April Isles Magazine Fishing Report

April is a great month to target snook because the local waters are starting to warm up. I like to dive or snorkel along the coast to observe how the fish move around since it helps you understand where they hang out around structures and how the currents run. If you are interested in snorkeling or diving around docks and channels where you have caught fish, always follow the rules. Make sure you have a dive flag to display. In some places you can tow someone behind the boat to cover a lot of area. If you have checked an area and are ready to fish, it is time to find bait.  You can cast a bait net to harvest some white baits/greenies etc. Most anglers use a 10’ 3/8 mesh net which are effective up to about 15’ of water. Your local bait shop can educate you on what would work for your skill level and what you could throw. There are several different manufacturers and prices range depending on your skill and depth of your wallet. There are some custom net makers as well so if you know what you want, you can order it. When you have reached the point of throwing and catching bait, it is a good day - a good day to go snook fishing. You use a few of the baits as chummers - put them in a bait slinger, shake them up and sling them where you know the fish are. When they get attacked by fish, cast near the feeding frenzy and hold on. Depends on your skill level and structure as to what horse power rig you need to use. Lots of structure high horse power - on flats minimum horse power. The range could go from 10lb. tackle to 50lb. tackle. On bridges and docks you need high horse power. So if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx or would like him to accompany you on your boat, call 941-979-6517 or e-mail captbart@alphaomegacharters.com.  Always remember, singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{

April Fishing Report

As we approach summer months, the snook will be a great target species. The snook are in pre-spawn mode. This is when they start to decide if they will travel from there home area. With that said, they will move from up rivers and creeks to open, larger bodies of water. Some move from the estuaries out to the open Gulf waters. This makes it fun to travel the edges of the rivers and creeks to spot these hard fighting gamefish. During April, the shrimp will have started their migration out to the Gulf and the white bait, green backs, pilchards, etc. will be all the way up to the freshwater lines in the rivers. This is great for the snook who are looking to stock up and gain some pounds to go to their spawn areas. You can harvest some of the baits mentioned earlier with cast nets. The majority of the guides I fish around use a 10’ 3/8 bait net. Most of us have some kind of dry or wet chum to draw these baits into casting range. I have used cat food, corn meal, oatmeal, and some other mixtures. The oil we use is menhaden oil. A little goes a long way. The next thing is you need to have a good live well. This means it is able to pick up raw water from outside your boat and be able to pump it to a tank on your boat with rounded corners and a drain that will allow the water to drain back out the side of your boat. Some people like to have a sprayer to spray on the water to give more air to your bait. I personally like it to be under the water and creating a current this helps keep your bait alive. The current keeps the fish from bumping there nose on the sides of your well and killing them. A simple way to build a live well is with a plastic garbage can. If you have a sea water wash down hose, you fill it with that. Then you create a drain where the water can drain back overboard. Doing all this you can chum and target snook easily to harvest one to eat. I still bring live shrimp along so I have an option of baits. I usually get two dozen per angler for four hour trips to go along with other baits. I purchase mine at Fishin' Franks in Charlotte Harbor. 

Lets take a look at what is happening out in the Gulf. Snapper, lanes and mangs, porgies, black sea bass, and maybe even a hogfish. Hogfish like crustations, small crabs and shrimp. While you are bottom fishing, put a bonus rod out with a live bait, blue runner, or  pin fish, any thing alive with some wire. Set it where it is out of your way and leave the drag a little on the loose side, but tight enough to bury the hook. A bobber of some sort about six feet up from the hook will hold the bait at that depth. When you hear the drag go off, you will understand why they are called kings smokers. Get out there and give these things a try, or if you don’t have a boat you can contact Capt. Bart Marx at 941-979-6517 or captbart@alphaomegacharters.com. Always remember, singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{