Web report for 1-15-10

Wow, that was some cold weather for Englewood and Venice FL.

Fishing has been slower recently due to the colder than normal Winter winds. We did experience some fish kills; mostly snook and ladyfish. I have personally observed plenty of live snook that have survived and will be here for our spring fishing. Trout and redfish were not hurt at all locally. Sheepshead are abundant if not glamorous. We can expect some fair weather to try and grab a shallow water grouper before the closures next month. While it has been cold by Florida standards it was much warmer than everywhere else!

Snook are a very popular fish around here. I know we lost significant numbers even down here but many did find safety and survive. Mother Nature is resilient and if we don’t try to fix her she will rebound rapidly. We had a lot of snook and over management surly helped increase stocks. It was frustrating to see so many wasted. With the current five inch slot and five months open season we are not impacting snook stocks by eating a few. I expect good fishing and time will tell the story.Trout and redfish were not affected and are open. If your trip is not blown out by cold north winds we do have good fishing. Local flats waters are crystal clear most of the time. We enjoy very low tides that concentrate fish and offer exciting sight fishing opportunities. Some big trout are ready to pull drag and provide tasty dinners for lucky anglers.

Sheepshead are abundant and offer fun with liberal bag limits. They will just get better into March.

If you want to eat grouper don’t wait too long. National Marine Fisheries “Dis-“Service has decided there are not enough fish even though every fisherman with more than a clue says we have more than ever. They have no valid science. We will endue a two month closure. There is a march on Washington DC on February the 24, to attempt to get our legislators to review their haste revision of the Magnusson/Stevens Act. this is well organized and might get some positive attention to the plight of American’s coastal communities. The red snapper deal is even more bizarre. The great news is we are in America and can do something about it! God Bless America. I am going to refinish my trusty Dorado and it will take a couple of weeks, so I will be back on the water ASAP. Happy New Year and Let’s Go Fishin’ soon. It’s time to set up your Spring and Summer snook and tarpon trips. Spanish and king mackerel should be here in March if weather cooperates.