The Fish Are Back Biting in Florida by Basil Dubrosky

Posted on March 3, 2024 by kelli

It’s been a relatively cool winter in Florida so far and the fish have not been on the bite. Yesterday everything changed and the fish were biting in Sarasota bay. My friend, Tom and I went out on my boat and got about 15 spotted sea trout each and I got a couple Spanish mackerel. We brought home 3 fish. The Spanish Mackerel were 25 inches and 29 inches and the trout was 19 inches. All were caught on paddle tail jigs. I think with the warmer weather the fish will continue to be on the bite. I’m going to try for reds in the shallows tomorrow.

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Fishing Facts

Of the fifty United States, thirty-eight have a striped-bass record. New Jersey has the largest striped-bass record—a 78-pound 8·ounce whopper that was caught in 1982. The state with the smallest striped-bass record is Iowa. That landlocked striper weighed only 9 pounds 4 ounces and was caught in 1983.

There’s something fishy about beer these days. Fish Tail Ale is popular as ever, and New Jersey’s Flying Fish Brewery is one of the state’s largest specialty breweries. There’s also Washington’s Wild Salmon Organic Pale Ale, Florida’s Land Shark beer, Delaware’s Dogfish Head beer, and two versions of Stingray beer—a lighter version from the Cayman Islands and a dark beer from Canada.

The triangle fly is probably the most unusual of saltwater flies. It’s one of the few, if not only, flies tied to a treble hook. It’s also barely a fly at all, because hardly any material is used. It is complete after tying the two straw pearl twinkle flashes and the tiny tuft of natural squirrel, leaving an entire hook fully exposed. Incredibly this barebacked treble fly is a knockout when it comes to sea trout.