Capt. Alex Crawford
December 9, 2002
Carrabelle - Saltwater Fishing Report
FLORIDA PANHANDLE FISHING REPORT
Offshore, the water temperature has reached the low seventies which is good news and bad. Kingfish and other pelagics have moved South with the bait supply and warmer waters. The good news is that the good-eating bottom-dwellers have responded to the colder water by turning on their big appetites.
Black Seabass fishing right now is fantastic and will improve through the winter. High quality squid is the bait of choice for these miniatures of the Grouper family. Only keep what you will consume, as there is no limit on Black Seabass in the Gulf of Mexico.
Both Red and Gag Grouper are extremely active right now. There have been many short throw-back fish recently. Gags must be 22 inches and Red grouper 20 inches to be legal.
The most aggressive species now are Red and Mangrove snappers. Snappers frequently beat the groupers to your bait. Not to worry though, as the Mangroves are excellent table fare and the Red snappers are just fun to catch and release. On Saturday a group of anglers from Valdosta returned dozens of Red snappers, but took home a box full of groupers, seabass and triggers for a large fish fry.
Live bait is tougher to find right now. However, quality frozen baits will work just as well. Try several different frozen baits on your next trip such as Northern Mackerel, Poggies, Squid and Cigar Minnows.
Inshore, the water temperature is in the mid sixties. The most reliable target species this past week have been Sheepshead and Black Drum. The white trout have really
turned on. Several Captains have reported outstanding catches of Redfish. Sightfishing Reds on the Western shore of East Bay has been a successful pattern around the low tide. With the new moon and prolonged North winds, a skinny water vessel is necessary to reach many areas of the Bay.
Captain Alex Crawford is a full time guide who has fished the Florida Panhandle offshore for 26 years. He specializes in grouper and snapper trips with light tackle on live bait. Custom trips for companies with multiple boats will be arranged.
Inshore trips targeting specific species and custom eco trips are available for birding, gator watching, shelling, picnics and barrier islands.
Contact Captain Alex for a fun and productive trip on Florida's Forgotten Coast.
