Capt. Mark Wright with a "little" 40 inch redfi sh that came out to play on one of our very rare calm and warm mornings. An Exude RT Slug in Old Penny did the trick!

March on the Indian River Lagoon system can be a fickle time of year.  Spring is trying to, well, spring, but not always succeeding!  I’m guessing this year we’ll be facing more cold than normal and our typical amount of wind, which can be fierce.

To this I say to you; go fishing anyway.  March is our traditional kick-off to the Spring fishing season and the thumbing of our collective noses to “Old Man Winter”.

On windy days simply hide behind the many shoreline points which jut out into the open waters or behind an island that is located in an area that is known to be fishy.

Soaking live or cut baits will be the most effective method for catching redfish, black drum and even seatrout on these windy days.  I often rig a rod with cut mullet another with live shrimp and a third with either cut crab or cut ladyfish and see what the fish prefer on any given day.  All of these will be rigged using a circle hook and a few feet of fluorocarbon leader.  A split shot might be added only if necessary to aide in casting or sinking a stubborn piece of bait.

If I have a good casting angler on board I might even put a soft plastic into use, such as an Exude Dart in either the Natural Shrimp or Mangrove Red color.  More often then people expect, even during the cold days and for reasons we may never know, sometimes the fish can turn on and prefer the action of an artificial lure.  If you don’t stick one in the water and give it a try you might be missing out on one of those awesome fishing experiences!

For a Spring hint:  Don’t forget the spoons and very often the smaller the better.  A 1/8 ounce spoon isn’t the easiest to cast, but can be so very effective!

Capt. Mark Wright
321-302-3474 or 321-264-3474
www.captmarkwright.com