Fishing Report by Capt. Randy Boggs
Inshore the speckled trout our starting show up under the lights under the piers in the evenings and at night. The water temperature has risen to above 70 degrees, and the Spanish mackerel are starting to show up. They are being caught on planers with silver spoons.
The cobia fishing is starting to pick up. Several fish have been caught out of Orange Beach; mostly to the east.
The sheepshead fishing is as good as it gets. They bite the best on a rapidly moving tide. The best baits are live shrimp and fiddler crabs. They will also bite dead shrimp and cut shrimp.
Offshore, the first two wahoo of the season have been caught. A few king mackerel are being caught over the live bottom areas and larger wrecks. The vermilion snapper and white snapper bite in the 120’ water range has been excellent. The best results are with cut squid. A lot of black snapper are showing up and being caught higher in the water column at about 100’ to 120’ depths. They are biting whole or pieces of cigar minnows. A lot of catch and release red snapper are on almost all the structures in the Gulf and on the oil rigs.
If nothing changes with the guidelines, the Florida season will open April 15, 2008 and close October 31, 2008. From what we understand you must have a valid Florida license, possess no more than 2 fish per person, and not enter federal waters when in possession of red snapper. This means when you cross the Florida/Alabama line, you must be within 3 miles of the beach and when in Alabama waters all fishing tackles must be stowed and not readily available.
Please check to verify information before actually being in possession of fish. The contacts for Alabama and Florida are listed below.
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Marine Resources Division
251-968-7576
www.outdooralabama.com
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
850-265-3676
www.myfwc.com
Federal season is slated to open June 1, 2008 and close August 5, 2008 with a bag limit of 2 fish per person.
Capt. Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
www.reelsurprisecharters.com
