SPRING FEVER!

by Mark a M bert

With better weather upon us, to say that anglers develop a severe case of “spring fever” is an understatement. With the urge to be on the water every possible moment, I’d say spring fever has taken hold! Include the desire to make up for lost time due to some pretty adverse winter conditions, and I’ve been dedicating all my spare time to the pursuit of fishing. Finally, I’ve been able to string back-to-back good days and explore the local waters just offshore of Jupiter Inlet, my port of call.

For the first time in a while, I was able to get offshore multiple days in a single week. What I found was encouraging. With three distinct weed lines already forming at various depths, the spring transition seems promising. Add-in the fact that some of these lines contained Sargassum mats that can only be described as “the state of Texas” and it’s more than I’ve seen in the past three seasons. Some of these weed lines were still forming therefore not easy to troll, and some were still devoid of bait but for the patient angler, the rewards were there.

Be persistent as the fish are highly mobile this time of year and can be skittish as they move along the coastline. There is a lot of fishing pressure building as spring rolls into summer – especially on the weekends. Some fishing etiquette - do not run right up to another boat to ask, “what’s catching?” while they have fish on the line. Do not cut across their chum slick or troll within feet of a drifting boat. Do not fly kites directly over another boat. Be aware of kites flying and give them their space. In other words -- please be situationally aware. We all want to catch fish and they are constantly on the move. You can give someone their respectful distance and still hook up if the fish are there.

In the past two weeks and while fishing with my good friends Wayne Stallings and Stephen Leo, we have had some incredible days. Boating sailfish, mahi, tuna, ajs, vermillion, and even the elusive Atlantic bonita!

Pro TiP -- Don’t underestimate the food quality of an Atlantic -- this is a white meat variation that makes excellent table fare and fights like the dickens. They are absolutely fantastic on the grill.

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Daylight savings time is in full effect this month so be sure to take advantage of the extra sunlight we have in the late afternoons! We should have delightful springtime weather; winds will be blowing out of the E/ SE the majority of the time. Offshore, when we have an easterly wind blowing for a few days, the pelagics will be pushed closer to shore. Trolling artificial and dead bait between 175-300 feet will produce dolphin, bonito, blackfin tuna, and the occasional wahoo. Bonitos and blackfins show up again in our waters this month. When targeting blackfins, you can troll small feathers and squid pups. TIP: Be sure to set your spread as far away from your boat as possible. Let the line out until you think it’s far enough and then let the line out some more! Blackfins are spooked easily by your boat, don’t run towards the school on plane and slowly troll into the zone. Blackfin are known for feeding in lowlight conditions and love small live bait. Try chumming with cut sardines to bring these fish to your boat.

A lot of cobia should be caught this month as well, primarily in 90-150 feet of water. Cobia are hanging around the wrecks and following the sharks. Throw a chum bag out to bring hungry fish to your boat. Drift back dead sardines on triple hook rigs or cobia jigs. Remember, they need to be 36” minimum (fork length) in order to keep the fish. If you do get tight on a cobia using this method, reel as fast as possible to keep your catch away from the sharks. When fishing the deep-water wrecks, jigging will produce big amberjacks, African pompano, bonito, and mutton snapper. The bottom fish also love to eat live bait such as blue runners and goggle eyes.