Offshore: Well folks if you were able to get out there between those bouts of high winds and rough seas, you’d have found that the fishing, unlike the weather, has remained steady. In what will seem like a repeat of last week we’ve continued to see excellent hauls of Vermillion snapper along with those big Red grouper. Look for the Red grouper at a depth of 100-115ft and be sure not to harvest them greater than 120ft. The Vermillion will be anywhere from 100-200ft. We’ve started to see some nice Black Snapper showing up as well! Look for them over wrecks at about 80 ft deep. Another interesting thing that’s going on in that 80-90ft depth are folks catching some nice doormat flounder; that must be where they are because I haven’t seen any monsters getting hooked in the bay recently. We hope you can get out there and get some good ones, but first and foremost be careful! NOAA is showing seas 2-3ft Friday and gaining momentum into Saturday at 3-5ft. Sunday you can forget about; seas will be a whopping 6-8 ft! (That means Monday’s out too).
Inshore: Look. I wish I could sit here and say that the fishing has been spectacular this last week but everyday can’t be a banner day. Have you ever asked someone a question over text messaging, and they reply, “meh?” That’s how I feel the fishing has been....just “meh.” I feel like we’re in some sort of purgatory, just waiting for the good fish to be delivered to us. Don’t get me wrong, there are fish out there to catch, but you have to work for them. Walking the docks when the guide boats come in, I see a few heading to the cleaning tables while I also hear things like, “wish we could’ve got you folks some more fish.” That’s just the way it's been. The water temperature is still just a bit too low. If we see it rise a few more degrees, then I think the better bait will come in followed by the better fish. I walked the sandbar under the bridge last morning on one of these big low tides we’ve been having and really just didn’t see any good bait. It’s coming though; Don’t give up! In the meantime get down to the Marina wall and get you some of those Spanish Mackerel that came in on Tuesday. Bluewater has all you need to gear up for some Spanish. Talk to our associate Jake Harpe and he can put you on the Got-Cha plug he’s been using.
Freshwater: Crappie. Crappie. Crappie. Get out there and get some of the good Crappie that have continued to bite the last few weeks. If there was ever a time to go for them it’s now. Remember, Bluewater has live Crappie Minnows. You can stay a little more protected from this wind we’ve been having and get your freshwater on while you’re waiting for the bay to come back alive.
Hope to see you out there!
Jeremiah Payne