The inshore is heating up! Seatrout are on the move! So far seatrout numbers have not been impressive but fish are on the move. Ladyfish are showing in strong numbers. Black drum are in the sounds as well keeper size and large red drum! The redfish bite when things come together can be impressive. We’ve seen reds chasing down bait and jigs! When you see something like this these fish are hungry and ready to eat. A bite can heat up and cool off quickly depending on fronts. The key is recognizing when the bite is on and enjoying it. If you’re on a hot bite keep only what to eat and release the rest.
Bonnet head sharks have moved into the sounds as well as the back waters. Bonnet heads can suppress a seatrout bite. Bonnet heads can be sizable. When they are dominating an area you’ll likely wont have a good seatrout/redfish bite. Bonnet heads numbers look thick. One south Georgia fishing guide said bonnet heads fight about as hard as any fish out there. This probably true. The tell tale between a shark and redfish is the shark run to deeper water. Redfish will run towards structure. Bonnet head shark can also turn on a dime and seem to be tireless. When keeping a bonnet head my suggestion is keep one that is not massive in size and preferably a male. Bonnet heads appear to be plentiful.
The cobia bite has been hit and miss. A few good catches with lots of boats fishing. Like all fish is about the bait. When bait is thick these fish will appear. With a longer colder winter than typical nature has taken longer to get going. The thought is cobia bite will likely be later with a short intense bite. Once conditions warm cobia will disperse and sharks will be prevalent. This Spring we seen more large breeding red drum in the sounds perhaps due to cooler water temperature. Water temperature is rising quickly as conditions become more summer like on the coast.
With warmer conditions flounders will be pushing in. On one recent trip we caught a few pitching soft plastics and missed few other. Signs of summer!
Hope this of interest and help! Give what you want to eat and release the rest!
Fish On!
Capt. Jack McGowan
www.coastalrivercharters.com