There have been as many days of breezy and bouncy as slick and flat the past week or so. We've had a limit of Red Snappers every trip along with some fine bonus fish but I have had to work hard to get a box of "grade or better" snappers on a couple of the calmer days with lots of 16" to 18" fish biting.
The long awaited opening of Red Snapper season has not disapointed any of my eager anglers that have gotten to go chase the critters. We have had some really pretty boards of good size Snappers along with lots of bonus fish.
The richest billfish tournament on the Gulf Coast takes place every year at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. The 12th annual edition of the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic is June 18-22 in South Walton.
The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA) of Northwest Florida State College in partnership with Walton County Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Walton County Tourist Development Council, will hold an inaugural kayak/paddleboard launch to promote the public recreational use of the newly renovated Kellogg Bayfront Park in Santa Rosa Beach. Following a leisurely paddle around the Choctawhatchee Bay, the afternoon of outdoor activities will continue with the first installment of fishing Eco-Adventures at Kellogg Park, The Bayside Fishing Clinic.
Like the title says, the fishin' has been easy and the weather has been great too. If you can't fill the box right now you need to take up golf! This is the time of year when there is some of almost everything around to catch pretty easily...well, to get to bites anyway.
It sure has been nice to leave the long sleeves in the closet and have to go buy more sunscreen. Seems like it took 'til the 1st of May for winter to finally give up trying this year. The fish are on the same schedule they have been for thousands of years and don't seem to care about a little extra rain on any given day. Luckily for me and my anglers our finny quarry has been pretty predictable and we get lots of shots at filling up the box every day.
I guess nobody ever "deserves" great weather but we were sure due for some of the days we had last week. I went from sweatshirts and boots to short sleeves and flip flops. As you may have heard we got our share of rain - but it sure is nice for the temps to feel like beach weather again!
Coastal Conservation Association (CAA) South Walton Chapter presents the 9th annual Grayton Beach Kid's Fishing Tournament on Saturday, May 10, 8am - 12pm.
The tournament is intended to promote the responsible use of our marine resources through recreational fishing. With a $15 entry fee, each child receives a tournament t-shirt, rod and reel, beach rod holder, bait and pompano rigs and weights.
The event begins at 8 a.m. on the back porch of the Red Bar and ends at noon, followed by a brief award ceremony for the winners of each division.
Spring Break has brought another new season of fishing in here at the beach. Lots of vacationing Spring Break families and lots of fish to catch. From the family trips where we are filling up the box with lots of fish to the folks just looking for that one big "bragging rights" trophy it's another great year to be fishing here.
Plenty of Vermilions, Triggers, Pinks and a few Groupers for the bottom fishing trips and the Cobia have shown in force for trophpy hunters. Here are some pics from the past week or so of trips.
I think Spring has finally arrived here at the beach. For a while there it seemed like winter was never going to end. The water temp is still lower than it should be this time of the year at 66 degrees but the fish have started moving in as they should.
