Hello fellow anglers , April things are improving in S. W. Florida and things are warming up. As the bait starts to migrate North so do the kings and Spanish Mackerel. The white baits start to come inshore and become easier to find. And the big schools of Tarpon may show up. The tarpon are bait fish to some other species. The other species has been called the tax collector in the grey suit. That would be the sharks that think Tarpon are very tasty and plentiful in our area this time of year. And this action runs up and down the coast from Marco to Tampa. Yes they are lots of fun to hook into and get a few jumps, but they are NOT good for eating they are caught just for the sport of it. Growing up in S. W. Fla. I was taught to spend your time fishing for fish that are edible, and that is mostly what I do today. Okay the Gray suit guys they are good to eat, I like to eat a Blacktip shark that is between 3&4 foot long. And there are the bonnet head sharks they don't get much bigger than three feet and there is a good amount of meet on one. And speaking of good eating fish I like to target snapper, lanes , mangroves and yellow tails. These can be found this time of year starting in 40 to 80 feet of water. Artificial reefs and wrecks hold the mangrove and yellow tails. If you use an anchor you usually can chum the snappers up to the surface and just use a hook on your line and a piece of bait. Using the anchor I feel it is possible to do this I have tried doing this with one of the trolling motors that can be used instead. I did not have much luck with getting the snappers to come up to the surface. So I recommend using the old school anchor and chain. So you need to anchor up current of the structure and draw the fish to you. This way you have less encounters with the predator's. So if you don't have the means to travel out into these waters there is plenty of action close to and inshore. Inshore there should be plenty of snook action as they prepare to migrate and spawn. They travel relative to where they live, like the snook in the river go into the harbor where there is the proper amount of salt for them to reproduce. And the ones in the harbor travel to the beaches, and the ones around the beaches they travel out into the Gulf to 45 or 50 feet of water on reefs and ledges. Yeah I learned this information when I was teaching a class after hours at the Jr. High school we would have the snook biologist come and talk with the class. Then after class I got to ask questions and gathered some good information. So I am able to share with my fellow anglers. Trout pompano and reds will be hunting along the mangroves and out on the grass flats. And the reds may even hideout in the sand holes in the edges of the grass waiting for a snack to swim into range for food. And if you shark fish there may be the opportunity to catch a cobia, they roam the same areas as sharks. So if you would like to come along with Capt. Bart Marx and learn some of these methods of harvesting fish on his boat give me a call at 941-979-6517 or e-mail me at captbart@alphaomegacharters.com and we can schedule your trip. And if you are new to our area and would like a Training Session with Capt. Bart on you boat to shorten your learning curve and show you how to use your own gear give me a call. And always remember singing drags and tight lines make me smile. <*(((((>{