March Madness is Sheepshead Madness along the Panhandle
Capt. John Rivers
March 18, 2009
Pensacola - Saltwater Fishing Report
They say that March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb. Well, whoever came up with that, must have known something about the sheepshead bite here on the Panhandle. The sheepshead bite is finally on fire. On a few of my last trips, we hooked up with some nice 4 - 5lb black and white striped sheepies. Not only are we hooking up quality sheepshead, but we are also catching some big redfish. This has also been a great season for large black drum.
These hard fighting fish are a blast to catch on light tackle and they don't taste too bad either. Today, March 18th was another good day on the water, other than it being a little windier than the weatherman said, (he's the only person I know that can be wrong 75% of the time and still have a job) J. But even with the waves a bit bouncier than I care for, we still had a banner day; 15+ sheepies and one big redfish to end the trip. My crew (Kevin, Eric, Sam, and Megan) was from Minnesota and had never saltwater fished before, but they caught on quick, which was a good thing, because they were catching fish.
Seeing Eric land his first ever redfish was a thrill. He told me that it was the biggest fish he had ever caught. Megan also had a great time fighting her first saltwater fish-- a big Pensacola pass sheepshead, weighing in around 6lbs. Sam and Kevin were too busy pulling up sheepshead to notice Eric fighting a big fish, but when Sam and Kevin landed theirs and Eric was still fighting his fish, they joined in on rooting him on.
We were using a #2 Gamakatsu circle hook with 3ft of 20lb Berkley fluorocarbon leader and a 20lb Spro swivel with a 1 – 3 oz egg weight, depending upon the current. We used live shrimp, (you can substitute fresh frozen shrimp), however, live shrimp works best if you can hit the bait store early enough. Seeing a big trout explode on my lure is just an awesome sight! A few cobia have already been caught, but it's still a little early. There are always a few caught the second week of March, but the truly good fishing for those brown beauties really won't kick off until around March 28th – April 20th. This is when I'll be out using my sight fishing tower to scan the water for my chance at a ling over 70lbs!
As the water continues to warm, the bite should only get better. The deep drop-offs in the pass and around the bay are holding some big fish. In a few weeks, the trout will start to move onto the flats and that's when it really gets fun. I can't resist throwing a top water plug as the sun is to starting rise up over the horizon.
As you can see, we are already getting some great fishing opportunities, so take a trip to Pensacola and experience some great inshore light tackle action.
See you on the water.
Tight Lines.
Capt. John Rivers
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
850-341-9816
Thanks to my sponsors:
Mann's Lures, Power-Pole, SPRO Fishing Tackle
Gamakatsu Hooks, Fenwick Rods, Pure Fishing - Berkley,Stren, Plano Tackle.
More Fishing Reports:
