March 2013 Fishing Report
Capt. Tucker Strickland
Warm water is on its way, and soon there will be fish 'o plenty. Sixty-eight degrees seems to
be the magic number that really gets things going; healthy schools of reds can
be reported from flats. You can’t go wrong working the docks along HWY 98 on a
high tide. The trout fishing hasn’t quite picked up yet, but as warmer weather
sets in it’s only a matter of time. The bait fish should show up soon, and
that’s when the action really heats up. Mackerel, following the bait, can
really make your drag scream and are pretty tasty in a smoked dip.
Pompano,
one of my favorite fish to catch and eat, will be riding the waves in the surf
looking for sand fleas, shrimp, and crabs. The best way to catch pompano is
with a couple of dropper rigs out the back, while some prefer to pitch nyalure
jigs tipped with sand fleas or shrimp pieces. Most of the time, pompano move in
schools, so it helps to have as many hooks in the water as possible. A dropper
knot helps when rigging leaders; I usually use 20# test with a pyramid lead and
3/0 circle hooks with about 15 inches between hooks. Also, I like to use a
couple of large orange beads at the front of the hooks. Imitating crustacean
roe glowing in the sunshine, fish come from afar in search of a tasty snack.
This
month, I have decided to include some facts that I found interesting, and that may
also help you understand some of your target species:
- All Gag Grouper are female for the first five years of their life, or until they reach about 30 inches. After they reach this age, they change from female to mate and their growth rate begins to slow.
- When bringing red snappers up from deep water, their stomachs often extrude from their mouth. Many well-intending fishermen use a tool to puncture the fish’s stomach, making its easier for them to descend. Studies show that when this tool is used, almost 100% of the fish die, while 70-80% survive when no tool is used.
- Cobia can reach lengths of 35 inches before their second year, and can live up to 11 years. A juvenile cobia's diet consists mainly of crabs, and as they get older, fish become their primary food. During a study where 10,000 cobia where tagged and released, some swam as far as 1,200 nautical miles from Louisiana to South Carolina.
- Male speckled trout gather in groups called drumming aggregations. Sometimes numbers can reach thousands, and in unison they vibrate their swim bladders to attract females ready to spawn.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Tucker Strickland