Springtime fishing has arrived

The week started with cold weather for our standards and finished with sunny, warm days Fishing started a little slow but picked up as the weather improved with the arrival of spring

The best Spanish mackerel reports of the year were reported inside the Gulf passes and Charlotte Harbor Macks were caught off bar edges in Charlotte Harbor near Bokeelia, in Pine Island Sound over grass/sand mixed bottom inside Captiva and Redfish passes, and between the B and C span of the Sanibel Causeway on the Gulf side Land-bound anglers hooked into macks from the Matlacha Drawbridge

Live shrimp under a popping or a rattling cork was the top bait, with live pilchards, small spoons and Gotcha lures also catching fish

Capt Bill Russell On the Water

Sand holes and areas around oyster bars held spotted seatrout up to 23 inches in Pine Island Sound with a good number of fish released in the 20inch class Seatrout reports also came around Bokeelia, including grass flats to the north and west, and in Burgess Bay. To the south, trout were caught between Tarpon Bay and Blind Pass and east of Chino Island Snook and redfish were a g o o d o p t i o n a f t e r m i d - w e e k with rising water temperatures

B o t h s p e c i e s w e r e h o o k e d around Captiva, Redfish and Blind passes, plus keys and islands throughout Pine Island Sound Snook were reported in Matlacha Pass but not many redfish Most fish were caught with free lined live shrimp, pilchards and pinfish, plus Berkley Gulp Baits and Rapala X-raps

Fishing for both species will improve as spring brings us warmer water and higher tides

Early in the week, sheepshead was a good option over the cooler days Prime sheepshead season is winding down but fish up to 5 pounds were caught around the Gulf passes and barrier islands Shrimp and mud crabs were top baits.

Anglers hooked into sharks ranging in size from 2-6 feet Black tip, sharp nose and bonnetheads were caught while fishing trout and mackerel in previous mentioned areas Baits included cut mullet and ladyfish, plus live shrimp and pinfish

Also, tarpon are beginning to roll in as we are getting reports of hook-ups in the Sound and Charlotte Harbor Tarpon will become more plentiful over the next few weeks

March is notoriously known as a windy month in Southwest Florida, on my account, the windiest of the year. Good news, winter is over, and spring has arrived. Moving forward, windy conditions should become less frequent, plus fewer, and weaker cool fronts Spring kicks off maybe the best weather and fishing of the year Get on the water and enjoy it!

To keep up on current fishing regulations, you can go to www myfwc comor download the Fish Rules app for the latest rules and regulations

If you have a fishing report or for charter information,