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Outdoors

Spring breaks

By DAVID A. BROWN
Published March 10, 2007

Waiting for the onset of spring fishing is kind of like looking for someone in a crowd. You catch a quick glance, maybe even make eye contact, but then a wave of bodies blocks your progress just long enough to lose sight of who you were seeking.

February and early March have a history of teasing anglers with just enough warm weather to circulate those overly optimistic and sadly premature musings of an "early start" to the new fishing season.

Fishermen begin sharpening hooks, testing their outboards and respooling their reels in hopes of catching the front end of a warm-season debut. But just when the scene starts looking good, a few late-season cold fronts crash the party.

Mother Nature will do what she pleases, but keep prepping your gear - you'll soon put it to good use.

Despite the ups and downs of Florida's first-quarter weather, anglers can take heart in knowing the cork's about to pop. Even if you're not the champagne type, you can look forward to an intoxicating run of angling action.

"Spring fishing season is just about to (start), and if we get a couple weeks of warm weather it's definitely going to break," said Capt. Steve Bowler of Port Richey. "Water temperature is a big issue. Once the water gets up a few more degrees, the fishing will be good."

Fickle fish

Until spring conditions settle into the area, expect fickle fish. Lacking the security of stable water temperatures, snook will hang close to their winter retreats inside coastal rivers, creeks and canals.

As winter steadily relaxes its grip, the fish will show increasing eagerness to feed - they just won't risk exposure to sudden cold snaps. Venturing too far from deep water risks a chilly death, should a sudden cold snap send shallow temperatures plunging.

"The snook have been all over the flats, but when the weather gets cold, there's a very serious risk of them getting caught out in the open and dying," Bowler said. "So the snook are hanging around places that are safe to run back into."

The mouths of the Anclote, Cotee and Weeki Wachee rivers fit this description, but the quintessential Nature Coast snook refuge must be the Gulf Harbors canals, south of the Cotee.

A network of inner waterways link with the north and south access channels, both of which sport substantial spoil banks from their dredgings. Fertile flats adjacent to the ditches offer feeding and sunbathing opportunities - all within a short sprint back to the safety of deep water.

Redfish are less cold sensitive, but they still like to stay comfortable. The dark bottom of mud flats and oyster bars will warm up during mid-morning sun and then offer cozy digs later in the day.

This common pre-spring redfish pattern depends on good tidal flow. When incoming water reaches a level sufficient for redfish access, look for redfish to push their way into these feeding stations.

Bowler said he's finding plenty of trout in deeper sand holes in 4-6 feet. Tidal cuts near grass beds will also hold trout, and the spoil islands just south of Anclote have been steadily producing quality fish.

Baitfish bounty

In addition to warmer water temperatures, spring fishing gets its kick start from the annual baitfish explosion that's due to occur shortly. Millions of scaled sardines (a.k.a. whitebait) will soon flood the area, and predators will feed aggressively to catch up for recent winter leanness.

In the Port Richey area, Capt. Greg DeVault said the herds of scaled sardines are starting to show up on the grass flats. According to DeVault, local waters are still a little too cold for the bait to amass in those voluminous schools that darken that water each spring.

Once this happens, anglers will frequently enjoy those two-throw mornings in which you sling the castnet twice and pack the live well. Presently, bait netters can expect a lot of chumming and a lengthy netting process in which you'll pick up little clusters that eventually add up to a day's supply.

Until baitfish schools tighten, you'll tempt predators with a variety of soft plastic baits fished on light jig heads or hooks with weighted shanks.

Once warm water temperatures align with a full-strength push of bait schools, feisty king mackerel will add a toothy facet to spring fishing action. Bowler looks for kingfish in 30-35 feet over artificial reefs and along lines of stone crab trap buoys. If you locate a set of recently deployed traps, their fresh bait will create a noticeable chum slick that brings the kings sniffing.

"The trap bait attracts baitfish and the kings come looking for them," Bowler said. "There are days we can get monsters and then there are days when it's just (juvenile) schoolies left and right."

The warm-season lineup will also include bonita, Spanish mackerel, cobia, ladyfish and jack crevalle. The wait may at times seem intolerable, but spring's abundance will reward our patience with astounding angling action.

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 07:39:32]