Early Spring Salt Run
We are hooked, both literally and figuratively, on Florida fishing during our Midwest spring break. What was first just something I’d always wanted to try, turned into a tradition for a father and son. Each year in March as we try to hang on and make it to warmer temps and chase gobblers we get a reprieve and rejuvenation by hitting the salt water on the Florida coast.
Fishing the surf is fun and fairly simple. If you’re like me, it keeps you entertained while the family enjoys the beach.
Having a guide take you out into the bays to get the full inshore fishing experience is another way to enjoy a Spring Break getaway.
While I’ve had the chance now to fish multiple locations along the Gulf Coast, Southern Florida hits a little differently. This is mainly due to the snook. First and foremost, it’s just a fun fish. They have decent size, fight hard, and, knock on wood, have been plentiful over the last five years. They live in calm bays and coastal areas that are generally easy to get to. The hidden beauty is that the limit is low and has a very tight slot to hit if you want to keep one.
Why is this a good thing? It forces you to focus on the adventure aspect. In fact, I’ve never caught a keeper. No worries of filling a limit, just cast and catch. It’s just as enjoyable to sit my rod down and watch my son struggle reeling one in, rather than rushing to get my bait in the water to get one on the stringer. It forces me to calmly take the time for a good picture instead of worrying about putting another on in the live well. Plus, they get to go back in the water to procreate and give us a chance again next year.
Fishing some underwater structure near civilization was our first stop on the charter.
Trusting the guide, he put my son on the first fish of the day. Snook are hard fighters and a blast to reel in.
This year the boat launch was minutes from our rental and Captain Devin greeted us with a smile. My son and I enjoyed the ride to the first spot where we attempted to fish some underwater manmade structure left behind after one of the hurricanes that are inevitable in the Sunshine State. We found limited success but did get on the board to kick off the afternoon.
Moving to some small mangrove islands the excitement really ramped up. Snook were everywhere and catching as much as my son cared to reel in was not a problem. The tackle is fairly light so a 10-year-old boy doesn’t have much of a problem casting by himself. Occasionally Captain Devin would put a new baitfish on for him and make an expert cast pretty much guaranteeing a fish when it had been a few minutes since the last bite. Handing the pole back to my son the strikes would seem inevitable. It was more than enough to keep his attention and the smiles coming.
This father and son double is one of the reasons I’ve come to love heading South in the Spring.
We did not go home fishless though. I caught what I’m certain is my biggest speckled trout to date which went into the cooler for supper that night. Back in a small inlet on one of the islands I watched as a shadow exploded from underneath the overhanging mangrove limbs. Before I could react my line was tight and a massive redfish threw himself into the mix. Only wanting to keep enough for a fish fry that night, we caught a few more snook and wrapped up our day.
This was our only red of the day but it was a dandy.
The other aspect of this trip was the surf fishing. Staying within 100 yards of the beach I had packed a couple of poles to keep us occupied while the ladies relaxed in the sun. The last couple years fishing from the beach has been almost as enjoyable as our charters. The rigs are fairly simple and fresh or frozen shrimp are the choice bait. This particular stretch of beach along Anna Maria Island gave us our biggest variety of fish to date.
We caught a number of sharks, a pompano or two, a stingray, and to my delight some saltwater whiting. The whiting caught me a little by surprise and I wasn’t sure what it actually was after throwing the first one back. The next day at the bait shop I showed the gentleman behind the counter aa picture and he told me what it was and that it was good to eat. Checking the regs there was no limit or size associated with them so we headed out the subsequent days in hopes of catching several more.
Sharks were prevalent on the beach and as you can see by struggle, they are a blast to catch. So much so that people couldn’t help but stop and root my son on!
Over the course of the week the beach bit was consistent and more than enough to keep me and my son entertained. The bite was a little better early in the morning or at dusk but even when the sun was high we brought in numerous fish. The highlight was a 3-foot-long shark that brought an audience for my son. He struggled with the fish and the onlookers were rooting him on. I didn’t end up keeping any of the whiting, but I can assure you that next year, if we get into them again, some fish tacos will be on the menu.
What’s a day on the water without a fish fry to round out the night?
