Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Florida Sportsman

DIGITAL WEB EXCLUSIVE 10 TIPS FOR PUBLIC LAND TURKEY BY GEORGE LABONTE If you are among the lucky ones with a quota permit in hand, here are a few tips to increase your odds. YOUTUBE HOW TO CERAKOTE HARDWARE The crew at TRB explain how to prep and paint hardware for a Cerakote finish to avoid common mistakes. PODCAST CHANGING OF THE SEASONS This month Captain Rick and the Action Spotter crew discuss what changes spring will bring to your area. BECOME A SOCIAL STAR Send post-worthy pics: @floridasportsmanmagazine or #floridasportsmanmagazine GET YOUR MUG IN THE MAG Email your best catches or scenic shots to photos@floridasportsman.com…

With 673 square miles, Ocala National Forest is the largest scrub pine forest in the world. The southern boundary of this vast wilderness is barely 50 miles from Orlando. There is excellent fishing and hunting here, and room to find relative solitude. On a recent trip, I camped at one of the 14 RV/tent campgrounds, Alexander Springs. Not 15 minutes from my tent site was Beakman Lake, a 199-acre spring-fed lake with a boat ramp. There are many small lakes like this in the Ocala Forest, one of the big draws for visitors. Night times at parks like Alexander Springs are why I camp. The solitude, the owls, the rapidly cooling air. I sat close to the campfire, reading Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy, while sipping icy Big Boca beer…

Come April, you’re just as likely to catch a tarpon as you are a grouper. The Skyway Bridge can be productive for both species. Captain Tyler Kapela set the spot lock on the trolling motor as Al Cowan and I cast freelined threadfin herrings towards the bridge pilings. Here, beneath a span of Tampa Bay’s iconic Sunshine Skyway, it was 27 feet deep. That’s not very deep, but I still would have thought a sinker would have been necessary to target gag grouper. But Kapela confidently said the grouper will find your bait. We were targeting gags in December of 2022, before the January through March season closure for this species. Gags are among the many gamefish that call Tampa Bay home. Redfish, seatrout, snook, tarpon, mangrove snapper and many…

March is an exciting month for South Florida fishermen. The coming weeks mark the beginning of South Florida’s spring migration of baitfish and predators. These are the same baitfish and predators that passed by us in the early fall, but now they are much bigger. If I had to find a negative to the fishing this month, it would be the wind, which can be strong and create some large offshore seas and choppy inshore waters. But this is what makes South Florida special. We have so many fishing opportunities that there is hardly a day that you can’t find something to catch. Migrating baitfish schools that passed by South Florida in the fall have enjoyed overwintering in the warm waters of the Florida Straits, Florida Bay, and the Gulf…

Visitors flock to Southwest Florida this time of year for the great weather and also to catch some fish! Fortunately, we have a lot of options as the water temperatures begin to rise. It’s not to say that the weather will always be spot on but it’s going to start trending toward fantastic as we move closer to April. As fishermen, it is a great time to be on the water. I’ve had a lot of you reach out and ask how things have been since Hurricane Ian impacted a portion of the region with 15 feet of tidal surge. Well, the rebuilding of some of the hardest-hit coastal areas caused by Ian is ongoing. The progress is very gratifying as places reopen, and individuals get back to their places,…

As cold fronts gradually give way to warmer days, Mosquito Lagoon shrimp begin their nightly migrations out to sea. The arrival of southerly winds coupled with the first big tides in March—those around the new and full moons—trigger brown and white shrimp to ride the tide from the Mosquito Lagoon to Ponce Inlet. The 12-mile section of the Intracoastal Waterway between Oak Hill and Edgewater attracts shrimpers from hours away who drop lights to dipnet shrimp in this natural funnel. In theory, shrimping is pretty simple: Throw out lights, shrimp swim by, net the shrimp. But in reality, regularly coming home with a coveted “full pull”—one’s 5-gallon boat limit of the sweetest wild-caught brown and white shrimp—is an underestimated skill packed full of nuanced tricks and local knowledge. Shrimp aren’t…

‘‘ When trolling for macks, I prefer to use a single, silver or gold Clarkspoon behind a 10-foot fluorocarbon leader, swivel, and weight. March marks our first signs of spring, which is the best transition of the year and not just because we are at the tail end of the cold weather. Warming water temperatures are sure to increase our fishing action across the Panhandle. Pompano, Spanish and king mackerel, and cobia are just a few of my favorite fish that start to show up this month. As the saying goes, “After the third day of fog in a row, the Spanish mackerel will show.” There are many different ways to target Spanish but before they spread throughout the entire bay they tend to school up in smaller areas, which…

Let me reflect on two of my recently departed crew members. You were a faithful companion, Ten-Foot Quarter-Inch. Your fine mesh helped resettle untold thousands of sardines from backwater haunts to ocean depths. Yes, on rare occasions you gilled anchovies. And there was that day when you brought eight hardhead catfish to the boat, a giant, snot-covered porcupine. One time it was an entire school of sheepshead. At least we ate those. But mostly you fulfilled your duties to the letter. You asked for little in return, other than your semi-annual soak in fabric softener. Six-Foot Half-Inch, you were the nemesis of mullet everywhere. You were small but you were fast. You led those schools like a champion’s Krieghoff on the clays range. They couldn’t hide, they couldn’t run. Fingers,…

‘‘ Whenever I’m backcountry fishing for snook and reds, I never bother much with finfish for bait. I leave the dock with a bag full of plastic lures and 100 live shrimp. What in the world can I say about March in the 10,000 Islands? Honestly, this is a tough month to really focus on one stream of thought, but I will do my best to narrow down your efforts. You don’t know until you go is especially true during the spring season, so clear your schedule and go fishing! The great thing about March is that it’s usually bright and sunny with comfortable temperatures, but it can be extremely windy. You must learn to use the wind to your advantage because it is a fight that you cannot win.…

Anglers in the West Central region have had their work cut out for them the past several years with all the changes that have taken place. Longer summers and shorter winter, spring, and fall seasons have brought about changes for migrations of fish as well as changes in their preferred habitat. Bouts with red tide continue, moving or killing fish and destroying portions of our habitat that is under constant pressure from more and more anglers each day. Our population boom and building seem to be outpacing infrastructure improvements, adding to the issues at hand. With all that said, there has never been a greater need for conservation and the wise use of our resources than now. This is not to say that we don’t have a fishery worth using,…

‘‘ Ringtails will eat every fiddler you drop, but if you can show some patience, big sheepshead will eventually run them off and take over. I’ll bet you a dollar the old saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” was coined by a fisherman in the month of March. If you are a blue water addict like me, and you love the smell of Popeye’s fried chicken, then imagine the restaurant cooking it fresh all day, with the smell constantly flooding your nostrils. The problem is, they are only going to open one hour a day, and they will only give you a ten-minute warning as to when that hour will be. The wind blows hard in March, and then every few days it blows harder. The problem for…

This is prime time for big yellowfin. Just about the only places where this bite is cold right now are Bermuda and the general region of the U.S. Virgin Islands, but don’t feel bad for them—come August their tuna bite more than makes up for the quiet times now. Everywhere else? Be prepared for the ahi invasion. In Caribbean Mexico and the Cayman Islands, tradition says the best yellowfin action starts in April, but recent experience says the hot bite has been creeping further into March. Think outriggers and downriggers, with fishing grounds that are close to port, due east if you are fishing out of the Cancun area, and due south if you are hitting up the Caymans. Many charter services in both countries are total packages, including fishing,…

Tampa Bay didn’t flatline in July 2021, but after 600 tons of dead fish were trucked off the beaches of St. Petersburg, I expect some anglers may have been looking for life-saving paddles. Following 200 million gallons of toxic water—literally liquid fertilizer—being pumped into lower Tampa Bay from the long-abandoned Piney Point phosphate gypsum stacks in March 2021, the bay crashed and fish, by the thousands, died. Manatees perished, too. Now, going on two years since the disaster, what’s the current situation in the bay? What are our chances of seeing schools of redfish, seatrout and snook off Tarpon Key this spring? After fishing with Capt. Tyler Kapela, of Tierra Verde, in lower Tampa Bay in December and speaking with captains Dustin Pack and Ray Markham, I’d say that having…

Late season cold front? Sudden drops in water temperature can make fish lethargic. Warming up is often their first concern with feeding taking a backseat. Summertime tactics of big plugs and large baitfish imitations might not be your best option. Instead, downsize your offerings, lighten your tackle and slow your presentations. Some very productive finesse techniques worth trying this time of year started in the freshwater bass scene, predominately out of the Midwest. Anglers realized that with some minor tweaks, these rigs and tactics crossover well into the salt. This subtle movement can be all a fish needs to commit to eating. That can be the key. The Ned rig has gained a lot of popularity in recent years due to its effectiveness on finicky fish. This presentation is a…

The long-awaited opening weekend of spring turkey season in South Florida hadn’t unfolded to plan. The gobblers scouted the morning before had switched stone silent, and an advancing cold front promised to wash away the afternoon hours of Saturday and most of Sunday. I invested the next couple of hours runnin’-n-gunnin’ and glassing open pastures to no effect. With a sore butt and bruised confidence, I drove to one last location where we’d heard birds. The winds had increased, and the clouds were spitting rain, so I grabbed a folding camp chair and a one-man hub blind from the back of my truck. Unfolding them both near a spindly oak tree along a depression pond 100 yards off the road, I gave the woods a rest before hitting the box…

This is it! The beginning of the spring fishing season has arrived. Many of the most sought-after species are migrating through the Keys archipelago, making this our busiest fishing time of the year. Nothing quite exemplifies spring in the Florida Keys like the tarpon schools that flood many of the channels and basins throughout the region. Tarpon are probably the most desirable species as well as the most well-known to visiting anglers. The strength and stamina of a mature tarpon is second to none, paired with their abundance and not having to head offshore or fish in rough water makes them a fisherman’s dream! Tarpon are aggressive feeders, but presentation plays a big role. They won’t eat just anything. By making your baits look as natural as possible, the better…

‘‘ Depending on the late-season fronts, crappie fishing will begin to slow as the water trends warmer. There’s a mixed bag to be had in Southeast Florida come March. Opportunities with typical wintertime species such as pompano and Spanish mackerel are still abundant. But on a warm day, you may find some fish getting into their spring rituals, such as early season tarpon or jack crevalle pushing down the beach. If sight fishing big snook gets you excited, then take advantage of the warming trend as these big breeders come out of their winter hideouts. Once that water hits 70 degrees, especially on a sunny day, snook will work their way up onto the shallower flats and shorelines looking to get their grub on. Areas such as Munyon Island along…

‘‘ These smaller mackerel have a modest bite, and 40-pound fluorocarbon leader will usually suffice. This month marks Spring Break for college students, and some of them defy the norm and head for the coast to fish. The Big Bend offers no typical beaches to speak of. In fact, sand is scarce unless you count the islands off Cedar Key or a few islands from Cedar Key to Shired Island Park. The latter will host campers near their vehicles, while the more adventurous take to canoes and kayaks for more remote spots. With decent weather, they should be able to find inshore redfish and trout spreading out across the grassflats; the grass now rapidly sprouting with longer daylight hours. This is the Nature Coast, and camping fishermen are advised to…

‘‘ Spanish mackerel do not care to strike a lure that’s retrieved slowly, such as you would present for trout or redfish. Anglers fishing Northwest Florida in March need to keep a thermometer handy. The water temperature pretty much determines what to fish for and where you might find them. Temperature can always influence the action you experience but it’s especially important in March when conditions are changing dramatically. In saltwater, the warming water draws schools of bait closer inshore. Gangs of predators shadow these forage species—Spanish mackerel and kingfish are some of the first to show up in the northern Gulf. These toothy critters are followed up by pompano and then we’ll find some cobia. The magic temperature for most of these species is in the mid to high…