EDGEWATER BACKCOUNTRY FORECAST

Rising water temperatures during March signals the northward migration of all sorts of both inshore and offshore fish along the Atlantic coast. Bait fish such as mullet, sardines, pilchards, glass minnows, game fish being jack crevalle, ladyfish, bluefish, black drum, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, and pompano are among the inshore species that swim back north in spring. Schools of jacks, blues, and ladies come through the ICW during early spring making for fast action with these hard fighting, catch and release game fish. Early morning can see surface striking activity along the intracoastal or old channel in Edgewater, fish attacking spring run shrimp or glass minnows, cast a shrimp, baitfish, artificial imitation, or fly in the busting fish for a fast hook up, mackerel or trout can also be caught in this surface activity. Look for diving birds or surface strikes, not always visible on top, they can be stacked up down deep on channel edges, shoreline drop-offs, points and creek mouths with good current flow. We will hope for a good spring shrimp run this year, every fish big and small swimming in our inshore waters eats shrimp, so you can’t go wrong using them for bait. Select size hooked through the trimmed tail for a long cast to sight fished reds and trout in skinny water, regular size shrimp free lined or with a small split shot on the drop offs and in holes for mixed bag action, throw them at surface feeding fish in the channel, on the bottom in black drum spots, and at the Ponce Inlet jetties, small live or peeled frozen for sheepshead on dock and bridge pilings, great for surf fishing with peeled shrimp. Night time dock light fishing will improve this month with rising water temps and shrimp on the move riding the outgoing tide. Lighted docks on both sides of Ponce Inlet, into the ICW at New Smyrna, around the bridges, south into Edgewater and oak Hill can be very fishy, a flowing tide is a must, with outgoing always a good choice. Closer to the inlet may hold more bluefish and jacks, as you go south seatrout the main target species, go to bait a simple free lined live shrimp or try small size artificials. Fly fishing can be great at the dock lights with a shrimp imitation. Redfish, seatrout, and sheepshead patterns can stay in winter patterns during March as the water is still cool. Lagoon redfish stay schooled with chilly water and become more scattered after water warms a little, stay shallow, fish the flats, oyster and shell bars, and sloughs, fish select size tail hooked live shrimp, live finger mullet, mud minnows, and scented soft plastics. Quality trout in the same places and tactics as for reds, with schools of smaller trout usually in deeper water, try drop offs, holes, and channel edges, light colored swimming tail jigs good lure choice here.