Well, 2009 came and went quicker than anticipated and 2010 is here for a new year of exciting opportunities. Yesterday I had the pleasure of fishing Riley and his son Hunter from Kentucky (it’s really cold there) while mom was out shopping. As Riley and I commented at the beginning of the trip, the fishing trip was definitely going to be cheaper than the shopping trip, and a whole lot more exciting, and exciting it was. Riley is an accomplished angler having fished all over the world and having caught more species of fish than most people know exist as well as having dozens of articles published in major blue water magazines. One thing I really enjoyed about fishing with these two great guys was how excited they were to be on the water and come face to face with big Biscayne Bay winter time bonefish. After shots at big double digit fish they were finally rewarded with a nice oceanside fish. We ended the day with the sight of a big tailing bonefish that proved to be difficult to hook.
Fishing in Biscayne Bay is great this time of year if you keep an open mind and take what the weather gives you. A hard cold front will drive the bones deep but keep the groupers, snappers and mackerels in the finger channels and patch reefs. Once the sun has had an opportunity to warm up the water on the flats the bones will sneak back up the flats to feed.
While out fishing keep in mind the new grouper closures that take effect January 19th through April 30th, see the FWC link for more details.
http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/09/statewide/News_09_X_GrouperSnapperSeasonsClose.htmHappy New Year, make this one better than the last, get out on the water and make that drag sing!
Capt. Mo Estevez