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It seems we can't quit talking about the weather for one reason or another. This week is no different. Southwest Florida got some desperately needed rain late Saturday and early Sunday with the passing of another late season cold front. I heard that some of the guides that work weekends got some good fishing in while the front was approaching, but once it passed we were hammered with heavy winds from the northerly directions for three days. Overnight lows were back into the 40's for several nights. I don't think most of us got back on the water before Thursday.
My Thursday trip was with Carol and Richard Bailey, and Carol's Dad, who were down from Indiana. The wind was still out of the northeast at around 15, and the high was to be in the 60's. We first headed up the river to partake of some ladyfish action, and let everyone get used to the equipment. The ladyfish were there, and we caught around a dozen outsized fish. Those big ladys are sure fun on light gear. I guess we should have stayed and fished them, because once we left to get bait and try for other species, we didn't see another fish for the rest of the morning. Bait had disappeared with the front, and the shrimp were miserably small, probably because the shrimpers hadn't been able to fish in the wind either. So, all we had for bait was tiny shrimp and several ladyfish to steak up.
The hardest part of the day to accept was that even the speckled trout wouldn't eat. We never even got a bite fishing many of the best trout holes in the Sound. I'm not so sure the result would have been any different if we'd had shiners in the well. Once we gave up on the trout, we tried to get a redfish interested in our ladyfish steaks, but that was a no sale, too. We had one strike, which was missed. Back at the docks, I talked to only one guide that had met with any success. He had found some trout up in Matlacha Pass. The Baileys took the non-existent bite well, and were a delight to be with, but it's a hard pill for a guide to swallow. I guess we should have stayed with the ladyfish up the river.
Thursday evening, my friends Marty and Nancy Dietz came in from Boynton Beach to spend the night with me and fish Friday. They were down from Swarthmore, PA, to visit Nancy's folks and do some job interviews. Yeah! They've had enough of the cold, and Marty loves Florida fishing. I love these guys, and hadn't seen them in about three years, but wasn't very encouraged by the Thursday fishing. Marty assured me he wasn't worried about how many fish they caught; they just couldn't wait to get out on the water. I introduced Marty and Nancy to the Seafood Center and Crabhouse, and to their fantastic margaritas. Marty agreed they were world class. We had a great dinner, and lots of fun reliving our last unbelievable trip together.
The next morning, we rose to light and variable breezes and a beautiful day. We went straight for the bait, and although it was very tough, we did get plenty to fish with at Picnic Island flats. We wanted to concentrate mostly on snook, but the guys also wanted to make sure they had some fish to take home for dinner. To my surprise, the trout still were not cooperating, but we found one of the trout holes full of fat flounder running 14 inches and better. We kept 5, and that's some great eating. As we went from place to place hunting snook we also caught a couple of big trout. The biggest was 5 pounds. Before the day was over we also caught a jack crevalle, 9 snook, and one redfish. It wasn't a stellar day, but we had a great time, and Marty was like a little boy playing with his favorite toy all day long. He truly loves being on the water, especially our water. Back at the dock, Marty taught me a really cool way to fillet flounder. I have to practice and get it right before I see him again.
I'm booked nearly solid through June, with very few days left to fill, and the full court press began this week. March is a volatile month, weather-wise, though, so it remains to be seen how many days we'll actually get to fish. But, the fishing reports should be growing in length and be a lot more interesting now that we're leaving Old Man Winter behind.
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If you want to be able to continue to fish Florida waters please follow this link, "Manatee Zones: How You Can Help" and please take the time to become involved, even if you don't live in Florida. Let the politicians know WHY you come to Florida on vacation!
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