As the saying goes, "some things take time and good things happen to those who wait;" and for those who have waited: the current fishing conditions are absolutely stellar! After the relentless winds over the past several weeks, coinciding with some 'flat' tide conditions (no water movement), current conditions have merged in a perfect convergence (does anyone remember where they were during the infamous Harmonic Convergence of the late 1980s?)to provide for fantastic all around fishing. No wind, a rising morning tide (coinciding with the approach of the New Moon), and late season cool water temps have brought the tarpon back with a vengeance! Having since migrated from their early season holdouts inside the intracoastal and associated deep water back country areas, tarpon can be found rolling just off the beaches early in the morning before the breezes blow. Now is the perfect time to target and fly fish for these lazy rollers, as they can be sightfished in the clear calm early morning waters. With current water temps at 87F, the bite looks to last for several more weeks.

While out of season to keep, snook are biting like a bear out of hibernation! Big shiners are the key, as the snook are extremely spoiled at this time of year with acres of glass minnows available for them to forage. Pinfish will catch a snook, but I've had consistent action with the shiners, which are still rather large than typically found at this time of year. From my experience, the shiners have been showing up in my chum line at dark and petering out right at sunrise. So, your best bet is to get up and get cracking. My customers from the Bait Box this morning, Dr. Gary Phillips and his son Christian, from the Knoxville area of Tenn. caught both snook and trout on a half day trip. Threatening skies kept us in the River, and Tarpon Bay areas; each was very productive for both snook (in the mangroves) and trout (on the grass flats). Tides are going to flatten out over the next several days, meaning minimum water movement, and a weak front is forecast to die out over our area - making for some unsettled conditions. Make sure you keep one eye to the sky and check the NOAA radar channel before going anywhere near the water anytime after Noon. Oh yeah, during the Harmonic Convergence, I was flipping burgers in Vail, growing a beard, and pretty much following the mantra of my early years, "eat, drink, and see Jerry..." Remember: Don't jerk it 'til you feel the tug (and be prepared to yank and crank!)

Cheers,
Capt Dave Torrance
Mercury Saltwater Team