As always, the only reason I get to sit down and type out a fishin' report is the surf's up. We have had some really great Beach weather, perfect temps, clear water and calm days.
Yesterday was perfect at the beach but a little too much surf to get a boat off the beach so I got all the usual boat maintenance chores done and with a rainy day today it's paperwork and fish reports. This would be the greatest job in the world if all I had to do was take folks fishin' !
The first "real" cool front of the season came in at the start of October, right on schedule for Mother Nature. The fish should start feeding longer and harder and all the normal Fall migrations will be on the move.
October and November are probably the most exciting times to be on the Gulf close in for this part of the world, you just never know what you might encounter. I have seen (lots) of Sailfish right up on the bar, big schools of Mahi, Tunas and of course, all the expected runs of Kings, Flounders, Triggers etc. That's what keeps fishin' junkies like me going I guess.
Early Fall is so nice at the Beach! The weather has been just wonderful, the water clear and calm with high temps in the 80's and lows in the 60's. Being able to keep a few Groupers each day makes the fishing even more enjoyable. We have been averaging four to five groupers a trip on my usual 1/2 day runs. Lots more to bite, but, they are groupers and the fish win more often than they lose!
It's nearing twilight and the McCullough clan of Portland, Fla. prepares to send its crew off to man the night's run of the Capt. Wil-B, the family's shrimp boat.
This ritual takes place six days a week. Fuel has already been loaded into the boat's tanks from a fuel truck that visits the dock. Crushed ice to chill the catch is in chests ready to take to the boat, and the crew members have a supply of food to provide a meal through the long night ahead.
The weather pattern finally changed from sloppy to "chamber of commerce". We have had some calm seas, light winds and crystal clear water the past several days.
I wish I had a bunch of fish pics to post on this report. The bite has been great when it's been calm enough to get off the beach but there haven't been to many of those days lately.
Like the title says, that spring fever is an easy catch. The calm warm days between the fronts sure do make for a nice time on the water.
The Kings have shown up and if you are willing to take the time to chase 'em, are more than willing to co-operate.
There are still plenty of Spanish up in close but are on the usual bite one day, vanish the next, schedule. The triggers are still hot and , for some reason, the scamps have decided to feed hard the past week.
The glory fish of Spring time, the ol' brown back crab crunchin' cobia is
Lots happening at the Beach in South Walton last week. With all of Georgia on Spring Break there were a bunch of folks in town.
The King Mackerel have also decided to show up and vacation, a very nice addition to the angling options.
The weather has been kind of hit and miss the past 10 days or so, from blowy and chilly to warm and perfect and now, the past 2 days have us socked in with heavy fog.
After a long run of calm seas we have gone into a more normal spring weather pattern of some swell at the beach. The surf yesterday was too much to try to launch.
Even though it was a weekend, nobody launched from Grayton and there were only a few Destin boats out cobia hunting. The cobia have popped up pretty good a couple days but are still hit and miss. The run should just get better as the water temps continue to climb.
The weather has just been fantastic, allowing me to take a bunch of spring-break families way out on a slick, calm Gulf. I have been steady targeting the Amberjacks with side stops for triggers and vermilions.
All this nice warm sunshine has let the water heat up and the Spanish Mackerel showed up a week or so ago in force. I ran my first 2-hour afternoon trip of the year the other day with a mom and four boys who had a blast catching about 40 mackerel in short order.
