SWFL Fishing Forecast for March, 2018

We had one of the coldest January’s in a long time. The first week of February look to be cold also. Well I’m not exactly sure how the ground hog thing goes, but it went in the right direction. The past couple weeks have catapulted South West Florida into Spring. The life I have seen in the harbor the past few days has been great. The water temps have been steadily increasing, and making the fish much more active. Schools of glass minnows have been all over the harbor. This has rang the dinner bell for large schools of lady fish and jacks. If this is a sign of what is to come, we should have a great spring. Other migratory fish should start making their way into the harbor. Fish such as Spanish Mackerel, these guys are often over looked as game fish. How ever in my opinion are a great fighting fish, and great table fare. During the spring, birds are the best way to locate them feeding. As they make their way south any school of bait will be on the menu. Terns and Seagulls will surely be around any feeding frenzy taking place.

Most of our fish that migrated to the deeper water to stay warm are finding their way back to the flats. On my recent charters we have been catching some nice Sea Trout on the flats. I try to focus on broken bottom, areas that has a mix of grass and sand. If the wind is down drifting can be very effective. If those spring winds are blowing you might have to work a little harder to locate fish. On the lower tides outside of sand bars will normally hold plenty of fish.

Its pretty hard not to talk about Snook, during Spring. By far one of our most sought after game fish will be waking up from its winter slumber. The past couple months these guys have been laying low waiting for the warmer weather. Out of all the game fish that calls Charlotte Harbor home, Snook are the most venerable to cold weather. So its still a safe bet to look for feeding Snook close to deeper water. Flats that are close to creek mouths will be holding good numbers of fish. Also the endless miles of residential canals are a great place to look. As spring continues to make its way to South West Florida, these guys will continue to make their way to the flats.

If you would like to experience some of a South West Florida’s finest fishing give me a call or send me an email. All of our charters are private and customized to fit you and your parties needs.

You can also follow me on Twitter @ backbayxtremes for daily and weekly updates.

Captain Dave Stephens * (941) 916-5769 * Back Bay Xtremes * PO Box 510746, Punta Gorda FL 33951

Flats Fishing Charters for Charlotte Harbour, Punta Gorda, Florida