March 2008 Fishing Report from Capt. Randy Boggs

Slowly but surely the water is heating up along with the fishing.

Inshore, the sheepshead are biting around the inlets, jetties and docks. The best baits are live shrimp or fiddler crabs. A few speckled trout are starting to show up. The surf fishing has been slow. This is sure to change when we get an east winds and an east tide.

Offshore, the vermillion snapper trigger fish and amberjacks are biting well in water in depths of over 100’.

We have not had any reports of the offshore fishing for tuna, dolphin or wahoo. We did see a boat coming in last week with tuna flags flying.

The first King mackerel have shown up in the last week.

Cobia season is just around the corner. The fist fish is generally caught around the 20th of March. The peak of the cobia migration will be here in late April to early May. Site fishing along the beach with live bait is the most popular way to catch these fish.

Capt. Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
http://www.reelsurprisecharters.com/

Editors Note:
Don’t forget these events too:

Spring Saltwater Series
Price: Anglers: $10.00 daily; No boat entry fee. Spring tournament fishing will be in full swing with the inaugural Spring Saltwater Series. Their will be a $150,000 in cash and prizes to the winners. The 11-fish tournament will include king mackerel, tuna, wahoo, grouper, amberjack, vermilion snapper, triggerfish, cobia, speckled trout, red fish and sheepshead. More fish to catch means more anglers winning prizes. The $10 daily ticket qualifies anglers to compete in all 11 categories.
Weigh Station is Zeke's Landing MarinaOrange Beach, AL
251-981-4044
www.orangebeachsnapper.com/

42nd Annual Labor Day Tournament
August 29, 2008 - September 1, 2008
Price: $175.00 per angler. Minimum of 4 anglers per boat for boats over 32 feet and 3 anglers per boat for boats 32 feet and under. Entry forms received by August 26th, $150.00 per angler. There is a $1 million prize to anyone who sets a new Alabama state record for Blue Marlin in this tournament. See website for complete details.
Waters of the Gulf of MexicoOrange Beach, AL
www.mbgfc.org/

The Wharf Packs Them In

The Wharf has announced several top of the line acts for this spring. On Saturday March 1st, they’ll host country superstar Alan Jackson. I’m sure you’ll hear some songs from his soon to be released album “Havin A Good Time”. The next night, March 2nd, the Amphitheater will be rocking with Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin & Seether. I’ll be taking in that show accompanied by my son Brett. We’ll be staying at Phoenix on the Bay II, a short drive down Canal road from the Wharf. In April Widespread Panic will return to the Gulf Coast. After a very successful 2 show stand last year the band returns for 3 shows this year, April 18th – 20th.
It’s time book your Spring Break vacations, and a weekend (or week) at the beach or bay highlighted by a concert is a great way to kick off Spring.

February Fishing Report by Capt. Randy Boggs

The hot topic along the Gulf Coast seems to be about the new federal red snapper fishing regulations and the State of Florida’s decision not to follow the federal season.

Currently, the federal red snapper season will open June 1, 2008 and close September 30, 2008 with a recreational bag and possession limit of 2 fish per person per day. On for-hire vessels, the possession of recreational bag limit by captain and crew will be prohibited. Federal waters are beyond 9 nautical miles.

Recently, the State of Florida decided to open their red snapper season April 15, 2008 and close on October 31, 2008 with a recreational bag limit of 2 fish per person per day. Anglers must have a valid Florida fishing license to fish or to possess fish in Florida state waters (out to 9 nautical miles). If you have red snapper on board your vessel during the Florida red snapper season you may not venture into federal waters (beyond 9 nautical miles).

As far as we know, the State of Alabama red snapper season will follow the same dates and recreational bag limits as the federal season.

Before fishing, call to verify the season openings and possession laws. In Alabama contact the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at 251-968-7576 and in Florida contact the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 888-FISH FLORIDA.

All of the above information is either what we have read in the newspapers or have been told by word of mouth and could change at anytime.

Now the good news! Spring is here!

As the air temperature heats up so will the fishing. The first arrivals this spring will be sheepshead around the inlets, the jetties, the piers, and the seawalls. They readily strike live shrimp and fiddler crabs.

The next arrivals on the scene will be Spanish mackerel. From the shoreline, they bite best on white jigs and Gotcha lures. Anglers aboard boats will do well with Clark spoons, silver or gold, pulled behind planers. If the seas are rough do not worry about leaving the pass, lots of Spanish mackerel can be caught inside the rocks trolling and behind Ono Island if the water quality is good.

As the water temperature warms the speckled trout and flounder action will pick up. The best baits for these species are live shrimp, bull minnows, and jigs.

The bottom fishing is very good right now. Trigger fish are being caught in the 100’ plus depths. Vermillion snapper and white snapper are also biting well. Further off shore in the 200’ to 300’ depth, the grouper and the scamp are starting to show up with increasing regularity.

Tight lines,
Capt. Randy Boggs
Reel Surprise Charters
http://www.reelsurprisecharters.com/

It's Mardi Gras Time !!

It’s one of my favorite times of year on the Gulf Coast, Mardi Gras. From our perch at the fabulous new Phoenix 9, we’ll hit the streets for the parades for the next two weeks. There are parades in both Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, as well as the larger parades in Mobile (a short one hour drive to the home of the Original Mardi Gras). The festivities will peak on Fat Tuesday, February 5th. On Fat Tuesday we’ll catch the Gulf Shores Parade at 10 AM, followed by the Orange Beach parade at 1:30. There’s nothing like the view with a parade on one side and the beach on the other! After the parade we'll head down to Zeke's landing to catch a zydeco band.

See you at the Beach!!