Hi Folks,
Fishing has flat out turned on. We can talk about the spanish bite, or we could talk about the drum bite, but the bottom line is if you like fishing inshore or near shore, it is happening now.
Now here’s my report:
Inshore: Water temps have climbed above 70 and the fishing is great. Fresh shrimp will not get the job done anymore, because our pesky friends the pinfish have finally arrived. Shrimp is still good bait, but it is too easily “stolen” by the pinfish. So to catch drum or flounder it is now best to use either live bait such as mud minnows or small menhaden or fresh cut bait such as bluefish which are plentiful around the inlets. Catch a bunch of blues, filet them, salt them down good and put in the freezer. The salt keeps them from freezing, but also keeps them fresh. Some flounder are biting around the inlets and in the river.
Near Shore: The big action would be the spanish mackerel. Catch them casting small spoons or jigs. Catch them trolling Yozuri Deep Divers with lite spinning tackle. Or catch them trolling clarkspoons and bird rigs. Small to nice size bluefish are mixed in with them. Large schools of menhaden have shown up and some cobia have been hanging with them.
Upcoming: Inshore, river and near shore fishing is busting loose. Look for more of the same in the coming weeks plus a growing presence of flounder. And just a thought, let’s not forget about the fishing enthusiasts and those that make their living fishing on the Gulf Coast. A tragedy beyond comprehension is in the making and let’s pray that the people responsible come forward with a viable solution fast.
On another note, my old phone number will be terminated later this month and the number below is the only way other than email that you will be able to reach me, so you might want to make a note of it.
Until next time…
LET’S GO FISHING!!!
Captain Rick Bennett
Rod-Man Charters
910-520-7661