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Offshore: Ok folks, it’s been a week since I talked to you last and we’ve been dealing with these frustrating winds but there was a small window of opportunity for anglers to head offshore this last week, so let’s talk about what was going on. You know, it’s amazing how much you can learn when you work at Bluewater and you’re the gatekeeper to the live shrimp. When a fisherman/fisherwoman needs a live shrimp fix they’ll tell you anything you want to know. They’ll tell you because their guard is down and they’re excited and they’re in a hurry to go fishing and you’re the only obstacle that stands between them and the all-superior saltwater bait that to do without would be just plain unacceptable, if not impossible. So where were they going? The Car Bodies and Lumber Ship. What was happening? Giant Sheepshead. That’s right folks, people were slaying the big sheep on some of these shallower structures offshore. Dropping down, you guessed it, live shrimp. And let’s face it, staying shallower was the right move to make this last weekend. You can just ask Jake and Doug. Remember, they were going to try to venture out for some deep drops but found out all too late that the weatherman had given them some misinformation. They got themselves beat up out there and thankfully made the right decision to come back in. Hey Jake and Doug, it’s all OK, everyday can’t be a winner, and though you caught no fish, you learned a valuable lesson: Next time invite the writer of the fishing report. Taking a look at NOAA it looks as if things could still stay a little rough for the next few days. Two-to-three-foot waves today and building all Friday and through the weekend up to five feet. They start to drop down again on Monday. It will be sporty out there for the next few days so the best thing to do would be to play it safe. Inshore: At least we’re starting to see the water temp rise here a bit over the last few days, and with that a few extra fish. On Tuesday the water temperature was 64.4 and today it is 66.9. I had the chance to throw a dozen live shrimp on the rocks on Wednesday morning and was very surprised to have been walloped by a mangrove snapper upwards of 13.” I saw another person catch one nicer than that. This is good news! Where there has hardly been any lately, I think they’re finally making their way back in with the rising water temperatures. This means everything is about to get better and it could be any day now. In the marina the flounder are starting to show up as well. I hooked into a good one Monday evening, a real drag puller, but as an honest reporter, I must tell you I lost it (I do have great excuses for how that happened though). And on top of this good news the Spanish are continuing to bite off the seawall. Folks, there’s plenty of fishing to be had around here and it’s only going to get better over the coming weeks, so get out there and have some fun.
Freshwater: I saw my friend Gary this last Tuesday and he told me the Crappie are still going strong at his secret spot. And heading up towards Wewahitchka we will all have to tip our hats to Spencer Wheeless. He brought in a monster Flathead Catfish that weighed in at a head-turning 34 pounds. Congratulations Spencer!
