March is a month of change in our local waters and the only thing predictable about fishing is that you will have to deal with a lot of wind. Technically, the first 3 weeks is still winter and depending on mother nature it can swing from a sluggish winter bite with chilly weather to a smoking hot late spring bite. The one common denominator is that our fish will relate to high – low transition spots on the bottom.
Let’s start with speckled trout which will be the easiest fish to catch regardless of wind, warmth or cold. Trout will be found hanging around drop-offs in 3-5 feet where there is a grassy bottom. You can drift a grassy flats area or motor until you see a bottom change from shallow to deep. The steeper the “wall” on your drop the better the fish like it. I like to watch for drop-offs that have grass showing on the bottom. When using your sonar it is important to take it out of auto-mode and reduce your sensitivity. Otherwise you will receive false signals on the bottom and in the middle of the water column that you will think are fish or grassbeds. Another important thing to remember: Your transducer is likely 1-2 feet below the water surface. You need to subtract that depth from your sonar’s reading to know the true depth. The trout are very depth specific and 1-2 feet of variance makes the difference in where they stage to feed.
For trout fishing, the best approach is to anchor the boat on the high spot and fan cast the deeper water on the drop off. I use my power pole to quickly set up and move as the bite dictates. Great areas to fish are the bar and grass flats outside of Bookellia, Turtle Bay and the Gasparilla area. The edges of the ICW provide high/low bottom terrains as well, that hold lots of nice trout. Casting jig heads with plastic swimtails or live shrimp will work every time but focus on your bottom machine. Lazy drifting across large expanses is peaceful and relaxing but focusing on the drops will produce more and bigger trout.
Snook fishing in March is often some of the best of the year but is very weather dependent. Snook will need at least a week of consistent 80 degree weather to get active. They have wintered in deeper areas and move across the shallows once our waters are well up in the 70’s. The first place they position are on deep holes adjacent to the flats and only on high tide. Here again the high-low transition point from shallow to deep is where they stage. They will make their move on sunny days with high tides and the first snook of the season are usually the biggest. Maybe it is just because the large snook have let their guard down over winter but March is typically when I catch the 15-20 pound snook with some regularity. The boat positioning mind set is the same as trout, position your boat shallow and cast to the deeper spots. However you are fishing open water on grass flats for trout but focusing on mangrove areas and sand holes for snook. Anything 3 feet and deeper next to the flats is deep to a snook. For bait, spoons and plastic swimbaits work well but nothing beats a live shiner. If you are lucky enough to find live pilchards on the flats in March then likely the water is warm enough for the snook to be on the move in the afternoons. Snook inhabit every mangrove area whether it is near the beaches, in the rivers or the backcountry around the harbor.
There are always other fish that share the same waters with redfish, pompano and jack crevalle being the usual suspects. Use your depth finder to pick out trout spots and your eyes to detect a snook haven. Stake your boat high and away from where the fish are. Often, the fish will be disturbed by your arrival but settle in after some time if you are patient enough to wait for the bite!
Capt. Chuck Eichner operates Action Flats Backcountry Charters and can be reached at 941-628-8040.
