The freshwater speckled perch bite continues to be both good and frustrating. The big spawn that I had anticipated around the full moon last week never materialized. There are plenty of fish spawning it’s just that they are doing it a few at a time.
Dead Lake, however, was the hot spot last week ahead of other local bodies of water. Most of the fish were being caught while jigging live minnows on a 1/16-ounce red or yellow jig head along the lily pads.
Not much to report of anyone making it out of the inlet last week. Strong winds kept most anglers tending to shore duty. Sunday weather was the first day offshore anglers could have made a trip outside, too late to get a report before this column.
Surf fishing has continued to be hit or miss. A strong current has made keeping a 5-ounce sinker from washing back onto the beach next to impossible. The few days that were fishable yielded bull whiting, black drum and legal-size pompano.
Flagler Pier anglers were reporting catches of bluefish, redfish, bull whiting, black drum and a few sheepshead. Most fish were being caught on either dead shrimp or sand fleas during the tide changes.
Anglers fishing from the bridge at Matanzas Inlet are scoring black drum up to 5 pounds using live or fresh dead shrimp while fishing the incoming tides. Mixed in with the drum are a few oversized redfish and sheepshead.
Anglers fishing from the beaches in this area are catching good-sized bull whiting using sand fleas.
Inshore fishing has not been about catching a lot of one species, but rather about catching plenty of them combined.
We have been hooking a lot of little redfish but still catching a few keepers to take home. Most of our hookups were on live shrimp on a ¼- or 1/8-ounce jig head while fishing along the shoreline.
Moving out to the drop off in the Intracoastal Waterway, we were picking up keeper trout. Mixed in with my catches last week were black drum, whiting, pompano, and a few sheepshead.
Palm Coast West Marine is having their grand opening on Saturday, March 17. The store is in the northwest area of the Island Walk Shopping Center in Palm Coast. When the doors open at 8 a.m., the first 100 customers will receive a West Marine Mystery Gift Card valued at $5 to $100.
Capt. Mike Vickers is a full-time charter captain offering offshore or inshore fishing and boat rentals. Contact him at 386-569-9674; captainmikesfishing@yahoo.com; or web site palmcoastfishingandboatrental.com or on Facebook at palm coast fishing and boat rental.