Wow, it’s almost summer! The flounder bite is on! This week a couple of good catches and one phenomenal catch! A catch of dozen keeper and better sized flounder is a good catch. A catch of a couple of dozen fish with several over five pounds is a particularly good catch. It can and does happen but flounder fishing like any fishing is subject to vagaries of nature. Seatrout action this week likewise has been good. Seatrout are mostly mixed in sized with about half of what’s being caught are under sized. Nonetheless, fishermen are able to put together consistent good catches of seatrout. Just because the fish bit well in one location one day does not mean fishermen can find the same kind of on action on following days at the same location. There can be many reasons why the bite changed. In short fish have tails and fishermen sometimes will have keep looking till you find fish. As the shark bite intensifies, the whiting bite is slowing. Schools of altantic sharp nose sharks can be found along sand bars near barrier islands. Capt. Judy reports the size limit is 30 inches from the fork so if you keep one of these frisky rascals make it’s legal and be extremely careful in handling this fish or any toothy fish.
Lots of small menhaden in the mouth of the South Channel. Small menhaden in Warsaw sound as well just not as thick. Small menhaden can be a great bait for shark, seatrout, redfish and flounder. Often one throw of cast net will land all the bait you could want! Mullet while not in super large schools are abundant enough that one well placed cast could land a dozen or more great baits. One fisherman throwing a cast net reported catching several quarts of brown shrimp in an half hour. Then on a following day the report was the shrimp had vanished. This fisherman statement was check up into the creeks for brown shrimp. The down side with throwing a cast net deep in a head of creek is typically the mud is soft and gooey. Adams Bait Shop has consistently been able to find shrimp. That being said the time between brown and white shrimp, shrimp can be scarce. Shrimp can also be impacted by lunar stages. A full moon can literally pull shrimp into the sounds. Shrimp in bait shops are available but could become scarce as supply diminishes and demand increases.
Tides of late has been higher than normal likely due to rain water that’s still dissipating into the ocean and southeast, east wind that tend to hold water in the sounds. Despite higher water than predicted fishing has been good! Cloudy skies generally favor fishing. Cloudy days offer fisherman cooler conditions and pleasant breezes. The down size is being catch in a rain shower. On the other little or no thunder and lighting have accompanied these storms. Likely good fishing just before a front. As the front hits even if fish would bite its not possible to fish. Then as a front passes the bite returns. Where water has muddied fishing could be off. Fishing is generally best in areas with clean water and suitable current. Simply put not too strong, not too weak.
Hope this of help! Remember release the fish you don’t intend to eat! Tides look sweet all week!
Fish On! Capt. Jack McGowan