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Fishing Report for the Florida Panhandle
Capt. Alex Crawford
May 29, 2003
Carrabelle - Saltwater Fishing Report
YOU CAN CATCH SEA CRITTERS NOW. And less than a league under the sea. If you are the compleat tangler, it is your special time to wet a line. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get a reel feel and practice the fine art of fillet and release on the forgotten coast.
RED SNAPPERS are on an eating binge as we speak. The past three days my offshore trips have been indescribably successful for good folks from Plains, GA, Houston, TX and Tallahassee, FL. Limits of snappers have been had by all and the fun meter, well vaporized. With the Gulf of Mexico as flat as a farm pond, we’ve been able to go way far south in comfort. Since I never met an adjective I did’nt love, let me share the Reader’s Digest version of our recent fishy adventures.
The day starts at first light, throwing the trusty Calusa castnet on snapper-size pogies. A high quality castnet is really worth the investment in time saving and your ability to capture live baits that always catch more fish. Out on the deep blue, there are tricks of the trade that will score you a box of chargrilled snapper fillets. First, scale down your tackle to 20 pound class in order to feel the bite better than heavier stuff. The spring spawners average about 3 pounds and everyone knows they are professional bait stealers with their sharp frontal incisors. Go to prerigged fluorocarbon leaders no more than 30# test. You can handle bigger fish with fluorocarbon, even specimens in the teens. Use small barrel swivels, not more than 100 pound. Snappers are smart and see bigger terminal tackle. Anglers standing side by side on my vessel have proven this out over the years. Lighter gear gets three times the bites every time.
A word about hooks that is critical to success. Circle hooks will catch more fish, guaranteed. My favorite is a Mustad 8/0 circle. It is small and super strong, perfect for live-baiting snappers. It will always lodge in the corner of the mouth to facilitate live releases of short fish. The lady anglers really like these hooks, as muscle hook sets are not necessary, just wind it up baby.
Big sow snappers swim away from the schoolies and up in the water column. Always keep a flat line out behind the boat for the sows. They will not eat a bait with a wire leader, use fluorocarbon. The sharks and Kings will steal a few rigs, but it is in the game. Also, clear all the lines when you hook up a big snapper and have the long-handle dip net at the ready. I call it movin’ fast and livin’ slow!
This week the photo ops included red snappers to 14, gag groupers to 11, king mackerel to 15ish, beaucoup triggers and some 4 pound Spanish. Life is good! Fish on!
Inshore, the fresh water still has the fish dispersed and the pattern unreliable for large catches. More reportable info next week. Until then, here’s wishing you fair winds and following seas.
Till next tide, tight lines and solid hookups,
Captain Alex Crawford
www.topknots.com
Proud Member Florida Outdoor Writers Association
Proud Member Florida Guides Association
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