September 2, 2010

A decision on the extended closure of snook season or re-opening the harvest of this fish should be announced at any time.    Anglers and guides all over the state are watching this one closely.   At a local fishing club meeting I attended last night, the feedback from the seasoned snook anglers matched what I had heard from most of my colleagues:  Yes, there are some snook around.    But not that many and the end opinion of just about everyone was that extending the closure is something that these folks would like to see.   With Strike Three Kayak Fishing, it won't even be a choice.   If they reopen the species, clients will be told ahead of time that the species is "off the list."    The same went for speckled trout back in late 2005 and all of 2006 after red tide decimated local populations.    They came back, just as the snook will.   Hopes are that the decision by the state will shield the species from harvest a while longer leaving all fish in the pool for future spawns.

The story in the Kayak Fishing scene is two-fold:  It's schooling redfish.    It is flounder.    Redfish are falling into their habits of "Fall" and larger fish are moving in and displacing the "smaller" fish *(which were 23 to 26-inches on average, not small but "smaller" than the reds showing up now).   They are responding to the rain-cooled waters and shorter daylight hours and this is shaping up to be a fine upcoming few months of redfishing local waters.

As predicted back in late 2009:  Flounder of incredible size are being caught with more regularity.   Massacred by the same red tide mentioned above, flounder have finally become a "target-able" species again in the Tampa Bay area.   Trips last November and December (up until the bad freeze) produced 30 or more flounder and therefore the prediction that this Fall would have great flounder opportunities.

Get out when you can, and as always: Be careful out there!