I cannot tell you at this time what type fishing we will be able to do in March. I can tell you the weather was as expected in February which was not good, but I believe Spring has sprung now that March is here and we will have to go back to the old days and target those many, many Spanish mackerel and kings. There will probably be a few blue dolphin and wahoo that will show up maybe by the end of March. All of this is not going to make any of us fishermen very happy, but it looks as if NOAA is going to put all of us out of the fishing business for an extended period of time. There is no way at this time I can tell you what is going to happen with the gag grouper, red snapper, and amberjack quotas. One day I hear that we will be able to catch red snapper beginning June 1st and the next day I get information that says we will only be able to bring them home on weekend days. The gag grouper rule at this point is that we will not be able to bring home any gags during the year of 2011, but then a day later I was informed that we may be able to bring home gag grouper during the months of September and October. The next action will be to completely stop all fishermen from bringing home red grouper. Now, why are we going to spend all of that money for fuel to run offshore into the deep water and not be able to bring home any fish! We all need to be heard by our government representatives, in a big way, that all of this action is being taken based on very bad, invalid information. Inshore fishing will turn on big time by the time you read this in March. The speckled trout, red fish, and flounder are plentiful and will be hungry after going through a winter such as we have had. The whiting, pompano, and sheepshead should provide some exciting inshore fishing. I would like to be able to provide you with better fishing information, however, at this point with all of the meetings and planning sessions going on, it appears that we have not seen all of the restrictions that will be placed on us as recreational fishermen. I hope I am wrong and just a little bit too government controlled at this point. We all need to respond as much as possible as it appears the EDF is in control of NOAA.
Don’t forget to file a float plan, and let somebody know when you are going to return.