Rick Davidson (grassflats2@yahoo.com), Editor
"The RedManiac"
Last month I neglected to mention the winner of the March Madness trout tournament. That lucky angler, who won a custom BillyStiX spinning rod, was David Roach of Silver Springs, FL with a 6 pound 5 oz. speckled trout. For more information on Billy's custom rods, see his website at www.billystix.com. He's promised another rod for the biggest redfish in October, so stay tuned!
April is one of the great fishing months for our area of the Big Bend. Inshore, the trout are settling in to the shallow flats, and the redfish are moving out of the creeks and are much more actively feeding. Spanish mackerel are available both inshore and offshore…simply trolling at 4 knots per hour with small spoons or jigs and wire leaders will provide you with non-stop action when you can locate the baitfish schools that attract these aggressive battlers. Early this month I trolled up 8 Spanish less than 100 yards north of Marker 1, but most anglers are targeting them near the offshore sand bars several miles to the north of the channel. Cobia are arriving every day, both offshore and nearshore. Further offshore, the grouper are still hungry and this is the month to find them relatively close to shore, before the bite moves much deeper as the water temperatures continue to warm. But the major addition to the offshore scene is the arrival of kingfish. As the schools of pogies and other baitfish migrate through our area, expect to see some skyrocketing kings. Slow trolling live bait with stinger treble hooks is the most traditional way to target kings, but trolling with drone spoons or lipped plugs is very successful as well--just don’t forget your wire leader. April and May are busy tournament months for the Steinhatchee area, and our marina gets filled quickly, so make sure you plan ahead for your trips to our area. If you’re coming for the first time, please consider learning the area with one of our excellent inshore or offshore guides.
And, remember that summer's coming and it's a perfect time to take the kids fishing!
Captain Rick Bouley, www.naturecoastflatsfishing.com
I’ve been gone much of the month, but early in April I fished with a father son team from Savannah,GA, Michael and Matthew Love. It was their first visit to the Nature Coast, and their first experience with artificial baits. The first day we started to the north on the falling tide and had a lot of success with a top water Skitterwalk, taking only took a little over an hour to land a limit of slot sized trout, with the largest fish being around 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. As the tide came up we moved in to the shore and found steady action with redfish, landing several over 4 lbs with the largest being 7 ¼; we used gold Johnson Silver Minnow spoons, Gulp jerk shad in pearl and pink and top water Skitterwalks. The next Sunday found me fishing a long time client from Kansas City, Jack Clifford. The flats to the south were loaded with schools of large redfish and with crystal clear water and blue skies the sight-fishing was spectacular. These conditions continued through the next four days with an average of 25 to 30 reds and numerous 3 plus lb trout coming to the boat each day. All fish were released in healthy condition with some good aerobic exercise to remember us by. We had a distinct change in weather and fishing conditions as a late season cold front began to make its way through during the next week. I fished with Dan Thayer and his sons Kyle and Jake. Although we caught several nice trout and flounder, the reds had disappeared from their usual spots in the colder water. The next day was windy and cold and the fishing was pretty slow all of the day with significantly lower water temps and a noticeable lack of bait in the shallows. I am including photos of Michael and Matthew Love and Jack Clifford with fish caught this month.
Captain Alex Winnett, www.reelfloridacharters.com
Those of us fishing the inshore are approaching an exciting time of the year. The spanish mackerel are here, the cobia are beginning to show up and will become more and more abundant. The permanent residents trout and redfish are very active and will be very exciting for the next month. Anchor and chum on the deeper grass flats for some exciting Spanish mackerel action. Free line live shrimp or Gulp baits for a good chance at a cobia. Popping corks will produce a lot of trout action right now in 4 to 5 feet of water. Pay close attention to the sand holes for trout waiting to ambush prey. Fishing Gold spoons in the shallows is a great way to locate redfish; once you find them try Gulp or live shrimp, or a Gulp jerkshad to keep them interested. Get your boat ready or schedule a trip with a guide ASAP because this is an exciting time to be fishing.
Captain Walt Carlson, www.captainwalt.com
Well, for those who haven't been able to get out fishing-----you’re missing some good fishing!
This month has been hard to get offshore due to all the wind but on a good day you should be able to catch plenty of fish! Bait is still the same—squid, threadfin herring, and live pinfish. One of my later charters this month began with rough seas in the morning but I was able to get out that afternoon and caught some nice fish and didn't go over 21 miles. As you can see from the picture, we found some great fish. We also had a good bunch of BIG black sea bass and some nice Florida snapper! Trout fishing has been great! Lots of limits being caught and to my surprise I'm still finding trout in the creeks, not to mention plenty of red fish, using my airboat and fishing live shrimp, pinfish (small) and mud minnows (the red fish love those little guys!). Tight lines and good fishing!!
Captain Steve Hart, Legal Limits Charters
As April leaves us, we’re hoping the winds will go with it. When we have been able to get out, the grouper fishing has been the best we have seen in recent months. We’ve had great luck picking up good fish, both trolling and on the bottom. Live bait as usual seems to be the best but good fresh cut bait has been working well also. The sheepshead have moved on but with snapper season in and the cobia and kings moving in, May should be a great month.
