ROADTRIPFISHING south county Buddy Banana Kibosh

By Keith Lozott Contributing Writer

inshore & Freshwater

Jim with an awesome goliath grouper. Lately these have been a very welcomed by-catch while snook fishing.

Fishing Forecast with

c apt. patrick Smith

www.swamptosea.com • 561-503-0848 ere is your inshore and freshwater forecast for March. It’s the time of the year where we switch from winter and get into spring mode. There will still be some critters from the cold left over like mackerel, sheepshead, and pompano; but the big jacks, snook, and tarpon should be around and feeding in force with anticipation of the spring mullet run. I tend to enjoy the spring mullet fishing better than the fall because there is a lot less bait, so the fish don’t quite get as fat and lazy. The rig stays the same; heavy spinning rod 6 feet of 80-pound mono and an 8/0 circle hook with a live mullet. You can pitch it around docks and seawalls, or simply slow troll it behind the boat. If you’re into artificial, early mornings with the Yo-Zuri Hydro Pencil or top knock can make for some explosive action. There should be some spinner sharks hanging out on the beach, I prefer to look for some dirty water and throw a giant popper with a single j-hook on the back; a live bait or chunk will get picked up immediately if that’s your thing. Remember to watch out for your fingers while unhooking them and keep handling and photo times

Typically, I don’t believe in superstitions, but a er a recent shing trip with my buddy Neil, I may be a believer!!! e morning started slow; I caught a small snapper and small snook. Neil was in skunk mode, so we decided to try a spoil island where I’ve caught some trout, snook, and a gag grouper on a prior trip. To our dismay it was dead as well. Just as we were about to exit stage le , Neil was working a topwater lure back to the boat when what appeared to be a large bull shark came up from the bottom and tried to hammer the lure. Unbelievably it totally missed the lure and disappeared. It was impressive to witness such a big specimen of a sh take a swipe at the lure.

A er the “Shark Week” experience, we continued to struggle so I decided to implement Plan C and move from the east side of the Indian River to the west side. I’ve had some nice shing on the west side with trout, reds, and snook. We made our way across the river stopping at another spoil island only to be greeted with a jack attack. I landed several jacks and Neil hooked one that got o . His skunk was still intact but with jacks around I gured that would change. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

Hto a minimum to try and give the fish a chance of survival. We really must take care of any fish that we are releasing so that they can go on and produce for the future.

We used the trolling motor to quietly make our way towards the mangroves hoping to get a glimpse of a red, snook, trout, ounder, or any inshore species willing to bite. As we approached the shore, we noticed another bull shark working the shore and of course I had to make a cast or two at him, but he had no interest in my o ering. We kept working the shore and nally it happened for Neil!!! He made a long cast and almost as soon as the lure hit the water, he was on with a nice sh, but we couldn’t see what it was. He started gaining ground getting it closer; enjoying the ght and then it happened! e sh came unbuttoned and at this point I was like dude, what did you do in a previous life to deserve this??? We made our way toward a dock that I know holds snook. I made a long cast and right then I was hooked up with a huge sh. It was a big snook; I got her to the boat, revived her, and released her to ght another day. Success! I said, “let’s go to lunch and call it a day”. I asked Neil if he was hungry and then he disclosed to me that he ate a banana for breakfast! Neil knows not to bring bananas on the boat (it’s bad luck), but it didn’t occur to him that the curse would remain in e ect with it digesting in his stomach. Myth con rmed or was it bad luck? He should’ve brought his lucky rabbit foot!!!

Nighttime flyfishing has really produced some great fish lately.

We had a cooler than normal winter, but in mid-March the water will be getting back to normal, and the peacocks will be going into full spawning mode. They make for easy targets while on their bed, but it’s good sportsmanlike to use some judgment and not take fish that are guarding eggs or fry away from the nest. Largemouth and clown knifefish will be in the mix and I really enjoy using unweighted flukes skipped under docks. There has been a resurgence of bullseye snakeheads this year, and they are awesome targets. Top waters, fishing buzz, frogs, and hollow body frogs worked close to the edge of the grass can produce some pretty violent strikes. Good luck out there!

Keith Lozott The Fishing Realtor

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