Warmer temperatures welcome among local fishing enthusiasts

I think I can see spring on the horizon, but it will not arrive soon enough for me. Record breaking temperatures through out the entire United States has everyone wishing they could go further south to warmer weather. Well, that is exactly what I did. I packed up and headed to Key West and found 100-year record low and record high temperatures during the first 12 days of 2010.

The water was so cold in the canals from Key Largo to Key West that fish of all species were dying due to unbearably low temperatures. I saw mangrove snapper, grouper, grunts, and parrot fish floating dead in the canals.

Back here in the panhandle, the same trend has been occurring. There have been reports of pelicans dying due to severe cold temperatures and 500 to a 1,000 sea turtles rescued in the St. Joe Bay and Panama City areas. There were mullet and trout found in the bayous and canals that did not survive these severely low temperatures as well.

On a positive note, as the weather begins to warm up to normal winter temperatures here in the panhandle, fishing will begin to improve. The most productive inshore fishing for the next month or so will be for trout and red fish. They will be hubbed up in the canals and local bayous, in and around the deeper holes. Because of the low water temperatures, they are not very active. You will need some good live bait to get their attention and live shrimp is usually the bait of choice. Most of the local tackle shops carry live shrimp.

Offshore, the bottom fishing will be good if you can find a break in the weather to get out. These fish are generally in depths of 180 feet and deeper this time of year. There should be plenty of amberjacks on the larger public wrecks and along the 29 edge. Jigging is a great way to catch jacks, along with any kind of larger live bait. Grouper can be caught the same way, but remember grouper season closes from Feb. 1 through March 31. Also the vermilion snapper are biting well on the natural bottom areas in the 200 to 250 foot range. The bait of choice for vermilion's is cut squid.

Bill Lee with nice snowy grouper caught aboard the Big Zulu in 700 feet of water. Recent decisions to close Florida fisheries to recreational fishing fishermen are dissappointing and threaten the livelihood of a great number of Floridians. The lack of sound science on which to base these closures of the South Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico grouper and snapper fishery come during some of Florida's peak recreational fishing and tourism months.

"United we fish" to seek congressional support on February 24. On the steps of the capitol, in Washington DC, recreational and commercial fishermen will gather together on February 24.

Beginning at noon on the 24th until 3 p.m., an organized demonstration against the unintended negative impacts of the Magnuson Stevens Conservation and Management Act (MSA) will take place. Rally organizers are expecting to see a large show of force in defense of coastal communities. For more information check www.joinrfa.org.

Planning your next fishing trip or maybe just a sunset cruise, check us out at www.entertainercharterspns.c om and "May the Good Fishing be Yours".