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April 2023 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
It was wonderful to see all the boats, families, and fishermen on the water! For us, when we were out on the water the fishing was a little tough. We could see schools of redfish that were mixed in with the mullet, as the snook cruised under the mangroves. However, as soon as the bait would hit the water they would get spooked. Simply put, they may have been a little pressured with so many boats on the water. Anyway, we changed it up and started to fish for anything that would bend the rod. Our catches included speckled trout, small jacks, ladyfish, catfish, mangrove snappers, and a few other species. We hope for an even better May, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
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April 2023 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
First things first…we hope everyone is staying healthy and safe! For the majority of April, but the bite was wonderful while it lasted! The largemouth bass have moved off their spawning beds, and we found that they were a little scattered. This was not a bad thing, because it made us think outside the box and throw different lures. Jerk baits, jigs, and swimbaits caught the most fish, while the live shiner bite was a little slow. However, we look forward to an awesome May, as the fish in the lakes will be ready to feed. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
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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!
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January 2023 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
Sometimes after fishing charters you come to realize that luck, or the man upstairs, was on your side! Without the expected spawn in January, there were lots of times that studying those bythemtry maps became the key to finding fish. Water temperatures stayed close to 63 degrees, and that is still about 5 degrees too cold for spawning here in Central Florida. So, much like the summer pattern, it came down to ledges, flats, and humps. In addition, a little extension on the fluorocarbon leader line was necessary because the water clarity was really good. After some fine tuning, we had success catching mostly largemouth bass. No crappie, long-nose gar, chain pickerel, bowfin, or catfish were caught. However, forecasted warmer weather looks to arrive over the next couple weeks in February. The spawn should be on, and then it’s game on! Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
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January 2023 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
In January, there were a few different variables that impacted game planning for charters. First, wind was the biggest factor. If the wind was blowing out of the east, we primarily tried to fish the Tampa Bay area. Or, if we had a cold front rolling in with winds from the northwest, we tried to fish the Space Coast. This way, even if it was breezy we could have some fun and fish. Secondly, we found that casting with precision played a role in January as well. Most of the time, a cast in the general vicinity of the fish yielded success, but the fish were holding real tight to their territory which placed an emphasis on casting. Lastly, there were no nearshore(up to 10 miles offshore) runs whatsoever. The seas were simply too rough. Anyway, when we were in a good spot out of the wind that was paired with a solid cast, we could whack em. The mangrove snapper were snapping, but they would also try to cut us off on the rocks after biting. Another fish that we caught a good amount of was sheepshead, mostly found under the bridges off both coasts. Other catches in January included speckled trout, ladyfish, black drum, hardhead catfish, gafftopsail catfish, spanish mackerel, and bluefish. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to February!
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December 2022 – Saltwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
It’s been a long time since there has been this many cold fronts in a month. I get it, here in Florida our cold fronts only drops the temperatures down in the high 30’s, but that it just enough to keep these fish scattered. With that said, we couldn’t be stubborn and continue to fish spots that weren’t productive. However, moving around allowed us to be able to catch fish in some of those “old” spots again! Temporarily, speckled trout seemed to make way for sand trout, while the gag grouper continued to hold under the bridges. Other species caught included spanish mackerel, flounder, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, and shark. Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water!
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December 2022 – Freshwater
BY: Tim / 0 COMMENTS / CATEGORIES: Uncategorized
December was a great month for many of our fishermen that wanted to escape the cold from up north. However, little did they know it would still be a little chilly down here in Florida! For us, numerous twenty degree temperature changes were common which made fishing tough. Earlier in the year, we had success catching specks or crappie, but we couldn’t seem to find them stacked up in December. Even our bass fishing purest seemed happy to feel any type of a pull, whether it was a long-nose gar, catfish, bowfin, or largemouth bass. Total catch numbers ranged from a few to the high teens in a half-day, and the biggest fish caught was around 6 lbs. Hopefully, we’ll see those temperatures rise soon and the spawn will be on in late January! Thank you for reading, and we look forward to seeing you on the water.
