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Snapper
 
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Two great days of fishing.
1st Trip: Our first fish was a big sheepshead, our second fish was another big sheepshead, and 3rd & 4th fish were slot Reds. Then we starting boating some big black drum. It was non-stop for four hours.
I fished a secret spot that had produced well for me last spring, and it didn’t let me down today. It was very cold in the morning, a brisk 38 degrees. The tide was not running the way I wanted, so we left the docks at 11am and fished till 4pm. High tide was supposed to be around 5pm, so I figured the bite would be very good from about 1pm to 4ish, and it was. 
My clients were from Michigan, and although they were used to cooler temps, they had never caught a saltwater fish before today. We boated 3 reds, (with one being over the slot, which we released to be caught another day), 5 Sheepshead, 7 Black Drum, and 2 nice keeper Mangrove Snapper. The water was a little murky, but the tide was finally running right and the fish were hungry. All fish were caught on live shrimp and/or Berkley Gulps, and on a Carolina rig. So now that the colder weather is hopefully behind us, it looks like this spring might turn out to be a good one.  The sheepshead bite should start to turn on in the next few weeks, and we should be seeing some nice slot reds. Also be on the lookout up and down the beaches for Pompano. If you can make it out along the gulf, don’t pass up looking down the beach for these tasty critters. Another good way to hook these tasty fish is to anchor off a sand bar down along the gulf side of Ft. Pickens or Johnson’s beach, and send out a few sand fleas and have one rod rigged with an orange and white ½ - 1oz Spro pompano jig. Day2 I went out fun fishing with my buddy Ed, and did the weatherman ever get it wrong. The winds were supposed to be 5 – 10 out of the east, but when we hit the bay it was a solid 15 knots. We made our way across the bay to a few spots I frequent near the pass. What a ride we had, with the wind whipping out of the east and a solid chop or actually swell out in the pass. Not too rough for fishing, but it was sloppy. I have always heard that the fishing is better in rough weather and today proved that theory. Our first fish was a big fat Sheepshead, and after that it was one Redfish after another. 
They were stacked up off a ledge and the bite was hot for a good 2 hrs or more. We were pitching live and fresh dead shrimp along with gulps, and it seemed though they couldn’t get enough. We managed to boat a few slot reds, only keeping two for dinner, which are going to taste great on the grill.
After our arms were sore from hooking up all those reds, Ed managed to find a few sheepshead to add to the mix bag of fish, and I managed to find a lonely black drum that found his way into the ice chest.
Get your fishing poles dusted off, because the fishing is hot, and is only going to get hotter!
Till next time, here’s wishing you bent rods and screaming drags.
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Capt. John Rivers
850-341-9816
Pensacola, Fl
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
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Trigger
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Great catch, I'll bet they wanna come back. Congrats on an outstanding couple a days on the water Captain . Thanks for the great report and pictures. Im sure you all had a fantastic time.
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Grouper
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If I don't go pomp fishing looks like I need to head that way in the morning
Carpe Thunnus
I support commercial snapper fishing.
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Snapper
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Yea, the bite has been good near the jetties, but here is the skinny.. You don't need to be right up near it. I've caught a bunch of the fish drifting the pass over structure. I was only anchored up there for a short while. There are a lot of rocks that are off the point of the jetties that hold fish. If you see a few boats fishing the rock jetties and can't get in because there is no room, watch your bottom machine for signs of life out off the jetties. I've caught reds and sheepshead 100ft off the jetties. The water is deeper there so you might need a little more lead to hold your bait down, but the fish are there.
Everyone knows about this spot ( rock jetties ), but the thing is on the jetties, watch the tide. Another good spot near the jetties is near the mouth of Ft. Mcrae, also the rock jetties over near Ft. Pickens. This area will start heating up with drum and sheepies in the next couple of weeks. When all these spots are filled up with boats, don't fret, look around for more spots in the bay. I have a few honey holes out in the bay that I check out from time to time to see if they're holding fish. Sometimes they are and sometimes they're not. This goes for the rock jetties, too, as sometimes the fishing is not always great at these places. Fish move around and sometimes you have to find them or the one's that are eating. Tight lines
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Capt. John Rivers
850-341-9816
Pensacola, Fl
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
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Sailfish
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Good info and thanks for the report 
Joel Murphy Pace, FL.
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Sailfish
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Thanks for the info Capt. John. You are on my list of folks to call when I need an inshore charter. It may be sooner rather than later if I don't get my boat out of the dang shop. 
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Mingo
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| What Captain John didn't tell you all is that he plumb wore the reds out! It made me tired just watching him having to fight those over-slot reds time after time. The fish were biting well for both of us, but John sure showed me a thing or two- including the best way to pick up an angry sheepshead-and he worked the reds hard. It was a rough day for riding in the boat, but it was a very good start to this spring's fishing. Thanks for the trip, John! Good fishing to all- Ed Mashburn
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Trigger
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nice catch john looks like a fun day
-------------------------------------------------------------------- "I piss on Shimanos"
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Snapper
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Capt. John , great report!!!. Thank you for sharing deatils and all. Great photos..that's a sharp camera you have there.
www.FishTheKite.com
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Trigger
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| Very impressive catches of fish! Thanks for all of the tips.
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Snapper
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Impressive! Awsome report! Doesn't get any better than that..
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Snapper
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| Great Report there, Capt John! I haven't been to the pass lately, but you sure got me goin' in that direction. What's the best way to handle a tee'ed of Sheephead? Thanks!
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Mingo
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| To handle an angry sheepshead- rule one- not by the mouth! rule two- not by the operculum flaps. rule three- not by the eye sockets. Instead, grab the trusty fishing pliers and simply use the pliers to grab the sheepshead by that big old super-sharp, super-strong dorsal fin and lift him up. He won't flop much, and he can be dropped into the cooler. This is much easier than trying to bare-hand him. Thanks, Captain John- I needed to know this. Ed Mashburn
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Grouper
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Ed Mashburn (3/12/2008)
To handle an angry sheepshead- rule one- not by the mouth! rule two- not by the operculum flaps. rule three- not by the eye sockets. Instead, grab the trusty fishing pliers and simply use the pliers to grab the sheepshead by that big old super-sharp, super-strong dorsal fin and lift him up. He won't flop much, and he can be dropped into the cooler. This is much easier than trying to bare-hand him. Thanks, Captain John- I needed to know this. Ed MashburnOr you can be a man about it and grab him
Carpe Thunnus
I support commercial snapper fishing.
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Snapper
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| Thanks for the replies, everyone. Fishing is heating up as spring gets closer. I had another great trip today. I'll post a report in a day or two, I'm tired and I have to be on the water again tomorrow early. Tight lines!
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Capt. John Rivers
850-341-9816
Pensacola, Fl
Mega-Bite Inshore Charters
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Sailfish
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Thanks for the report and info.
Mike
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