The Winter Bonanza is Here

As the temperatures begin to plummet to a blistering 70 degrees, the Winter Season is confirmed with huge amounts of pilchards covering the flats in the backcountry. One particular morning, I threw the cast net and watched it literally swim away from the boat almost pulling the rope out of my hand while fishing with Ryan Wood, a friend and customer who lives in Miami. As I called for help, everyone on the boat began the count…one, two, three lift! And the net did not budge. Then, after dumping out 150lbs or more of pilchards, began the process of lifting the net into the boat one section at a time, filling all the live wells on the boat to maximum capacity. Needless to say, bait has been plentiful.

Offshore, crashing schools of Tuna and Wahoo are seemingly endless throughout the day. You can catch Tuna right now until your arms fall off. One particular day, we spent the entire afternoon chumming Wahoo to within a few feet of the boat, up to 70lbs. All of this activity has been happening while we are bottom fishing for Snappers and Groupers. The bottom fishing has been relatively diverse while Mutton Snappers and Black Groupers up to 50 lbs. have been the main staple. It is truly a blessing to be a guide and fish down here during this time of year. This is the time to start planning and booking your trips for this winter. I hope to hear from you all soon to book your trips and take advantage of this winter fishing season.