by Captain Mike Merritt
Well here we are with March upon us and the winds have been blowing since January! March is typically the windy month so I can’t wait to see how it goes. We have had fronts all the way up to the end of February which has made fishing challenging. No 2 days are the same and you just never know what’s going to happen.
We have continued to catch plenty of Seatrout with some nice 20” fish being taken on the DOA Glow Shrimp. If you find a school of Trout this can help you catch the bigger fish in the school. Use the 1/2 oz. Shrimp on a popping cork and your chances for keepers gets better.
Redfish are also biting good when the weather permits and the waters clear up some. There seems to be a lot of undersized fish but we are catching some good ones mixed in. I haven’t caught any over size Reds lately but some 23” to 26” fish are mixed in with the smaller ones.
Snook have been the toughest to catch. There are areas that have decent numbers of fish but there are plenty of areas where they normally are plentiful but they are not there. March is always the transition month for these fish. We normally have them coming back out of the back country into the Islands as the baitfish also move in. And we get Snook coming in from offshore also this time of year. If we get some weather allowing the water to clear up it is a great month to sight cast these fish in shallow water. I am looking forward to seeing some bigger fish move in this month.
Sheepshead and Snapper have kept a lot of fishermen busy this winter and they continue to cooperate. Live shrimp on the bottom of a deep rock hole is the ticket. If you want some fish for the table then this is a great way to get them. Once they start biting just cut your shrimp up and use a small piece as these fish will be easier to hook with a piece. And don’t forget the Black Drum. We usually see schools of big fish this time of year so we are keeping our eyes open for these guys.
I did have a client get a 33” Black Drum in the back country but we never saw the school. They are great fun and will eat a Gulp bait and of course shrimp! Looking forward to fishing some warmer weather and getting on some great bites!
Good Luck Fishing, Capt Mike Merritt.
Guide | (561)252-4324 | SnookFishing1@juno.com
