December, the last month of the year, is always hard to predict what the fishing will be like offshore as the weather is the first factor, and now the NMFS is prohibiting us from bringing home fish more so than the weather is stopping us from trying to catch them. It is too early to even try to determine what the fishing season will be for each species as the latest word is that there will not be much of a limit or season on most of the species that all of us like to go offshore and fish for.
Inshore fishing is a whole lot easier to talk about as it is really getting hot in November and I expect December to be even better, particularly weatherwise. The speckled trout, redfish, and flounder are really showing up big time. In addition, the pompano and sheepshead seem to be coming in great bunches. You will have to have a strong line as some of the sheepshead have grown to pretty good size. The speckled trout have multiplied ten times, or so it seems from the reports that have been coming in.
The best thing I can offer you at this time is to clean up your bow and polish your rifle and spend as much time in the woods as you can. The deer are so plentiful this year that they are trimmin’ the grass in the back yard before we even get a chance to cut it. I wish some of you could get a black bear permit, as they seem determined to tear the screen off of the back porch and eat ole’ Buster’s dog food.
I’m sure all of you are keeping up with the fishing news which has not been good for all of the fishermen lately, but hopefully all of the effort being put forth by every fisherman that I know will make a difference for this coming year. I hope the fishing boaters’ protest parades all up and down the Gulf coast will have the desired results with our congressman. The only way the recreational fisherman will regain our ability to bring home a few snapper, grouper, and amberjack will be through our senators and representatives because we have expended all of the effort we have working with NOOA/NMFS.
Don’t forget to file a float plan, and let somebody know when you are going to return.