Month: March 2023
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March 2023 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
When FWC announced last month extended closures of speckled trout, redfish, and snook, I was really excited. Here at Martin Family Charters, our main goal is to have fun and catch fish. In March, we did just that! We mixed it up, as we would fish for speckled trout, ladyfish, and Spanish mackerel in the morning, followed by targeting those tasty mangrove snappers in the afternoon. Most of our success came one of two ways. First, we’d use live shrimp under a popping cork on the flats. Then, we’d lower any bait whatsoever on wrecks, reefs, or under bridges. If the tides, weather, moonrise, or moonset were right it seemed like fishing was a piece of cake. However, like fishing goes sometimes we had to move from spot to spot trying desperately to do anything possible to catch fish. It wasn’t preferable, but even on one charter we ended up on a school of huge gaftop sail catfish! Anyway, hopefully those redfish and snook come to play in April, and we look forward to seeing you on the water. Thank you for reading!
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March 2023 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
March was on fire! After the fish have spawned, the bass tend to feast on the new fry that consist of minnows, shad, and other baby bass. Balls of bait fish get corralled by schooling fish, and this is where we’d see them busting on the surface. The challenge wasn’t choosing what lure to use, but rather making sure we were within casting distance of the corralled bait. This was easier said than done, as sometimes the schools moved away too quickly. However, when we would get those top water strikes, there’s nothing more exciting!
As you know, most of our trips are with families. Long cast and refined retrieval tactics are things to be learned in the future, so for now we’d focus on using live shiners to ensure we were maximizing our chances for success. There were times in March we had to be a little patient, but all in all we caught a good amount of largemouth bass, bowfin, and long-nose gar. We are looking forward to April, and hopefully we can add some crappie to the list. Thank you for reading!
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February 2023 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
Saltwater fishing in February was epic! With the water temperature around 64 degrees, the weather played a major role in the planning for a great day on the water. Most of the time, we’d prefer for an early morning start. However, trying to fish the rising or falling tides made us be a little more flexible. This month the flats were plentiful with speckled trout, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel, and catfish. In the deeper water, we had a blast catching grunts, mangrove snapper, and small grouper.
We are especially thankful to Oniell’s Marina, Water’s Edge Bait and Tackle, and Mosquito Lagoon Bait and Tackle for always having the best live bait for us!! Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!!
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February 2023 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
With the water temperature hovering at a cool 63 degrees, it seems like the spawn of the largemouth bass has been delayed a few weeks. There is no doubt that this is setting up for an epic spring, as post-spawn fish will be feeding like crazy until late May. Additionally, the cooler waters have led to more crappie being caught than the last few years. Other species caught this month included long nose gar, chain pickerel, catfish, and bowfin. We may need to check the almanac, but I don’t recall more cold fronts in succession as this season. While many days had beautiful Florida weather, I’d especially like to thank those that braved the cold, cloudy, and windy days. In any condition, we will always do everything we can to ensure a fun, safe, and successful day on the water. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
