March 2017: Florida Kayak Fishing Forecast

March 2017

By Neil Taylor and capmel.com kayak fishing staff contributors

Around the state:

Most of the state: Never really had a winter.  We have April fishing in March.   Will we finally get some real cold fronts?   We shall see.

The Tampa Bay region–

It has been good.   Pesky red tide has ruined specific areas.    Otherwise, things are good.  We have good fish stocks and there is a lot of action to be had.   Trout:  Easy.  Redfish:  Pretty good.   Snook still remain a tough species and will remain so for a long time.    The opening of snook season again marks a sad period in Florida resource management.   A snook is more valuable alive than dead.

Flounder are not back yet but with the weather trend I predict this will be the month.

Pompano action should accelerate.   It was good early in the winter season.   They have remained around but this weather we should have pompano continuing to be an object of desire.

Spanish mackerel are going to arrive in HUGE numbers this month.   Around the Skyway area it will be easy to get fish to fill the smoker.   They make an excellent fish spread.

In the Southwest “Suncoast” area of Florida, Steve Gibson with Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing: We anticipate continued excellent action on spotted
seatrout and snook. In addition, redfish activity should be good on
the flats around Sarasota Bay. Night fishing for snook will continue
to be excellent on fly and spin gear. In fresh water, Lake Manatee
should produce decent amounts of hand-sized bluegill, large speckled
perch, largemouth bass, shellcracker and channel catfish. Expeditions
to Alligator Alley will result in oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth
bass, bluegill and stumpknocker.

Florida East Coast: Things are great in the month of March.  Get out often.  Black drum, trout, redfish and even flounder are pretty easy to catch.    Haulover; New Smyrna, Jacksonville and all areas in between have great fishing.

In the Big Bend of Florida’s Panhandle, Robert Baker at TnT Hideaway-   Reports from both Rob at TnT and Brad at Sunjammers in Panama City!   Redfish and trout.   Easy to catch in the month of March, winter appears to be over.   We  have had great weather and with the days getting longer, it should be a great time to go.   To see Rob’s operation, check out:  http://www.tnthideaway.com/ .   If you are going to be in Panama City, stop in and see Brad and his staff at Sunjammers:  http://sunjammers.com/

In Northeast Florida:

No longer cold, the action has been great.   We have opportunities for pretty much all the species we catch.    Flounder are being caught.   Redfish are being caught even easier.    Trout have been pretty good if you go to the right locations.

In the greater South Florida area:

No question it is a great time to go fishing down here.    It is almost like summer.    We could really use some cooldowns to keep the water temperatures right but it won’t matter:   March will be a great month for spectacular action.    Go and go often!

The tip of the month:

Dry bags.   Do you own bigger dry bags?  March is a month that “you wish you brought a jacket.”   You won’t need it that often but jackets placed in dry bags available when needed is a good move.   The dry bag serves the purpose of not only keeping moisture away from the clothing but it also keeps items stored inside “clean.”

Need help learning how to kayak fish?   Hire one of our guides on staff for your region and take advantage of their knowledge and sharpen your own skills!

Get out and into the action but as always: Be careful out there!

Neil Taylor, www.capmel.com site administrator