Is this what we’ve been waiting for all winter long or what? Spring has finally arrived and things in the world of fishing are starting to happen along the gulf coast. The water temperatures are still about 5 to 8 degrees below normal for this time of year, but that’s keeping no one from wetting their hooks.

Cobia season is officially on and the first one of the year was weighed in at Daybreak Marina in Pensacola on the 19th of March. The fish was 48 pounds and caught by John Paul Whibbs of Pensacola. The Cobia migration will continue along the beaches of northwest Florida through the entire month of April and into the first or second week of May. They are caught anywhere from right near shore, out to two miles from the beach.

You can see boats running up and down the coast with anglers braced off on towers of all sizes searching for these elusive fish. They generally prefer live bait of any kind or a lead headed jig tip with squid. The best bait of choice always seems to be a live eel.

This is probably one of the largest game fish that can also be caught fishing from the Pensacola Beach fishing pier. So if you don’t have access to a boat, you may try the pier, but be warned there are a lot of professionals out there and this time of year and the competition is fierce out there.

A little farther offshore, aboard the Entertainer, we took a couple of spring break crews out for a little deep sea bottom fishing and did quite well. The Vermilion Snapper were biting very good and they ranged in size from one to two and a half pounds. Most everyone on board had their bag limit of 20 fish. They also caught some really nice trigger fish, with a couple being eight to nine pounds.

Once we had caught a little live bait, we proceeded further off shore to a larger wreck to try our luck with some Amberjack. These fish really love larger size live baits and have to be 30 inches to the fork to be legal to keep. If you’ve never caught an Amberjack, they are probably pound for pound one of the toughest fighters in the Gulf of Mexico.

Mattie, age 7 and Jack Patel, age 5, show their Trigger Fish. Once the boat was positioned over the wreck, first mate Rusty sent down a slip lead rig with a 12 ft., 80- pound test leader and a large live bait. He handed the rod off to the first angler and instantly he was on. After a 10 minute battle he landed a 30 pound Amberjack.

Next up was an awesome angler who has fished with us several times before and simply amazes me every time he goes. He, unlike other anglers, never complains about not being able to hang on to the rod, even when it’s twisting under pressure. He never says I can’t do this. He has only one upper limb and a specially made rod holder and he can literally put some fish on deck. Rusty once again baited up the next rod and sent it down to the proper depth and placed it in his special made holder. Once again he was on and fighting hard. With a little aid from Rusty, the fish was whipped after another short 10 minute battle. Great job Doc.

As for the inshore angling, the Redfish are still plentiful in the local bayous and canals. The speckle trout are also in the canals and are beginning to move out onto the grass flats. I have heard reports of some rather large specs around the Big Sabine area. As the water warms up, a top water plug or a small golden color spoon works well, but for now I would stay with live shrimp.

In the Pensacola Pass and around the jetties, the Sheepshead are showing up in huge schools to spawn. A small spinning outfit, with a two ounce weight and a No. 2 hook topped with a live shrimp is deadly. These fish are great fighters for an inshore fish and they also make a very tasty dinner.