- Snook action is picking up
- Drum are biting in northern lagoons
Spring is in the air. If anyone’s in doubt, take a look at the pollen on your car.
The sun is still in the southern sky, but will begin moving soon, and the fish can tell. Bass, snapper, tripletail and bluefish are in tune and know that it will be time to spawn any day now. Soon the blacktip and spinner sharks will begin migrating northward.
Snook are moving towards their spring time haunts where the pick off juvenile blue crabs, small spring bait coming out of the estuaries and rivers.
Tripletail are on markers, crab floats and around bridge pilings where they like to float in the tide on their sides like a big leaf and pick off shrimp as they float by. Toss a freelined live shrimp their way and then hold on. They’ll try to break you off on anything nearby.
Topwater frogs and lipless crank baits are good ways to catch bass on the beds.
Florida fishing regulations and fishing season opening and closing dates:
- Snook: Harvest opens Feb. 1 along Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Bag limit: 1 per angler per day. Size limit: No shorter than 28 inches and no longer than 32 inches. License: Saltwater fishing license and $10 snook stamp required unless exempt. See MyFWC.com for exemptions and regulations.
- Spotted seatrout: Harvest re-opened Jan. 1. Central East region regulations — Bag limit: 2 per harvester. Slot limit: More than 15 inches and less than 19 inches total length. May possess one over 19 inches per vessel. Harvest closed Nov. 1-Dec. 31.
- Grouper: Atlantic harvest closed Jan. 1. Includes gag grouper, red grouper, black grouper, scamp, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth, coney, graysby, red hind and rock hind. Harvest re-opens May 1 in Atlantic waters.