostly focusing on Mangrove islands with good moving water and overhangs where those snook can hide out to ambush bait is the ticket. Trout have been across the flats and ledges off grass flats around some of the channels. Our bigger over-slot gator trout are still hanging around closer to mangroves in a lot of cases but also tight to oyster bars and abundant grass flats. We’ve had a lot of fun with some great size redfish as well, those reds we were catching back in December that all were around 17 inches are now grown to low 20’s and they’ve got a little more fight in them. Bars and islands with good moving water and structure is where you’ll find redfish and it never hurts to have some cut bait on hand for these fish, they can’t resist it. White bait is getting better and better every day and the struggle to fill the bait well is getting easier in the mornings with fewer net throws. It is imperative to catch plenty of bait in the mornings to have enough to chum with throughout the day. It helps to see where your target fish are when they feed on some of that chum thrown into the spot. It’s been a great spring thus far and will only get better with the exit of El Niño and calmer days.

If you enjoy flying kites as a hobby then the month of April has been quite the thrill for you with the El Niño pattern and the high winds we are experiencing here in Southwest Florida. It’s been tough to find a day where the weather is just right but despite the chop and wind we are still having a great spring on the water. Snook are abundant and we’ve been finding slot fish in alot of areas (that’s our fish between 28 and 33 inches). Mostly focusing on Mangrove islands with good moving water and overhangs where those snook can hide out to ambush bait is the ticket. Trout have been across the flats and ledges off grass flats around some of the channels. Our bigger over-slot gator trout are still hanging around closer to mangroves in a lot of cases but also tight to oyster bars and abundant grass flats. We’ve had a lot of fun with some great size redfish as well, those reds we were catching back in December that all were around 17 inches are now grown to low 20’s and they’ve got a little more fight in them. Bars and islands with good moving water and structure is where you’ll find redfish and it never hurts to have some cut bait on hand for these fish, they can’t resist it. White bait is getting better and better every day and the struggle to fill the bait well is getting easier in the mornings with fewer net throws. It is imperative to catch plenty of bait in the mornings to have enough to chum with throughout the day. It helps to see where your target fish are when they feed on some of that chum thrown into the spot. It’s been a great spring thus far and will only get better with the exit of El Niño and calmer days.

The spring bite is on fire here in Southwest Florida! Bait has arrived and is just about anywhere you look, the trout are big and in the middle of their spring spawn, redfish and snook are present all over the mangrove islands as well as some juvenile tarpon and the weather is great most days. As stated the trout are large and in charge, most of the trout we are finding are over slot, big females that are very obviously carrying eggs. Most trout range around 19-23 inches but we have been fortunate enough to catch a few in the high 20’s. We have had some really great fights with juvenile tarpon lately in some of the common spots in the backcountry. They put on a great acrobatic show with huge jumps and strong runs pulling drag along the way. Snook and reds are out and hungry, throwing bait fish chum around the mangrove lines will usually make for a great show as they begin chasing, popping and inhaling the greenbacks fluttering through the water. The fishing is heating up and lines are tight every day from start to finish.

Is it too soon to welcome spring into SWFL? I don’t think so, we are starting to see a glimpse of the most wonderful season for big trout, healthy snook, strong reds and many other fun times on the water. Gator trout are scattered throughout the sound right now as well as plenty of redfish. Soon we will switch our bait of choice from shrimp to greenbacks and pinfish giving us many more opportunities for big snook fights. It has been a blast out on the flats lately but also tons of action just a few miles offshore. Sheepshead are still strong even as we approach the end of spawning season, snapper, grunt and many other species can be found on the nearshore trips and it makes for a fun time especially for kids, the constant action keeps them fighting fish throughout the entire trip.

In most of the country the groundhog determines when spring will arrive, out here on the water we have our own signs of early spring. For one, when we start catching the big gator trout it’s a sure sign great weather, fishing and fun are just around the corner. For those who aren’t aware when a speckled sea trout gets over the 20” mark we consider them a gator trout, a term that has been around for as long as I’ve been alive and maybe longer. These big behemoths are fun to fight, and on the plus side the state of Florida allows us to keep one gator trout a piece because of the effect they can have on the young trout as they tend to prey on the babies. Aside from our increasing trout bite we are starting to see redfish that are just getting into slot size and the best sign of spring, the big snook are showing up. Spring will also bring us better bait to net and in turn great bites from all these big predator fish. The nearshore bite has been incredible lately as well with tons of tasty snapper, sheepshead and grunts. Spring is upon us and it’s going to be a blast.

Sheepshead fishing is in full swing and they’re giving us some fun days on the water. These tasty, hard fighting fish are highly sought after during our winter months. They can be a tricky fish to hook, with a mouth full of human like teeth the areas to set a hook are few which can make them an even tougher target. Alongside the sheepshead we are catching Pompano,reds, snapper and black drum, plenty of variety and good eating fish to catch when the weather is cold. For the next couple months we will stick to shrimp for our bait of choice. Catching white bait these times of the year can be difficult and the fish switch their food choices to bait easier to catch like shrimp, crabs and sand fleas. Fish get slower with dropping water temps so their energy levels drop as well, they still fight like crazy and show us a great time on the water.