The FishermanTraveling

by Capt. Bouncer Smith

March! Fish catching season has arrived!

What does that mean? Well, let’s see. e sea trout are swarming on the new grass growing on the ats of north Biscayne Bay. Try a rising tide and sh light spinning tackle rigged with an arti cial shrimp under a noise producing oat. Expert or amateur, this rig will produce.

Speaking of shrimp, they will be migrating out of the inlets, which re up snook, snapper and tarpon near these inlets as well as all kinds of bottom sh, jacks, king and Spanish mackerel, and even tuna, as the shrimp are swept o shore by outgoing tides.

Late season cold fronts will turn on tailing sail sh riding big seas caused by strong northbound Gulfstream currents running up against northeast winds. ese conditions use to produce great catches of big mahi, tailing cobia and black n tunas. Will they be back this year?

Another possibility is blacking out your live well with pilchards and trying your luck of chumming up yellow n tuna in 300 to 600 feet of water. Fluorocarbon leaders nished with circle hooks and baited with pilchards might produce a great catch or two.

Be sure to bring along some big live herring or goggle eyes to bait the kite. If you are going to catch a white marlin o Miami it should happen now.

If by chance you have a Penn International 80 or 130 loaded with lots of line, and a tuna tower, you might want to carry a couple of Bait Masters rigged tuna mullet or swimming mackerel. ere has been a good chance to bait, catch and release a giant blue n tuna in March the last several years.

Back inshore, look for pompano in the surf and on the South side of Government Cut this month. Shrimp or sand eas are the proven best baits, but some synthetic pompano baits are catching on. On the south side of Government Cut we caught pompano on incoming tides from against the jetty to one hundred yards South of the jetty on pompano jigs baited with live shrimp on strong NE winds. Beware you might catch a big tarpon.

If by some miracle you get a calm day in March, get out there and catch a sword sh or two. Please don’t overlook an evening try for these gladiators.

So, it’s not my eld of responsibility, but if you want some fast action for the kids from 3 to 93 with no waves, then get out in the Everglades canals. e water is low and the shing is FAST.