03-11-2001, 01:23 AM
March 9 Fishing Report<br><br>The past 2 weeks have shown us the good, the bad & the Windy!! As usual, this time of year our guides are ready & willing to go fishing but are often frustrated by the spring weather. Great fishing conditions one day, wind & rain the next. This March has definitely given us it’s lion-side so far. Full Moon tides & wind out of the North can make it virtually impossible to even launch the boat due to the lack of water - it looked like you could walk to St. George Island yesterday.<br><br>Flats Fishing - <br>Bob Retko (Cedarburg, WI) fished with Capt. Nathan on 2/19 and managed to catch a few Redfish, Trout & Sheepshead, while Rob Desimone (Durham, CT) had a little bit slower day on 2/20 due to the wind. Nathan poled the entire bay and they caught 2 Reds & 20 Sheepshead. The next day the conditions smoothed out & Nathan caught a 26-pound Redfish on his own off the front beaches. James Beck chose a windy day to catch his 25 Sheepshead & 3-4 Black Drum on light tackle w/artificials (not a fly-fishable day!) Jim Matson (MN & St. George Island) hasn’t reported in yet about his day on 3/2 but it has been nearly too windy to fly fish ever since.<br><br>Bay Fishing - <br>A group from Covington fished with Capt. Chad & Capt. Junior on 2/23 & 2/24 - one day ‘s tally was over 70 keepers (meaning the size of the fish-not that they were all kept) 20 were Redfish, 20-30 Sheepshead, 20-30 Black Drum & 7 Flounder. My friend Debra Heister & her 8-year-old son Ben from Jacksonville fished with Capt. Chad & me on the morning of 2/25. (Please note photo of my 26” Redfish!) Despite the wind Chad kept us in constant action - lots of what he calls “Puppy Reds”, Sheepshead of all sizes, a few Flounder and Deb even caught a sting-ray. On 3/1 his anglers hooked up on 13 Redfish 27” to 45” - one was 24 lbs - and 4 sheepshead in the 4 to 8 lb range. <br>Please check our website for new photos!<br><br>(See next report for Everglades update!)<br><br><br>