Panhandle Pull The Fishing Forecast

Capt. p reston muller with

Gulf Angler Charters

• 850-428-0118

What are you fishing for?

I remember my first few years as fisherman in the Gulf and all of the magnificent moments that happened daily during those early stages. Lots of firsts and many mishaps. I would literally go out in the Gulf of Mexico in the spring and summer and have fun catching anything. "The water is so rich" I remember thinking. I recall all of sharks we used to catch on accident and calling my dad and telling him about it. We were big shots then! We could catch EVERYTHING! But I later learned that the true skill set would develop when it came to targeting species and NOT catching everything. Weeding out species and targeting certain fish with specific methods eventually became addicting. Finding the exact lure cadence or hook size and presentation takes time and dialing it in takes practice and even more time and it wasn't until later on when I realized that THAT is what made me a professional fisherman and people were hiring me to learn those tactics and not just "catch fish". This March in the Panhandle id like to challenge the readers to focus on targeting certain species during your fishing trip. It could be chumming for mangrove snapper, jigging for Almaco jacks, trolling for Spanish Mackerel or even Sheepshead fishing at the jetties. Establish a game plan. Focus hard on obtaining your goals and set out to hone your skills. This will make you a better fisherman and will allow you to understand feeding behaviors and have a better understanding overall of the reef below.

March is my second favorite month to fish along the panhandle behind October. The Gulf seems to slowly start to come alive from its winter slumber. We should see spanish mackerel, and large schools of pompano and redfish hitting the beaches. The weather will be the challenging part of catching fish this month, so keep a close eye on the horizon and choose your days carefully. Now, continuing our discussion from last month on pairing down our gear, let’s talk terminal tackle. How many weights do you take with you to the beach, and which sizes? Do you bring extra hooks, swivels, or floats? I bet, just like the lures and rigs, there is terminal tackle that has not seen the sand. Let’s see what we can do about that.

When it comes to weights, I prefer to use sputnik sinkers, in particular, The Sinker Guy sputnik sinkers (www.thesinkerguy.com). Why sputnik sinkers you ask, I’ll give you two reasons. One, in my opinion, they are the most versatile weight you can bring to the beach. I can use a sputnik when there is a calm or heavy current. When using a sputnik in calm conditions there is no need to set the legs, just let them dangle and use the sinker as a normal weight. Depending on the current, I can then lock in one set or both sets of legs for holding power. Additionally, I can set the release pressure of the legs or tune the weight for the specific conditions I am fishing. By utilizing this method, I am able to take a handful of four-ounce sinkers with me and leave everything else at home. I also bring a few two-ounce sputniks for my runt rod setup. I use the term handful but that equates to one spare sinker per rig I’m fishing. So If I’m fishing a four-rod spread I carry eight sinkers with me. The second reason and probably the most important, you want your line to remain tight. This may be a given but the line needs to remain tight in order for the circle hook to work correctly. Circle hooks are used by just about every rig manufacturer out there. We can get into the mechanics of a circle hook in another article, suffice to say you need the opposing pressure for the hook to properly do its job. Now, how to transport your sputnik sinkers. The best method I have found to carry my sinkers, thanks to The Sinker Guy, is by utilizing those six-inch cable locks that you see on keyrings. It keeps them locked together, and you can hang them from the holes on your cart’s cutting table to secure them after each use. These rings also work great for keeping your synthetic baits organized, and that makes me happy. Keeping things organized when you’re on the beach is key. Well, looks like I’m out of space for this month, we’ll need to discuss the rest of the terminal tackle next month.

Remember, our goal in pairing down our gear is twofold, first, we need to eliminate the extra weight we needlessly carry around the beach. Second, we want to be mobile so we can walk the beach to find the fish. Sometimes making the move 50 to 100 yards from our original spot is the difference between catching fish and posting sunset photos, you folks know what I’m talking about. Until next month folks, may your lines be tight and coolers be full!