While fishing has been entertaining enough, this winters weather has been a real hindrance. Lots of wind, something that doesn’t normally bother me or the fish, but from directions and at speeds that made fishing extremely difficult. We had three weeks right in the middle of spinner shark season that the winds were screaming and the ocean was just plain ugly. And not only did the sharks show up late, the exit date for them turned out to be April 1st. So the shortest season I can remember for them with the worst weather I can remember. And the sailfish action never really amounted to much, at least not enough numbers or action that would have made trying for them on fly worthwhile.
The other stuff was fairly routine, inshore ladyfish, jacks, snook and barracuda and when the weather cooperated well enough to get out on the ocean, the spanish mackerel, bluefish and king mackerel were very consistent. Some of the encounters with monster jack crevalle were very entertaining. And I had several days on skipjack tuna in a size range approaching the biggest I’ve ever seen. Lots of wahoo reports from the trollers
Now most of that is over or very shortly to end and it’ll be on to the spring and summer menu. The dolphin fishing was surprisingly consistent through the winter, and even a few false albacore remained in the area. I’m also hearing rumors of schools of king mackerel heading this direction. I’m going to take that as a sign that, like last year, the spring action will begin by the middle or end of April if not sooner.