JUST THE TIPS

Heating back up after the cold front cooled the bite

Alate-season cold front tapped the brakes on an early spring last week. Air temps in the low 70s and even 60s briefly cooled inshore waters, and with that, the bite. I happen to have felt it even more on a family trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia last week, where the first two days were in the 50s and one morning we woke to 39 degrees.

My hopes of getting on a charter with some good redfish action were dashed as I was informed by a local captain with Southeastern Angling that the water had dropped from 74 to 59 in two days. That, coupled with some big tides, had really shut the bite off, and I was better off waiting till next time. The professional honesty was refreshing and appreciated. Look them up if you’re ever in that area.

Before the front in the Keys, we were in the midst of some inshore action heating up. The tarpon thing is starting to get going around the bridges, both large and small. As long as the water temp is 75 or higher and there is some current moving, you’re in the game. Live mullet is the bait of choice on a larger circle hook, but a half laying on the bottom sometimes does the trick too. There have been large schools of mullet up and down the beaches that provide a National Geographic-type spectacle. Match the hatch (mullet) and you should sooner or later be hooked up to a tarpon, jack, barracuda or shark. Good times.

Various creeks, docks, cuts and canals have started getting lively too. Working these areas with live shrimp, pilchards or even a swim bait or top water lure with some dedication should yield snapper, jacks, redfish and even snook. Some areas are better than others on any given day, so cover some water till you find a honey hole.

CAPT. NICK BORRACCINO

is the owner and operator of Noreaster Sport Fishing in Marathon. A Massachusetts native, Nick fished for bluefin tuna and striped bass before moving to the Keys in 2005.

With that being said, please realize that it is quite frowned upon, if not altogether prohibited, to fish under cleaning stations at marinas. This should go without saying, but it’s worth mentioning to newcomers. These places (like Robbie’s in Islamorada and A&B Marina in Key West, for example) have resident tarpon and other fishes that live under the dock and feed daily on the scraps from the charter captains’ filet tables. They are basically dock pets that are a huge attraction to people on the dock, kids and locals.

Trying to catch them usually results in them leaving and is just plain unethical. There are hundreds of other locations to fish, so please respect the resources and attractions that make this place special. Again, any restaurant, marina or cleaning station falls in this category.

Out on the reef, clear water has made things difficult. On the days the water is a little powdery, preferably with a steady westbound current, the yellowtail fishing has been very good. Fish from 12 to 20 inches are coming in steady in 40 to 80 feet. Keep the chum flowing and use small baits. Again, this will change daily with the conditions. If it’s clear, maybe try something else.

“Like what?” you say. Thought you’d never ask.

I’ve had multiple reports of some stud mangrove and mutton snapper coming off the shallow patch reefs and even in Hawk Channel. Bounce around on the anchor until you find some action. Anchor and chum and sit a live bait or half of a fresh ballyhoo on the bottom in the back of the slick. Ignore the nibbles and wait for the thump! There are still some cero mackerel in those areas that are going to want a live pilchard or ballyhoo on a light wire.

If that doesn’t pan out, you can also try trolling. Diving Nomads at 6 to 9 knots and wire-rigged ballyhoo with a skirt or chugger in front have been catching wahoo and the occasional tuna and rogue mahi. Focus from 150 to 500 feet of water. Permit are showing up in larger numbers on the deep spawning spots and should start biting better in the next week or two. This is a catch-and-release fish, but a spectacular one. Crabs and shrimp are your only hope.

Good luck, and c’mon back!

Dolphin Research Center Specialist Claims Top Honors For Work In Anthropogenic Noise Study

During the first week of March, Dolphin Research Center (DRC) research specialist Abigail Haddock received the first-place award in Research Advancements at the 2023 International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association (IMATA)/ Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) joint conference. The award recognized Haddock’s work on a research paper about anthropogenic noise published on Jan. 12 in the journal Current Biology.

DRC collaborated with Pernille Sørensen and Stephanie King from the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences in a research study revealing information about how dolphins working collaboratively are less successful in the presence of sound generated by humans.

“We show that human-made noise directly affects the success of animals working together,” said King. “If noise makes groups of wild animals less efficient at performing cooperative actions, such as cooperative foraging, then this could have important negative consequences for individual health, and ultimately population health.”

DRC research specialist (and Keys Weekly contributor)

Abigail Haddock receives a first-place award in research advancements for her presentation at the 2023 International Marine Animal Trainers’ Association conference. CONTRIBUTED

In addition to Haddock’s, DRC also gave several other presentations at the conference. Research coordinator Sarah Brignac presented her paper on trainer interaction improving the wellbeing of isolated animals published in the Journal of Zoological and Biological Gardens. This paper featured Ranger, a dolphin that was rescued from Texas and came to live at DRC last year.

Kelly Jaakkola and Linda Erb, director of research and vice president of animal care and training, respectively, presented in a panel alongside Ken Ramirez titled “Beyond Welfare.”

– Contributed