Coastal Angler Magazine | St. Augustine March 2026 Edition

The Best Infatable Fishing Boats

Best For Lightweight Solo Fishing

The versatility of the FishSUP™1210 is unmatched! Use it bare bones with just the board, a paddle & your !shing gear or deck it out with swivel seat, side pontoons, casting bar, motor and more! Incredibly stable, extra wide, swallow-tail !shing SUP holds up to 500 lbs! The FS1210 takes electric and gas motors up to 3 hp. There’s even an option for a bow trolling motor.

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Best For Lightweight Tandem Fishing

Perfect for !shing rivers, lakes and bays. The STS10 is a lightweight, roomy 1 or 2 person pontoon boat that’s packed with features anglers need & love including 2 built-in !sh rules, 4 built-in rod holders & 2 Scotty® mounts for more rod holders, anchor locks, camera posts or any other Scotty® accessory. Now available with a drop-stitch in atable oor or wooden oorboards.

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Best For Lightweight Fish Ski! for 1, 2 or 3 Anglers

This “low-rider” gives you access to the water to reel in and release !sh easily. With a new patented outside, in atable, rigid keel the FSK16 glides through the water at speeds up to 21 mph to get you to the !sh fast! Perfect for 1-3 anglers and room for plenty of gear.

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Starting At Just $2999

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By Will Schmidt

Tere were birds diving, porpoise rolling and he y yellow n tuna skyrocketing like Fourth of July reworks. Both on the water and in the boat, the energy was palatable. With one angler on the bow ready to cast a top water plug into the fray and me in the stern with ready to deploy live bait, the boat throttled back. !e plug went ying, meanwhile I simply dropped my bait behind the boat and started freelining. Almost instantly the plug was blasted in the air but not connecting. Meanwhile, I tossed a handful of baits o the back of the boat. By now the fray had subsided but the sh were clearly still looking for an easy meal. 50 feet behind me one of the chummers was blasted overhead by a 150 pound yellow n who was skyward bound a er it. Just below I could see my bait franticly swimming as another engulfed it, leading to a great battle before releasing the 100 pound class sh.

While top water shing for tuna is all the rave right now, it really makes sense to deploy multiple tactics to take advantage of these opportunities, as the school o en retreats as the boat nears. Our back up plan is very simple and almost always produces sh. As the boat gets into casting range of the school, we drop live bait o the stern and free line them. We always keep a couple ready to go. !is way, if the school disappears there are other baits ready for those who have been plugging.

For bait google eyes or blue runners, rigging them on a 10/0 circle hook is ideal. Bridling the bait and using a non-slip loop knot presents the most natural movement as the baits ee. Also, tossing a handful of chummers in, as the surface activity disperses, usually brings shing looking to pick up stragglers into the strike zone. Chumming really helps keep the sh around, so make sure you have plenty of bait. When you get hit, give it a ve count real tight and hang on!

I like to use a bit heavier tackle with the live bait, as we o en seem to nd bigger sh. My go to is Shimano Terez BW Roller Striper medium heavy with a Talica 25A. I use 80lb braid to 80lb mono. !is is a great set up that’s fun for sh from 40 to 140 and can handle the occasional really big one. the rod with a better ghting angle. It also helps to keep the line away from the gunnel as a spiraling sh ascends. !is is a great asset for many anglers on these tough sh.

Will Schmidt is a seasoned tournament angler who has been writing about shing for more than two decades. Follow Will on Instagram @saltynstrong.

Florida’s Spawn Transition: Where the Giants Get Caught

In Florida, we don’t wait on spring the way the rest of the country does. Our bass start thinking about the spawn early, and that in-between window when they’re moving from winter patterns to-ward the beds is one of the most exciting times to be on the water. It’s not full-blown bed fishing yet, and it’s not the deep winter grind either. It’s the transition. And if you hit it right, it’s when the biggest fish in the lake are at their absolute heaviest and most catchable.

During this phase, big females don’t just rush the shallows. They stage first. Think outside grass lines, ditch intersections, shell bars, canal mouths, and hard-bottom spots just off spawning flats. They want easy access to both worlds shallow enough to move up when conditions warm and deep enough to slide back if a cold front rolls through. Instead of randomly covering water, suc-cessful anglers focus on these “inbetween” areas where bass pause before committing.

The fun part about fishing the transition is that these fish are still in feeding mode. They’re fueling up before the hard work of spawning, which means reaction baits can shine. Swimbaits and

TYLER WOOLCOTT

lipless crankbaits are great for covering water along staging edges, especially around submerged vegeta-

tion. If they’re holding tighter to cover, slowing down with a Texas-rigged creature bait or a wacky-rigged stick worm can seal the deal. The key is not getting too shallow too fast; a lot of an-glers run straight to visible bedding areas and skip right past the best fish.

Florida weather adds another layer to the puzzle. A few warm, stable days can push fish forward in a hurry, while a stiff north wind can reposition them just as quickly. The calendar matters less than conditions. Watch water temperature trends, pay attention to wind direction, and look for areas that warm first, especially protected shorelines with darker bottoms. Transition bass adjust daily, some-times hourly, and the anglers who adjust with them are the ones holding up the heavy fish.

For me, this window is one of the most exciting times of the year. You’re not just sight-fishing beds, you’re hunting moving giants that are feeding and positioning with purpose. They’re thick, strong, and aggressive enough to commit. When you connect with one during the spawn transition, it’s not just another bite it’s often the bite that defines the season. And in Florida, that fish can show up on any cast.

Capt. Tyler Woolcott is a professional tournament angler, as well as owner/ operator of Florida Big Fish Adventures, providing bass and saltwater guided fishing trips: www.floridabigfishadventures.com.

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ST. AUGUSTINE EDITION

Franchise Owners

Eric & Gina Diesl

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Capt. Tommy Derringer

St. Augustine-Inshore www.inshoreadventures.net

Capt. Robert Johnson

St. Augustine-Offshore www.jodielynncharters.com

Capt. Kirk Waltz Mayport www.enterprisefishingcharters.com

Capt. Tony Bozzella Sisters Creek www.tonybozzella.com

Noel Kuhn Pier & Surf www.thesurfangler.com

Capt. Dominic Anderson Instagram: staugustine_fishing

WEBMASTER

Ryan Clapper

DISTRIBUTION

Bob Bueno

Dear

Readers,

March in Northeast Florida feels like the coast waking up. The water is still cool, but the light shifts, the tides loosen, and the marsh edges start to hum again. Redfish spread out from their tight winter schools and feed more confidently on the flats, especially on those warming afternoon highs when the sun has had time to work on the mud. Trout get livelier too, pushing shallower and hitting soft plastics with a little more enthusiasm. Sheepshead linger around structure as their spawn winds down, and black drum stay steady for anyone patient enough to work shrimp or crabs along the bottom. It’s a month where every day feels slightly different, and the anglers who pay attention to those small changes—wind direction, water clarity, tide height—tend to stay a step ahead.

Off the beaches and nearshore reefs, March is a transitional puzzle with real payoff. The last pushes of winter bring bursts of big sheepshead and snapper on the close-in rocks, while the first hints of spring open the door for cobia to slide north with the rays. Offshore, wahoo remain a real possibility early in the month, especially when a clean temperature break sets up along the ledge. By the end of March, the ocean starts to feel more alive—more bait, more birds, more signs that the long stretch of spring fishing is about to hit its stride. It’s a time of anticipation, of watching the weather windows, and of knowing that every trip could be the one that marks the true start of the season..

We are excited to share our Facebook page that will now feature more articles and links to local events happening throughout the month. www.facebook.com/CAMStAugustine. Please send in pictures, tournament dates and ideas for articles to us at: gina@ coastalanglermagazine.com.

We currently have a choice of advertising options available ranging from print & digital to video & social. If you would like us to add your business to our monthly delivery route or any other assistance you may need, please contact us:

Capt. Eric Diesl - 904-829-7571

Eric@coastalanglermagazine.com

Gina Diesl - 904-540-2311

Gina@coastalanglermagazine.com

You will find our St. Augustine edition in print for free at over 200 fine local retailers every month as well as online at coastalanglermag.com & vidmag.com.

Until next month,  we wish you tight lines and warm breezes. - Capt. Eric & Gina

Fishing Report & Forecast St. Augustine Inshore

By Capt. Tommy Derringer

It’s my absolute favorite time of the year to fish in Northeast Florida… It’s been an extra cold winter, and I think I can speak for all of us in saying I’m ready for some warmer weather! Spring weather will bring in the baitfish (mullet, pogies, etc.) and just about every predatory fish will be on the hunt for a good meal. Redfish will still be up on the flats in schools, trout will be feeding along the ICW banks, and the drum and flounder will be stacked in the deeper creek holes. Just about everywhere you go you’re going to run into some good fishing over the next couple of months.

can and will be a little spooky this time of year. You can also find some big schools of redfish stacked in the creek holes on the same low tides. Push back as far as possible in the creeks and find that last deep spot… you’re sure to find a few good fish hanging out waiting for the tide to turn.

Redfish will remain schooled up if the water temps stay on the cooler side. Look for the big schools of reds on the lower tide stages (especially on the negative low tides we get with a good west wind). I like to find flats that have somewhat of a deeper escape route for the fish. A perfect setup would be a large flat on the edge of the ICW that has a deeper area that drains into the ICW. The fish will absolutely stack up in those “drains” as the tide gets low. If live bait is your thing, a mud minnow or live shrimp pegged to a 1/4oz Saltwater Assassin jighead will be the perfect presentation to the schooled-up fish. If you’re going with artificials, I like to use a Saltwater Assassin paddle tail on the same jig. Locate the schools by looking for large wakes and/ or “muds” that the fish will cause by moving around. Make sure to lead the fish by quite a bit as they

Redfish won’t get all the glory this time of year, it’s also trout time as the water warms up a bit!... I’ll toss my favorite top-water plug, the Berkley J-Walker 120 at first and last light along the ICW shell banks for some great big trout action. Once the sun comes up a bit switch to a sub-surface plug or your favorite soft plastic on a jighead. The soft plastic and jighead rig account for a good number of trout catches on my boat this time of year. I like to use the twitch, twitch, pause retrieval method. The fish usually take the lure on the pause. Target creek mouths on the outgoing tide and the ICW shell banks on the incoming. Any kind of rocks, docks, or structure with moving water around them will also be holding some nice trout. And of course, the live shrimp under a popping cork sometimes can’t be beat.

March and April are typically the best times of the year for black drum in our area. The monster drum (sometimes up to 80lbs+) can be targeted in the deepest areas of the ICW and in all the area inlets. A halved blue crab on the bottom is the bait of choice for these big dogs. The big ones will be spawning so make sure to thoroughly revive them to ensure a healthy release so they can take care of their business and keep the drum population thriving. The smaller “slot” sized black drum can be found in the creek holes and near deeper water structure such as bridges and jetties. Live or dead shrimp, fiddler crabs, and clams fished along the bottom will all make for some great drum action. .

904-377-3734 • www.InshoreAdventures.net

Fishing Report & Forecast St. Augustine Offshore

By Capt. Robert Johnson

ENOUGH OF WINTER

One of the many reasons I live in Florida is I hate cold. I’m very ready for winter to be over and March to usher in milder temperatures with less cold fronts. And, most importantly, Spring brings in great Bluewater fishing.

In addition to Wahoo and Blackfin Tuna, I expect to see some early season Mahi. If Tuna and Wahoo are your target , best start is on the shelf edge. Tuna and Wahoo love to hold on structure. For Tuna long monofilament leaders with naked ballyhoo or the triedand-true cedar plug is the way to go. I like 80# mono and Blue and white being my color choice. I like to mix in some wire riggs for the inevitable Wahoo bite. Mid-morning I start looking to the east anticipating an edge that will be holding Mahi / Dorado

/ Dolphin - whatever name you prefer! These tasty, hard fighting fish are the highlight of Spring fishing. Fortunately for fisherman, this species is not picky. If you find them, they will eat…mostly Ballyhoo rigged naked or with a small skirt on monofilament increases your hookups. Teasers are a must and look to get bites on the short rigger baits as well as the flat lines. We always pull something deep in the water column rigged on wire for any Wahoo that might still be around. A staple of the charter fleet is an Islander Hawaiian Eye in front of medium ballyhoo.

If bottom fishing is your thing, there are plenty of species that are open and available. Vermillion Snapper, Gray Triggerfish, Mutton Snapper, and many other species willing and ready to bite.

It’s a great time to go fishing. Not hot. Not cold. Just right. Here’s to an early Spring with warmer days.

Let’s go Fishing, .

Captain

Robert Johnson

(904)540-2628

Jodielynncharters.com

Jlfishing@bellsouth.net

Fishing Report & Forecast Ponte Vedra Inshore

By Dominic Anderson

March in St. Augustine, Florida, marks a significant transition period for inshore fishing. As winter’s cooler temperatures begin to recede, the waters of the Matanzas River, the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), and the surrounding estuaries start to warm up, waking up the resident and migrating baitfish and, consequently, the game fish. This month offers some of the most dynamic fishing opportunities of the year as fish actively feed in preparation for their spring and summer patterns.

Redfish are generally consistent throughout the year, but March presents an excellent opportunity to target them on the shallow grass flats and oyster bars. As the water warms, redfish become more aggressive and move out of the deeper winter holes. This is when you want that big stinky bait for the big ones! Look for redfish in the early morning or late afternoon foraging on the vast, shallow, dark-bottomed mud and grass flats, which warm up faster than deeper water. Midday, they often relate to oyster bars, docks, and bridges where structure provides cover.

Target deep holes near oyster beds or creek mouths. A jig head tipped with a live or cut shrimp or a scented soft plastic lure can be highly effective. Focus on sight-casting to “tailing” fish on the shallow grass flats. Gold spoons, weedless soft plastics, or topwater lures in the morning can produce explosive strikes. Live mud minnows, finger mullet (if available), and shrimp are excellent natural options. Artificial baits like paddle tails and jerk shads in natural colors (e.g., chartreuse, root beer, or gold) are productive.

March is a prime time for seatrout as they exit their sluggish winter phase. Trout are often found in the same areas as redfish, but they tend to prefer slightly deeper edges or transition zones near the grass flats. Search for trout along the edges of the ICW, particularly where shell rakes and submerged structure meet moving water. Areas around creek mouths and points with good current flow are also reliable. Trout have excellent eyesight and are often found suspended in the water column. A live shrimp suspended under a popping cork is the quintessential St. Augustine trout

rig and is highly effective in March. Soft plastic jerk baits or grub tails rigged on a light jig head (1/8 to 1/4 oz) are my favorites. Work them with a slow, twitching retrieve. Topwater plugs are phenomenal in low-light conditions, producing some of the largest trout of the year. Early morning and late evening are the best times, but cloudy days can extend the bite.

While less aggressive than redfish or trout, black drum are readily available in March, often congregating in large schools in deep channels or around major bridge pilings. Deep pockets in the ICW, channel edges, and structured areas like the Matanzas Inlet and major bridge systems are key locations. Black drum are bottom feeders. Use a basic bottom rig with a heavy weight to keep the bait in place against the current. They feed primarily by scent. Cracked blue crab, cut shrimp, or pieces of clam are the most successful baits.

The transition in March means water temperatures can fluctuate significantly. The magic number to look for is 68°F (about 20°C). Once the water consistently hits this mark, the fish will feed more aggressively. Focus your efforts on the warmest water you can find—often the shallow, dark mud and shell bottoms exposed to the sun for the longest part of the day. In the St. Augustine area, which has a significant tidal swing, current movement is paramount. Fish rely on the current to deliver food and oxygen. The last two hours of the incoming tide and the first two hours of the outgoing tide are generally the most productive. The moving water positions fish in ambush points. This can be slow, but it’s an excellent time to target deep-structure fish like black drum or seek out schools of fish holding tight to cover. A A good pair of polarized sunglasses is essential for spotting redfish on the flats. Come out on the flats with us, let’s go fishing!

Capt. Dominic (904)-962-6184

Instagram:staugustine_fishing

Fishing Report & Forecast Pier and Surf

By Noel Kuhn

This March will be a lot different then previous months due to eight straight days below FREEZING in Jacksonville! As I’m writing this, our surf temperature is 52 degrees! I only hope that as you’re reading this, the water temps are back above 60. At that point, the Whiting bite will have turned back on. 64 is the sweet spot when the big Pompano make it back from south Florida. To find the bite, google SST charts Rutgers, Jacksonville Beach pier or St Augustine pier.

All of my huge Pompano, six pounds plus, have come early in the spring or very late in the fall. My mentors taught me that they can withstand colder water. They called them the scouts. My first big one was on Crescent Beach in early March. The air temp was 80 but the water hurt my feet because it was 64. When it comes to bait, I prefer Blue Crab knuckles or

fresh clams. Live Sand Fleas bury in deep and are hard to catch. Unless you have one of those 80 degree afternoons when they come up to feed. Rigging is simple and tried and true. A double dropper tied with 30 pound monofilament and finished off with 2/0 circle hooks. No beads or floats are needed. Just remember this. All you need is a good bait and a hungry fish. Over the years, I have in my collection 20 different colors, 15 different shapes and 20 different sizes of beads and floats. However, the last three years I have gone back to naked rigs. No beads or floats. It is the same rig I was using in the 1970s before anyone ever thought of putting jewelry on their rigs. More natural and more matching the hatch is my formula for success.

If you want to take your catching to the next level without breaking the bank, join me for a seminar on the beach. Please visit guyharveyoutpost. com and look for outdoor adventures. They start this month and run through November. Or, contact me directly for a private class/adventure. .

Noel Kuhn

Surf fishing guide and long distance casting coach. 904-945-0660

www.TheSurfAngler.com

03:29 AM 4.10 H 10:00 AM 1.11 L

PM 3.54 H 10:05 PM 1.03 L

FRI 04:35 AM 4.13 H 10:56 AM 1.02 L 05:00 PM 3.65 H 11:04 PM 0.85 L

SAT 05:36 AM 4.28 H 11:48 AM 0.79 L 05:55 PM 3.88 H 11:59 PM 0.56 L

15 SUN 06:27 AM 4.48 H 12:35 PM 0.45 L 06:44 PM 4.20 H

16 MON 12:49 AM 0.21 L 07:13 AM 4.69 H 01:18 PM 0.06 L 07:28 PM 4.57 H

17 TUE 01:36 AM -0.15 L 07:56 AM 4.85 H 01:58 PM -0.32 L 08:11 PM 4.94 H

18 WED 02:20 AM -0.47 L 08:37 AM 4.95 H 02:36 PM -0.62 L 08:53 PM 5.27 H

19 THU 03:03 AM -0.69 L 09:20 AM 4.98 H 03:15 PM -0.81 L 09:36 PM 5.53 H

20 FRI 03:46 AM -0.79 L 10:04 AM 4.94 H 03:56 PM -0.85 L 10:21 PM 5.67 H

21 SAT 04:32 AM -0.75 L 10:49 AM 4.84 H

04:40 PM -0.75 L 11:07 PM 5.70 H

22 SUN 05:21 AM -0.59 L 11:38 AM 4.69 H 05:28 PM -0.54 L 11:57 PM 5.61 H

23 MON 06:15 AM -0.34 L 12:29 PM 4.52 H 06:23 PM -0.27 L

24 TUE 12:51 AM 5.43 H 07:15 AM -0.07 L 01:26 PM 4.34 H 07:25 PM -0.02 L

25 WED 01:51 AM 5.20 H 08:19 AM 0.16 L 02:28 PM 4.21 H 08:32 PM 0.15 L

26 THU 02:58 AM 5.01 H 09:25 AM 0.29 L 03:38 PM 4.17 H 09:41 PM 0.20 L

27 FRI 04:09 AM 4.90 H 10:29 AM 0.30 L 04:48 PM 4.27 H 10:48 PM 0.14 L

28 SAT 05:17 AM 4.88 H 11:29 AM 0.18 L 05:52 PM 4.49 H 11:51 PM -0.02 L

29 SUN 06:17 AM 4.91 H 12:23 PM -0.01 L 06:47 PM 4.75 H

30 MON 12:49 AM -0.21 L 07:10 AM 4.92 H 01:12 PM -0.22

Advertising Account Executives -- Coastal Angler Magazine is seeking experienced Advertising Account Executives in St. Johns, Flagler or Putnam County. Our ideal candidates will have a minimum of two years’ previous advertising sales experience and be familiar with the creative requirements of the advertising field. We are looking for advertising industry professionals who understand relations selling and who can manage multiple accounts and professional fol low-up as part of a daily routine. In an era when other print publications are shrinking, Coastal Angler Magazine, through its co-publisher business model, has achieved exponential growth and industry leader status. Qualified candidates interested in the position should submit a one-page resume to the contact information provided.

NEW SPOTTED SEATROUT REGS TAKE EFFECT APRIL 1

At its February meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved new management regions and regulations for spotted seatrout shing in the State of Florida. e rule changes establish nine management regions for spotted seatrout as well as regional regulations for recreational and commercial shing.

ese new regulations will go into e ect on April 1, 2026:

OPEN/CLOSED SEASONS

Recreational

» Panhandle: Open March 1–Jan. 31; Closed February.

» Big Band, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast: Open year-round.

» Indian River Lagoon: Open Jan.1–Oct. 31; Closed Nov. 1-Dec. 31.

Commercial

» Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast: Open Jun. 1–Oct. 31; Closed Nov. 1–May 31.

» Indian River Lagoon: Open May 1–Sept. 30; Closed Oct. 1-Apr. 30.

» Northeast: Open June 1–Nov. 30; closed Dec. 1–May 31

BAG LIMITS

Recreational

» Big Band: Five (5) sh per person.

» Panhandle, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast: Four (3) sh per person.

» Indian River Lagoon: Two (2) sh per person.

Commercial

» 50 sh (1 SPL);100 (≥2 SPLs) in all regions.

SLOT LIMITS

» Recreational - 15-19 inches

» Commercial - 15-24 inches

OVERSLOT ALLOWANCE

Recreational

» All Regions: None. is regional management strategy has been implemented for some of Florida’s most popular inshore species, including red sh and snook, and now spotted seatrout. ese regions and regulations are part of the FWC’s holistic management is approach takes a more holistic view of the shery by evaluating multiple metrics, including shing, stakeholder experiences and environmental factors, at a smaller regional scale. It improves our understanding of regional di erences in environmental conditions and stakeholder experiences and provides greater exibility to address localized concerns.

» Panhandle, Big Bend, Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Charlotte Harbor, Southwest, Southeast: One (1) sh over-slot allowed per vessel or per person if shing from shore

» Indian River Lagoon, Northeast: None

Commercial

For the full FWC commission meeting agenda and links to background reports, go to myfwc.com/about/commission/commissionmeetings/. For current spotted seatrout annual reviews, visit MyFWC.com/Marine and click on “Recreational Regulations” and “Spotted Seatrout.” ese documents provide a summary of the management metrics in each new management region.

SPEND LE TIME ON TASKS More Time Fishing

It’s no fsh tale when you run with a John Deere. You can get everything done faster and easier, so you get more time on the water. Plus, our special offers make them the catch of the day.

PREDICTING THE RUN

By Capt. Jim Ross

s a charter captain, as well as a regular contributor to the Brevard County, Florida edition of Coastal Angler Magazine, every year there are certain events that happen that I try to predict in advance so that clients and readers can catch more !sh. However, there are many times that even we so called “professionals” don’t get it exactly right. Obviously, my crystal ball isn’t 100 percent correct all of the time...maybe it needs a tune up. LOL!

ings like the giant black drum schooling up, spring cobia run, June tarpon run, fall mullet run, and winter pompano run aren’t things you can pin down to a certain day of the month, but most of the time we can at least predict the month. Hopefully, I can achieve at least a 90 percent e ciency rating a er doing this report for the past 25 years.

I was just telling my clients one day last week, a er catching a bunch of small trout and a couple of lady!sh, that the big uglies were probably going to show up in a few weeks and if they had a chance to come back out with me then that they may have a shot at catching some much larger !sh than the ones we had landed that morning. Just !ve minutes a er saying this I spotted something unusual about 500 yards up the at. It was exactly what I had just been talking about- a 300 !sh school of 30 to 50-pound black drum.

e !sh in this big school were happy-tailing and waking as they pushed their way down the at. We eased up to them, cast our shrimp in their direction, and as you !gured, the battles were on. All three anglers were hooked up to huge drum that had absolutely no respect for them. Drags screamed, rods doubled over, and dozens of yards of line dumped o their reels. Grunts and groans were heard between laughter and smiles as they worked to tire these beasts. e boat deck looked like a country bar dance oor as anglers shu ed and two-stepped under and over each other in an e ort not to lose their prized catches.

We ended up extending the trip from a 3/4 day to a full day outing because each !sh took 15 to 25-minutes to land.

e moral of the story? Don’t ever count on !sh to be there and don’t ever think that it’s not quite the right time to catch them. e bottom line is just go !shing every chance you get. at is the only way that you can be sure to catch your next memory.

Capt. Jim Ross is owner/operator of Fineline Fishing Charters on Florida’s Space Coast and host of “Catch a Memory Outdoors” live radio show and podcast. www. neline shingcharters.com • www.catchamemoryoutdoors.com

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PRO FISHING TECHNIQUES

Top 3 Mistakes

So many anglers have a “go-to” color lure that they swear by. What they do not understand is that the color of your lure barely makes the top three most important factors for catching tons of !sh.

Mistake #1 - e number one mistake anglers make is ignoring the importance of the size and pro!le of the lures they use. When snook, tarpon, red!sh, speckled trout or ounder are feeding, they o en become laser focused on that particular forage species. In other words, if they are feeding on a 6-inch mullet your 3-inch paddletail or shrimp lure will probably be ignored.

PRO TIP: Have a few of your rods rigged up with various sizes and pro!les of lures on them. I like to have a 3-inch paddletail, an arti!cial shrimp and a 4- to 5.5-inch jerk bait ( uke) rigged up when I can’t determine what bait is around. Try all three sizes and pro!les of lures until you !gure out what the !sh in the area are feeding upon.

Mistake #2 - e number two mistake most anglers make is thinking one retrieve style works best for all of the !sh all of the time. ere are so many di erent factors to consider when retrieving your lures. Here are a few to consider:

• Is the water cold or hot? Fish are cold blooded and move more slowly in cold water. is means that you have to slow down your retrieve when the water is cold. Conversely, you want to move your lure faster when the water is hot.

• What species are you targeting? Di erent !sh species like di erent retrieves. For instance, the best retrieve for a red!sh is slowly bouncing your lure o of the bottom. A tarpon likes a low and steady retrieve. A ounder likes a very slow bounce/dragging retrieve no higher than 12 inches from the bottom. A speckled trout likes a vertical jig and will usually hit the lure as it falls through the water column. Snook like a fast and erratic retrieve most of the time.

• Is the water clear or murky? Low light, cloudy skies and murky water scenarios makes it harder to get a !sh’s attention. Use a retrieve or lure that creates vibrations and ashes in the water. You also want to fan cast the area keeping your lure placement close together because they are less apt to seek out your lure. When it is sunny and the water is clear it is easier to get the !sh’s attention. You can make your casts further apart and make the !sh come to your lure.

Mistake #3 - e third biggest mistake is thinking !sh care about lure colors. A saltwater tackle box with white lures and something dark like root beer or purple is all that you need to catch any !sh. PERIOD. e bottom line is that if you want to catch more !sh, switch up your sizes and pro!les and vary your retrieves for di erent species and conditions. I GUARANTEE that you will catch more !sh.

Capt. Mike Smith is owner of Fish Your Ass O Charters.Reach him at (561) 339-2317, contact@ shyourasso .com or shyourasso .com.

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