Report for Destin, Florida - Nearshore

Capt. Larry Pentel
March 16, 2002
Destin - Saltwater Fishing Report

It finally feels like spring this week. The temperatures been in the upper 70's all week and the phone has started ringing regularly with folks wanting to book dates. The fronts are still coming with some wind and surf tho just no cold air (thank you).

I had 4 trips booked this past week but the weather made me cancel 2 of 'em. I sure don't want to charge somebody to be miserable. I got two beautiful gulf trips in with kids both days. On Thursday after I said it was time to come in a nine year old girl angler told me that was fine 'cause she'd just caught her 35th fish for the trip and that was enough! Dad didn't catch near that many but he did have a fine grouper 'bout 16# added to the box. A good fish for a 4 hour trip in March. On another 4 hr Monday we caught ( and released) 3 snappers in the 7-10# range. It is a shame to not get to eat 'em but they sure do look good in the photographs! Besides we caught enough Triggers, Vermillions, Pinks etc. for everybody to eat for a while.

By and large fishing has been kind of slow on the inshore scene the past week. There are still (LOTS)of sheeps head at the bridges but the trout just haven't started up yet here. There are lots of little minnows on the flats around my dock and the calender says it's time. I think the water just needs to warm up another couple degrees. I've got trout trips Mon. & Tues. but I'll run them at Indian Pass where the bite is still on.

The first (beach) cobia hasn't been caught yet but there have been a couple hooked out deep. Also several Makos were caught on the edges this week. They usually start moving in this time of the year, following the cobias is the generally accepted reason. The fog has been thick all day today and yesterday or the first beach fish probably would have been caught. Hard to see 'em tho with no sun.

Capt. Larry Pentel

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