March is here and spring fishing has been great!!

Great Weather And Sunny Days Make The South Shore a Fishy Place!

It’s March and weather is starting to take a shift towards the spring. Days are getting longer, sun is shining brighter and every day the temperatures feel a bit warmer. This means spring fishing is upon us. Here is the most up to date report to keep you guys catching fish.

When I think March I can’t think of nothing other than Snook. Snook fishing is good just about year round but March is one of the best months to fish for Snook. You will find hundreds of thousands of fish moving out of the 4 major rivers systems that feed into Tampa Bay. These rivers provide excellent habitat for Snook during the cold months of January and February. During this time most Snook keep feeding to a minimum and focus more on survival. When that water hits the 70 degree mark they start to make their presence on the flats. At the same time we start to get our bait run and a mixture of the two and you will have some of the best Snook fishing of the year. Greenbacks are the key and can be hard to find as it’s still cold. I’ll give you a hint: look deep around the towers and bridges and bring plenty of chum and make sure to have a heavy 12ft net. Finding bait can be a bit tricky but it is the difference between catching a lot of Snook and just getting a few fish.

Once you have bait out of the way good places to look are creeks, passes leading in and out of the flats, and potholes. Snook will use these areas as ambush points and will let the tide bring the bait to them. Tide (just mentioned) is another key ingredient to catching lots of Snook. Snook like to wait and ambush bait as they run through with the tide. This means you really want to fish for Snook around the stronger tides of the month. These times fall around the new and full moons. Make a mental note that Snook like to feed at night anyways so fishing around the Full Moon at night is a great option. Chumming is a technique created decades ago by some of the best Snook guides around. This is the key to catching a lot of Snook. By chumming you create a feeding frenzy and Snook tend to put their guard down. You can really have a banner day by loading up the well with Greenies.

Last bit of good information I can give you before heading out to the water is rigging. Snook fishing in March is great and rigging is simple. I love to just free line baits this time of year. Water clarity is very clear so 30lb Fluorocarbon leader will be perfect and keep your hook size small with 1/0 Daiichi circle hook. Match this with fins 10 braided line and you will have the perfect Snook combo.

If you would like to get out on the water to do a Snook fishing charter this would be the ultimate learning experience. I love teaching people about fishing, if you would like to get out call 813-727-9890. Tight lines!!