Freshwater: April is proving to be a great month for freshwater fishing. Warm air temperature are heating up the water early this year and the fish have taken notice. Lake Wimico has had great bass and shellcracker reports with most anglers using spinnerbaits and crankbaits. The catfish bite has slowed, but is still worth the time if the water is rising.
Inshore/Piers: Last week it was reported a giant school of pompano had passéd by the Cape and everyone was catching pompano down that way. A few days later, they evidently passed our local piers and everyone who could throw a jig caught pompano. Last Sunday it was reported huge numbers of pompano were being caught at Henderson Beach between here and Destin. Luckily all the pompano in the area weren’t swept away when this school came through, but it left the ones that simply don’t want to bite.
Spanish mackerel are still in the bay and in the Gulf and it looks like they will be all summer. The sheepshead are still biting like gangbusters at the jetties using live shrimp or dead, it doesn’t matter. Tarpon are starting to show up even though it is a month early. St. Joe Bay is back to normal with good flounder and trout reports coming in daily.
Most anglers are using live shrimp and LYs. Blacks Island and Eagle Harbor seem to be the hot spots for inshore fishing. Large schools of redfish have been on the move at Town’s Beach and close to Presnells Channel.
