What you can expect during the year

January, February and March
We will have a series of cold fronts that blow through the area. The weather is changing and often is unpredictable. You can go to bed in 80-degree weather and wake up the next morning in 30-degree weather. Because of this wide variation in temperature, the fish are always moving. So at this time of the year, I generally target snook in the estuaries. If a cold front hits, the snook will move out of the estuaries and into the deeper, warmer water. Depending on how fast the front moves, the snook usually will be somewhere between the estuaries and the deep holes. Or, if our region has an extended cold front, the snook will be holding in the deep holes. These fish are very sensitive to temperature and can't tolerate water that's colder than 60 degrees. We still take plenty of speckled trout. The trout usually will hold in deep water early in the morning. By noon to 2:00 p.m., the fish will move up in 1 or 2 feet of water, and you can catch the trout by sight fishing. We also catch pompano and Spanish mackerel during these months because they move inshore at this time of the year. We have an area down here where the Spanish mackerel really move in good, and you can catch these fish until your arms get tired. You also can catch tarpon - a species that we catch every month of the year.

April, May and June
Are the best times of the year to catch a really big spotted seatrout. As I look back over my journal of fishing where I record the big trout caught in this area, I know for certain that April is the best month to catch a trout that's 8 pounds or better. Two world-record spotted seatrout have come from this region, and both were caught in April. During May and June, anglers can have a great day of fishing for tarpon, snook and trout all in the same day. If you choose, you can target any one of these three species and have a great day of fishing. And anglers shouldn't overlook the redfish during these months. Redfish usually are not a problem to catch during May and June. May and June are still good months to catch big trout. But the water is beginning to heat up this month, so you'll primarily get early-morning bites. When the sun comes out, and the water heats up, the trout don't seem to want to bite as much.

July, August and September
Are great months for the "Silver King". Tarpon are such a spectacular fish that I never get tired of trying to catch it. Tarpon have a lot of thrill value. When you fish for them, you get to see a lot of impressive jumps and big runs. During July and August, I like the acrobatic fish, the ones that will jump in the air, twist, squirm, scream the drag and cause the fishermen to get so excited they hardly can stand themselves. During September the region will experience another tremendous bait run. Millions of tons of bait will pour into the estuary at this time of year. Also, the water is starting to cool down, and the redfish really go on a heavy feeding spree. We can do a lot of sight fishing for reds in the flats. You can see them tailing and working the flats, and you can cast to them pretty easily. The trout also will be more active at this time than they were in the summer months. With the huge amount of bait coming into the area, we can do a lot of sight fishing for reds in the flats. You can see them tailing and working the flats, and you can cast to them pretty easily. The permit are generally in this area during the summertime. You can catch them on the beaches and occasionally inside the passes.

October, November and December
As we head into the winter, there's still plenty of bait in the rivers. On a warm day, the trout, redfish and snook may be in 1 foot of water, and if a cold front blows through, they may move out to 4 feet of water. Temperature is critical at this time of year. Whereas most fishermen live by their depth finders, we live by our temperature gauges. During November and December, the temperature can drop 8 degrees from one afternoon to the next morning. The shallow-water fish may move to deeper water and more toward the channels. Because I'm out on the water everyday, I generally know where the fish will go and where they'll be when those temperature changes occur.