The best of late April fishing in Florida

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he best of late April fishing in FLORIDA

With the coming of spring, March, 20, out Florida waters are warm and getting warmer.
Traditionally, by the end of April, the fishing is just as 'HOT' as the water:

Friday, April 26, will 'The best of late April fishing in FLORIDA' be 'HOT'?Follow along as Captain Bryon, 'Jersey Girl' Chef Tammy, First Mate Will & his partner Jason, and the Florida Fisherman II's guest find out together. Tammy has packed the Florida with enough food, drinks, and snack, to feed a small, make that a large, army. After all, challenging the creatures of the deep makes one & all extremely hungry; extremely thirsty.Welcome to our home for the next 39 hours, the Florida Fisherman ll.First up, what has become a tradition, is the Great Line Toss.Can Will 'Hit the Gold'? Only one way to find out...Watch 3:10 minutes into the video at the end of this presentation.The Florida is ready and so are we. Let's go!We will be targeting Mangrove, Yellowtail, and Vermilion Snapper, along with Red Grouper. Will, first mate on the Florida for mover ten years, makes sure we are ready:As we leave beautiful Madeira Beach, Florida, the wind is a little stronger than we would like, but nothing for a 72' catamaran:Trolling can be exciting and very productive:Ed is an expert at tolling. This man among men is more than willing to share his vast knowledge. Want to get the most out of the Florida's outriggers? Ed will show you how:Fresh Bonito is one of the most productive, sought after, baits we can use. While trolling we target them for future use:Tammy, we are starved. That big smile is for real:Friday night... The Yellowtail Snapper are on fire. The Yellowtail Snapper is native to the western Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. They have been found as far north as Massachusetts. Their normal range is along Florida south to the West Indies and Brazil. They can be found in depths to 590 feet. Most are found from 33 to 230 feet. The Yellowtail can reach a length of 34 inches. However, most do not exceed 16 inches. The greatest weight ever recorded for Yellowtails is 9 pounds. The Yellowtail Snapper is the only known member of its genus.Yellowtail are fun to catch and great to eat. Nothing like two-at-a-time:

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This young man is on fire:As usual, the ladies show how it's done:Even Captain Bryon is amazed at this woman, this anglerette:This is becoming a major Yellowtail catch:Early Saturday morning... The fish are running BIG!The hard to catch, hard to fool, mangrove Snapper. There is a real art to catching the elusive Mangrove in 100+ feet of water:And, yet to come, the best part of Mangrove Snapper fishing:Next up the Vermilion (Beeliner) Snapper. Vermilion Snapper are native to th western Atlantic Ocean from North Carolina to Brazil including the Gulf of Mexico and he Caribbean Sea to Brazil. Vermilion Snapper inhabits waters from around 130 to 980 feet. Seldom are they found at depths deeper than 330 feet. Vermilion Snapper can reach a length of 24 inches; most are around 14 inches. The greatest recorded weight is 7.1 pounds. Often the Vermilion Snapper is sold as Red Snapper:One of the best features on the Florida is individual live wells. Our Fishing Coach, Mr. John Martin, demonstrates how to use this most important tool:Talk about fine eating:Ladies are a welcome addition. They are always treated with great respect:

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The girls are good, very good:This woman is on fire. Even Jason is amazed:Come June is pay-back time. An remember on the overnight trips we have a two day possession limit. During the warmer months Gags are harder to target, but we still do very well:Now let's discuss the American Red Snapper. We who actually fish know how 'endangered' they really are. What does the expert on Red Snapper say:Red Snapper have taken over many of the off shore reefs & structures. To thrive all of our, or what was once our, fishery must have strict management. Management based on science, based on 'BALANCE', not $$$. We try but it is often impossible to get away from the over-abundant American Red Snapper:Last year the 39 & 44 hour Florida Fisherman ll trips completely limited out, two day limit, on Red Snapper on all but one trip. On that trip the Gag Grouper were so hot we decided to target them. We averaged over 170 American Reds on every trip. Over-fished them? Hardly! We are seeing more this year than last. Federally permitted head, charter, boats ARS season begins June 1, and closes August 2. Talk about Pay-Back-Time! We have been fishing hard ever since late Friday night.By Saturday evening we are ready for a hot shower, a home cooked meal, and a good nights sleep:Sunday morning... Back at the dock.Will 'The best of late April fishing in FLORIDA' be 'HOT'?                       WELL!Talk about a happy young man:Hooked on drugs? Never! We are looking at a young man who knows the important things in life. Captain Bryan, good job sir, very good job:Catch the action packed video of our trip:

And now a personal note. A few short years ago I snapped this picture while deep-drop fishing on the Florida ll. We were caught in a bad storm with 30+ mph winds and ten foot seas.No problem for that Big Cat, or me. Now, at 77, I am forced to watch the weather a great deal closed than ever before. Four foot seas are about my limit. Wanted to go on this, and every, trip badly. However, with winds predicted to reach 20+ mph, I decided not to go. Other than my daughter, Dee, sharing my fishing and hunting adventures are the most important things in my life. I remain very appreciative to the Florida's Fishing Coach, John Martin, and to our on-board Chef, Tammy Koota, for filling in for me. Their camera work is greatly appreciated. In addition, a very special thanks to Captain Dylan Hubbard for sending me their pictures & raw video. Without their continued support, there would often be nothing to share.
 Thank you!
Bob HarbisonFlorida Outdoor Writers Association

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