Some Snook Break Away From Backcountry

Capt. T.J. Stewart of Cast Away Charters said he is starting to see a lot of snook moving out of the backcountry and into their spring-time areas. The snook are not out in big numbers on the flats, he said, but he has been catching about five per day. Snook are out of season.

He said there are a lot of smaller redfish around structures such as docks. “I also caught a lot of nice fish out wading,” he said.

Stewart added that Spanish mackerel are loaded up just off the beaches. Also, around the 1-mile reefs, there are tons of sheepshead, grunts and mangrove snapper.

He believes it's a bit too early for a kingfish run. “The water's a little to chilly still, in my opinion,” he said.

Offshore, Capt. Larry McGuire of Show Me the Fish Charters said large live baits have been working best for amberjack.

"We are also catching lots of monster mangrove snapper, trophy flag yellowtail snapper, tasty lane and vermillion snappers, porgys, and triggerfish to fill the coolers," McGuire said. "Plus catching and carefully releasing large gag grouper and American red snappers in about 110 feet without even targeting them."

McGuire said further offshore, in about 160 feet, on the springs and wrecks are the aforementioned species plus a lot of blacktip sharks up to 6 feet and larger sharks around 9 feet, or about 250 pounds.

McGuire said the recent fronts help the fishing by bunching the fish up and pushing new fish in on our reefs, wrecks and rock piles.