March is blowing in! Five days in a row with winds in the20 knot range and the next 4 day forecast is –
TUESDAY - EAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON. BAY WATERS A LIGHT CHOP BECOMING CHOPPY TO ROUGH IN THE AFTERNOON.
WEDNESDAY - SOUTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON. BAY WATERS CHOPPY TO ROUGH. SHOWERS AND CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.
THURSDAY - NORTH WINDS 15 TO 20 KNOTS BECOMING NORTHWEST IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOMING NORTH 5 TO 10 KNOTS. BAY WATERS CHOPPY TO ROUGH BECOMING SMOOTH.
FRIDAY - EAST WINDS 5 TO 10 KNOTS BECOMING SOUTHEAST AROUND 5 KNOTS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...THEN BECOMING EAST AFTER MIDNIGHT. BAY WATERS SMOOTH.
Looks like by Friday we will be into some good fishing weather!
The first Cobia was spotted off of Navarre Pier yesterday (03/06/2011). As I predicted, it would be early. There was a Cobia caught off the Panama City Beach Pier on March 3rd. I think the next few days will produce a few Ling on some of the Piers here.
For inshore, the Slot Red Fish are still the target fish right now; this little cold snap will slow down any Speckled Trout movement for a few days. So, look in your normal places in Santa Rosa sound and Big Lagoon for your Red Fish. The bait stores are getting good supplies of fresh live shrimp and I wouldn’t recommend going out there without some if you want to catch a Red Fish right now. I’ll also have a 1/8 ounce gold spoon tied on a rod watching for the moving schools roaming the sand flats in search of something to eat.
Down around the Passes there is more and more Sheepshead showing up every day. Fiddler Crabs and shrimp are the baits of choice for these greedy feeders. Be agile- don’t get hung up just sitting around on one spot right now. It took me trying five different spots on my last trip to find a decent school of fish.
Spring fishing is heating up fast, so are my bookings, call ahead to assure that you can get a day while you’re here on vacation. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Remember… Take a kid fishing and be blessed!
Capt. Eddie