CENTRAL EAST COAST

with the best times to fish in the

March 2023

The water quality is clear.

popping bug. I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing the popping bug get hit. Daytime anglers are catching good numbers fishing the shallow bedding areas. Bait of choice is crickets fished under a float.Another good area to fish is canals when the water is flowing, trolling will only trigger more bites. Crappie - Anglers are fishing open water for crappie using jigs tipped Anglers trolling jigs are catching good limits of crappie. The key is to find them

Miami Beach, Government Cut

Florida that -

March Madness is here - bring on the cobia! This is the historic time frame here along the central east coast of Floridathat the migra tion of cobia swims by. Although anglers catch them all year long, this is usually the best time. The water is warming back up to the 70-degree mark. Free-swimming cobia are the most fun to target, a few things must come together though. One being sunny skies, you must be able to see into the water a little bit and two, try to get as high as possible.

Hungry cobia are not picky fish nor are they the smartest. Bait of choice is a buck tail with a whole squid hooked on it. This gives a natural look and smell. There are many different types of baits and lures people use. Even the steel (spoons) works well at times

Sometimes, live bait matters. Bunker (also called pogies or menhaden shad) and pinfish work great. It’s fun to watch a cobia go nuts trying to eat a live bait. Sometimes there are days that you will see 30 fish and maybe only 2 will eat or get ‘Fired Up’ on a jig. Not many cobias turn down a live fish. Some say they will never turn down a live choice shrimp or their magic swim bait etc. Fishing is just what it says, fishing.

Gear of choice is a 7-foot medium action rod with a light tip to allow jigging the lure, and enough backbone to stick the hook. Line is 40lb braid and a 50lb mono leader. When using live bait, try an 8/0 circle hook and hook the live fish through the back of the head. Cast forward and past the fish. For jigs – you cannot reel faster than a baitfish swims. Do not let the jig go down, or the cobia may never come back up.

1W 4:08 AM 1.79 H

10:00 AM 0.49 L

4:10 PM 1.71 H

10:25 PM 0.11 L

2TH 5:10 AM 1.82 H

10:58 AM 0.46 L

Goblins Cove is still producing good numbers of bass - fishing with live shiners over hydrilla. Fish the boat runs’entrances at sunrise for good top water action. Every morning at sunrise, bass can be found schooling on shad; anywhere there is flow. It usually lasts 30 minutes after sunrise. Big beetle spins and small M-5 Rapalas work best.

5:12 PM 1.76 H

11:19 PM 0.07 L

11SA 4:23 AM 0.04 L

10:52 AM 2.15 H

4:39 PM -0.23 L

11:29 PM 2.26 H

12SU 6:05 AM 0.14 L

12:30 PM 2.08 H

6:24 PM -0.2 L

13M 1:16 AM 2.18 H

22W 3:24 AM -0.45 L

9:56 AM 2.73 H

3:45 PM -0.63 L

10:25 PM 2.84 H

23TH 4:11 AM -0.36 L

10:38 AM 2.67 H

4:30 PM -0.6 L

11:10 PM 2.77 H

East Lake Toho - Bass fishing on East Lake has been good using artificial baits early morning. The best place to fish will be at the edges of the cattails. Then move to open water as the morning progresses. Most anglers are flipping open water pepper grass matts with good success. Fish the deeper edges of the grasswatermelon seed, Junebug, and red colors work best.

3F 6:02 AM 1.91 H

11:49 AM 0.37 L

6:05 PM 1.85 H

4SA 12:06 AM 0.01 L

6:46 AM 2.02 H

12:33 PM 0.25 L

Bluegill - I have been trying a new tactic this summer. A good way to beat the heat.I have been fishing at nighttime in the canals using a fly rod, throwing popping bugs up against the bank. On a good moon phase, the bluegill will crush the

6:53 AM 0.26 L

1:15 PM 2.01 H

7:17 PM -0.15 L

14TU 2:12 AM 2.1 H

7:51 AM 0.36 L

2:10 PM 1.96 H

24F 4:57 AM -0.21 L

11:20 AM 2.55 H

6:52 PM 1.97 H

5SU 12:48 AM -0.06 L

7:25 AM 2.12 H

1:12 PM 0.13 L

7:34 PM 2.08 H

6M 1:26 AM -0.11 L

8:01 AM 2.21 H

1:48 PM 0.01 L

8:13 PM 2.18 H

7TU 2:02 AM -0.13 L

8:35 AM 2.27 H

2:22 PM -0.08 L

8:52 PM 2.26 H

8W 2:37 AM -0.13 L

9:10 AM 2.29 H

2:54 PM -0.16 L

8:21 PM -0.1 L

15W 3:18 AM 2.05 H

9:00 AM 0.42 L

3:19 PM 1.94 H

9:33 PM -0.09 L

16TH 4:30 AM 2.07 H

10:14 AM 0.38 L

4:37 PM 2 H

10:46 PM -0.14 L

17F 5:40 AM 2.18 H

11:24 AM 0.23 L

5:52 PM 2.15 H

11:52 PM -0.25 L

18SA 6:42 AM 2.34 H

12:25 PM 0.02 L

6:58 PM 2.36 H

5:15 PM -0.48 L

11:55 PM 2.62 H

25SA 5:43 AM -0.03 L

12:03 PM 2.39 H

Panfish - Fish open water shell beds with red wigglers. If you are looking to fill the cooler for dinner, the open water shell beds are hard to beat.

6:01 PM -0.31 L

26SU 12:41 AM 2.43 H

6:30 AM 0.17 L

9:30 PM 2.31 H

9TH 3:11 AM -0.1 L

9:43 AM 2.27 H

3:27 PM -0.21 L

10:08 PM 2.33 H

10F 3:46 AM -0.04 L

10:17 AM 2.22 H

4:01 PM -0.24 L

10:47 PM 2.31 H

Fishing Lake Okeechobee in August can be challenging but fun! Challenging due to hot temperatures, possible afternoon thunderstorms and lower water levels. Now is a good time to brush up on your deeper water angling skills whether its fishingin the Kissimmee River or the Canal system. Bass like the deeper, cooler water temperaturestie on those deep diving crank baits. Along with crank baits, a CarolinaRig (c-rig) or a texas-rigged big worm will produce some quality bass.

19SU 12:51 AM -0.36 L

7:37 AM 2.51 H

1:20 PM -0.21 L

7:56 PM 2.57 H

20M 1:46 AM -0.45 L

8:26 AM 2.65 H

2:11 PM -0.42 L

8:49 PM 2.74 H

21TU 2:36 AM -0.48 L

9:12 AM 2.72 H

2:59 PM -0.57 L

9:38 PM 2.83 H

In the early morning hours have a hard top water lure tied on like a bang-a-lure or devils horse and aim at the edges working the lure out about 20-25 ft as you go along the rock-bottom in the River and Canals. If you’re fishing the lake, some areas of the lake are showing signs of algae which is normal this time of year.

What’s biting now?I’ve been taking bream trips; fingerling catfish and

8:43 PM 0.24 L

29W 3:18 AM 1.9 H

9:20 AM 0.63 L

3:23 PM 1.8 H

9:47 PM 0.33 L

30TH 4:22 AM 1.85 H

10:25 AM 0.64 L

4:31 PM 1.77 H

10:49 PM 0.35 L

31F 5:25 AM 1.88 H

11:24 AM 0.58 L

5:36 PM 1.83 H bass trips which are typical for this time of year. The month of September is when to start thinking of booking your bass fishing trip, as the females start to feed up while they make their way into the shallows for the early spawn time. It’s also the time to book your fall crappie trip too. Good fishing areas: parts of the shoal; Dupree Bar; Dyess ditch and Horse Island and Indian Prairie. Tin house has been solid throughout the season for crappie, bass and bream, work your way up towards 3rd and 2nd point where you’ll find some bass feeding on the bedding bream. A few areas on Kings Bar have been good and the water looks perfect.

11:45 PM 0.31 L

To book you’re next fun-filled, productive and educational fishing trip call me at 863-228-7263 or log onto my website to check out the customers and their catches; hotel recommendations; guide rates and etc. Capt Angie’s sponsors are: Caymas boats and Toho Marine; Lews; G-Loomis; BnM Poles; MidSouth Tackle; Maui Jim; Gill; Bullet Weights; Road Runner; Real Magic; Tru Turn hooks; Mega Strike; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands and BUFF USA.

August can be considered a tough time to fish in East Central Florida for several reasons, but that does not mean you can’t find plenty of opportunities to bend the rod and do battle with some awesome fish. The most notable factor that effects our lagoon fishing is the sweltering summer heat and how it plays into the day for most of our desired gamefish targets. There is only one way to beat the heat and stay catching regardless of how hot it gets. Fishing in the cooler times of the day is a sure way to keep yourself a bit more comfortable and achieve your goal of some solid catches. Hitting the water very early or late in the afternoon and even exploring your local night fishing is a spectacular work around keeping you off the water in those times of high sun and maximum heat.

Spring comes quickly to our East Central Florida waters and March is a month of transition. Less frequent, even nonexistent cold fronts give way to mild temperatures and sunny days. The afternoon thunderstorms of summer are not going to be prevalent for several more months and the water is still a bit on the cool side. That cooler water and lack of rainfall set the stage for our clearest lagoon waters of the year. On dryer spring to summer years that clear water can hold out well into our warmer months. Rain and its associated runoff are a large contributor to the lack of lagoon water clarity. The clearer water allows us an opportunity to do one of my favorite types of fishing and something that was a cornerstone to lagoon anglers for years before our water issues. Sight Fishing!

With little tidal current until you get to the Ponce Inlet area in the north or Sebastian Inlet to the south, we do not have the relief of cooler ocean water flooding the shallows multiple times a day regardless of where the sun is. In those nontidal areas, the water temperatures climb as the sun does and by midday it is uncomfortably hot. Just like ourselves the fish also react to the oppressive heat and look to find some refuge. For us some cold drinks and a little shade with some breeze is exactly what we look for to cool down and relax, maybe a little time in the AC even. Typically, the last thing we look for is a giant meal. Fish do the same and look to find cooler deeper water or some shade to ride out the heat. Much like colder weather the heat also causes fish to become lethargic and many time unwilling to feed or do anything but sulk. If you do find yourself looking to catch in the heat, baits like live shrimp are a good choice as they fit the bill of a lite snack and not a full meal. In the cooler times like early morning, late evening, and even nighttime you can look to utilize more substantial offerings and the topwater plug excels at this. With the summer waters heavy bait presence those topwater plugs will get a look and can even be fished at night with great success. Also, live baits like mullet will get plenty of looks and are a great choice in the dark. Don’t let the dog days of summer get your fishing in a slump! Beat the heat and keep catching.

The act of sight fishing is simply stalking around in clear shallow water waiting to see your target before presenting a bait or lure directly to it. This is more like hunting than if you were to fish in the same area via a repetitive “blind” cast technique. In my mind keeping the lure or bait in the water will lead to more strikes and more caught fish. However, you cannot downplay slowly observing and waiting for that perfect shot on a nice fish and the exhilarating scene of a fish turning to engulf your offering. Of course, those ever so common flats style shallow water skiffs are literally built for this fishing and for obvious reason do the job of stalking fish very well. However, kayaks can achieve the same fishy results with a significantly easier price tag. Some of my best days sight fishing have come off the kayaks and their ability to stalk the shallow so effectively. Even if you do not have the ability to stand on your kayak you can still sight fish. The idea is to go slow enough and pay close enough attention that as soon as the fish is seen a cast is made. This fishing tends to be minimalist and does not require bait, though a couple fresh shrimp might tempt some stubborn fish to chew. Typically, a small selection of lures that imitate bait fish or shrimp will more than cover your needs. Fly fishing is the act of making angling as complicated as possible, but it too is tailor made for this type of fishing. So, hold that cast and keep your eyes peeled, just be prepared for sight fishing to be the only way you want to fish, because it is addicting.

August fishing can be a challenge sometimes, but it’s always a fun time. The cold-water upwelling is still around and causing issues for bottom fishing and finding bait. By cold water, I’m talking about the yearly thermocline. Just because you can’t get a bottom bite going doesn’t mean the bottom fish don’t come up in the water column a little. Get on the wrecks and chum. You will find the cold pushes the fish up. They try to get to the warm water level. It’s not uncommon at all to see amberjack, snapper, cobia, mangroves, and many other species not far from the surface. Picking out the biggest fish can be fun especially for your charters.

March is the best time all year for a trophy largemouth bass. Spawning is occurring with many species and fishing in the Kissimmee Chain is on!

Bass: The bass are spawning just like they should. As the water temps warm, the bass are spawning out in deeper water up to 5 feet deep. Look for sandy spawning areas – look for sand holes in the grass along the banks. Put the trolling motor down and start hunting for beds – water levels are down enough to find them. The key is to go right back to where you were catching bass in early February and just move out until you see the beds. Polarized glasses are a must. Open water hydrilla patches are holding good numbers of bass that have already

Kingfish should continue to do

Bass and Crappie fishing in February was amazing and the fun continues in March. The excitement continues with bream moving into the shallows starting their spawn lasting for months. If you couldn’t make the trip to the big O this winter don’t worry you can still catch the specks and bream in March and April. The MLF tournament held on Okeechobee early February set records which shows you how good the bass fishing is here too.

If you’re fishing for Crappie (specks) and you prefer live minnows try slow trolling the Kissimmee River along the rock edges or Indian Prairie or Harney Pond canal, popular places to fish especially on weather windy days. If you’re wanting to crappie fish the lake: Eagle Bay and Grassy; Kings bar and backside of Kings bar; Buckhead ridge and parts of Tin house and Indian Prairie; Dyess ditch (big grass clumps) south-side of Dupree bar; some spotty areas in the well, many fish in the 40/50lb class have been caught recently. Captain Joe of the FireFight had a 48-pound kingfish last week. Stud of a king. Nice work Joey spawned. Bait of choice is large live wild shiners for big bass. Artificial baits of choice will be Rattle Traps chrome and black back, plastic baits in Okeechobee candy color has been hot! are there and rolling every day.

Bonita and king are an excellent

Panfish: Crappie are still inside spawning in shallow then making their way out to open water. Fish the pads and reeds that are clean with no hydrilla, minnow on a gold hook works best in about 3 feet of water. At the end of March start looking for shell cracker beds in 2 feet of water. Sandy areas are where they congregate. The bluegill will also start spawning on the full moons when the water temps are warming. Another good place to look will be the canals where there is running water. Walk along the banks and look down to find beds on the edges. Check back every couple days, sometimes the bedding fish might be there only for a few days then disappear. A good pair of polarized sunglasses - are as important as the fishing rods you use.

Nearshore beach fishing is going to really be picking up. Tarpons are there and rolling every day. You can slow troll them or just drift in the mornings with live bait. We have caught them on everything. Chunk baits, live baits and artificial. There is not much they won’t eat. Beach fishing in 20-30 feet is a blast. You’d be amazed how shallow all these fish come in. Kings, bonito, jack crevalle and many other extreme fighting fish. Look for the schools of bunker. If you find them, you will find the fish. Shark fishing is about as good as it gets right now. If you’re looking for some fun with the kids, anchor up in 20 feet off the beach and hold on. Bonita and king are an excellent where idabassfishing.com to find up-to-date -

Monkey box. For bass fishing, the areas mentioned above you’ll find bass and on the east side around Hendry Creek and some areas as you head towards J & S. Lures for bass: popping frogs; swim baits/swim jigs; senkos/worms; rattle traps; some spinner baits and top-water and the flipping/pitching technique with creature-style lures or jigs. Colors to use: June bug; Red bug; white; shad, bream and crawdad patterns and black/blue.

If you’re driving from the West, located just before the Harney Pond canal is Big Water Bait & Tackle store, where you can buy live shiners, minnows, rod/reels, tackle and snacksJack or Cathy will be happy to help. To book you’re fun-filled day on the water fishing Lake Okeechobee call 863-228-7263 or visit www.southfloridabassfishing.com to find up-to-date information on fishing reports, pictures of customers and their catches; hotel recommendations; trip cost; etc. Capt. Angie’s Sponsors: Mercury Marine; Toho Marine (St. Cloud, Florida); BnM poles; Mid-South Tackle; Gene Larew; Pradco Brands; Lews; G-Loomis; Bullet Weights; Real Magic; Maui Jim; Gill; Rapala; Navionics and Big Bite Baits.

Let’s grow with Florida together.