March Fishing Forecast....

Joe caught this 13lb. Redfish in a foot of water!

This winter has served up some really harsh weather conditions... but the fish have still been biting! March is a whole new month and it could be a totally different game weather wise... (or at least we can hope so). Reds should continue to stay schooled up, at least until water temps significantly start to rise and that most likely won't be until April. Continue to look for reds in shallow areas that have a darker mud or oyster laden bottom. On clear days the sun will warm the water a few degrees in those areas making a great spot for the reds to hang out and warm up a bit. Bait (mullet, minnows, shrimp) will also hold in these "hot" spots and it's common knowledge that the reds will be in the same areas the bait is. One thing that does change towards the end of the month is the top-water bite. With the water warming up reds will once again be willing to chase down and inhale your favorite top-water plug. I prefer the "walk the dog" style lures. If the fish don't seem to want to give chase at first, try changing up your retrieval speed. Sometimes they like it fast and sometimes a little slower. If they aren't fired up enough to chase your favorite top-water, try a sub surface type plug. I've been having great success recently with the Sebile Stick Shad. The Sebile looks just like an injured finger mullet and it stays just below the surface of the water. The reds and trout that are just a little too cold to strike a top-water might be willing to take the Sebile.

Speaking of top-water action... March marks the start to my favorite time of year to fish for trout. There's nothing like watching that big momma trout come soaring out of the water after your plug. Creek mouths, rip rap, and just about anywhere you have some moving water are going to be great places to target the specs. Remember to loosen the drag just a little when throwing top-water plugs for trout. They have somewhat delicate mouths and you don't want to rip the plug away from the fish before they actually get it. Many anglers prefer to use mono when tossing top-water plugs for just this reason (Monofilament line gives a little stretch). Of course if top-water isn't your thing a jig and soft plastic will do the trick for the specs as well. I've been absolutely wearing out the trout as of late using a Slayer Inc. 1/8 ounce Predator jighead with a Fishbites Xtreme paddle tail. Jig, jig, then pause... then repeat. They almost always seem to hit it on the pause.

The black drum bite has been solid and should continue this month. Most of my fish have been caught in the deeper parts of the creeks off the ICW. Most have been caught using live or fresh dead shrimp. Dead low tide has been producing the best bite especially around the new and full moons.