Boca Grande Fishing Charters March Forecast
Capt. Danny Latham
March 4, 2012
Boca Grande - Saltwater Fishing Report
March is here and over the past few months my clients and I have been in awe over the beautiful weather. I continue to wear shorts and sandals and leave my winter clothes at home to collect dust. As we get in to March the fishing has gotten even better if you can believe that. The Snook are feeding like crazy the Reds are everywhere and the big trout have infested the flats! On top of that there are big Sharks roaming the flats, Spanish mackerel wreaking havoc on the bait pods and Cobia hanging around the wrecks and reefs. I have even started to see a few Tarpon! March is going to be outstanding and I hope you can get in on the action!
Speaking of Tarpon, I know I keep repeating myself but the 2012 Tarpon fishing season is only a few months away and for those of you who are looking to book a trip for the 2012 tarpon season I strongly urge that you start planning ASAP as my calendar is already over half full. I don't want to sound like a broken record but I would hate to miss seeing some of my repeat clients this tarpon season.
With the recent warm weather and as spring approaches the Snook have come out of their winter homes and onto the flats. As they make this migration they have really started to feed and have been more than excited to see a livewell full of sardines. This past month produced many 40 plus Snook days and it seems to getting better and better. The real story is the average size, I have had multiple days with 10 plus fish over 30 inches! For you night owls, the night time Snook fishing around the lighted docks in Punta Gorda, Ft. Myers beach, Little Gasparilla and Boca Grande may be your best bet for some March Snook action. Lures like Mirrolure 3" Soft Sardine and Mirrolure Mirrodine should both be good choices for catching spring time Snook. Please remember that Snook season will be catch and release only until at least September 2012.
The Redfish fishing this March should remain to be outstanding. There are Redfish EVERYWHERE! I am still catching a ton of fish in the 3lb-5lb range but I have been catching more and more fish over 27 inches. Sardines and pinfish have been the top bait recently and they have really been responding to live bait chumming. I have had multiple 30 plus Redfish days recently and I don't see that changing any time soon. I have also been catching a lot fish on artificial. The Mirrolure "Provoker" rigged with a 4/0 Mustad Power Lock has been killing the reds and the trout on the higher tides.
Trout fishing has remained very good and getting a nice limit of trout has been pretty easy. I have been seeing a ton of big Trout on the flats and with a nice live-well of bait they have been really eating. I have started catching some really nice trout while fishing for Snook and Reds. I haven't gotten any fish over 9lbs so far this year but I have had quite a few in the 6lb-8lb range. From now thru April is hands down the best time to catch big trout here in Southwest Florida and I don't mean 20" fish I'm talking about 25"-30" fish that can weigh as much as 10lbs! Those are true "gators" and this is the time of year to catch them!
The near shore fishing has really picked up. Spanish Mackerels have started to move in and the Kingfish should be right behind them. Cobias have been on the offshore wreck and reefs and eve a few Tripletails. Gag Grouper comes into season on April 1 but you can still have a good time playing tug-o-war with some as long as you are willing to let them go. I expect the near shore fishing to really explode in the few weeks and I can't wait!
Whether you want to catch the fish of a lifetime or just relax with friends, you can count on Reelfishing charters to put together the ultimate Southwest Florida experience! Capt. Danny is the guide that will bring everything together for a fun, exciting fishing charter that you'll remember.
Reelfishing is a Fort Myers fishing charter as well as a Boca Grande fishing guide service. We pick up at several locations around Southwest Florida including Burnt Store Marina, Pineland Marina, Placida and the Boca Grande guide docks. Other arrangements can be made if necessary. We try to make fishing with Reelfishing charters as easy as possible.
Target Species:
tarpon, snook, redfish, trout, shark
More Fishing Reports:
