BigBendFishing.Net

Spend the day Saturday fishing from Grey Mare to Shell Point in water from 2-6 foot with only two keepers to show for it. I don't understand it. Plenty of pinfish out there. The one difference I see from prior years is where the grass is growing. The locations i had marked last year that had good grass are now bare.

Its crazy and frustrating.

Trout won't stay in an area they cannot hide in. They are ambush predators, and with no grass they are also fair game for anything bigger than them that can eat them. I've heard cobia love trout.

and i love Cobia, maybe I need to re-evaluate my prey.

The grass is not growing anywhere does make you wonder what is up with that this year!

Grass is growing pretty well in the panacea shell point area.

I can find acres of deep healthy looking grass easily out of st marks right now... Trout.. not so much.

From asking around they are still shallow and in the creeks. Had a guy fish the same day as me I fished 6 hours with 1 keeper to show for it and he fished 2.5 hours with 8 keepers to show for it... The difference was I was on the flats and he was in the creeks in a Gheenoe.

Seems I recall the winter river trout fishing posts were off as well, is this a sign of a bigger problem?

Our winter time was nothing like last year either not sure why that things are so different this year has been tough since last Nov. for us!

this is no mystery... It's apparent the commercial fishing of trout is finally taking its toll...going to get worse guaranteed...

It's not just trout though, the other stuff isn't biting either. The flounder and reds aren't hitting like they used to. Something is awry, but what?

I agreew last post. My red fishing is way down from the last 4 yrs.

Weather may have something to do with - an early chilly (but not cold) winter followed by an early hot spring - March was nearly 6 degrees above normal and April was almost 8 degrees above normal. So far, May is running over 4 degrees above normal. I had a great March for trout in St Marks at the bars by the lighthouse but it's been tough since. There haven't been as many spanish in close, or even as many ladyfish. Redfish have been OK but flounder do seem off. The water is clearing and there does seem to be more baitfish in the water and lots of mullet were around but it may be too late to salvage spring - hopefully, the fall fishing will be good.

I waded from the old pilings at the lighthouse east around the point last week, no hits at all. It was high tide and the wind had picked up, I was fishing a gulp shrimp under a popping cork and hoping it was just the rough water killing the action of the cork. Seeing so many others with bad luck isn't encouraging though. Going to take the pirogue and a fly rod and hit the creeks some this week.