Once again the annual Swamp Guide’s Ball tournament was a blast. Fishing once again with my Dad, and his good buddy, Don Joseph from Boca Grande, we set out to catch bonefish, redfish and snook. A the end of the day, the two anglers caught 23 redfish that measured at least 20” and a handful more that were smaller than the qualifying 20” minimum. My Dad’s total of 13 released redfish missed the most redfish award by one fish. That being said, despite being out of the winner’s circle, it was great day of catching which included lots of other rodbenders.
The next couple of days were open days for me so I took advantage of it by taking my Dad, Don and my son Ben out for some more fun fishing. We went out to the reef in my 22’ Pathfinder Bayboat and caught loads of yellowtail snapper, groupers, cero mackerel, and even Don’s very first sailfish!
As I sit here today, we are expecting a cold front to move in throughout the night. This will change up the fishing patterns we’ve been enjoying during this warm weather period. The fish might be lethargic right after a cold snap but should be biting as the weather warms up during the day.
So tonight, it seems like a good night to put on the warm weather gear and go shrimping. Just another reason to enjoy being in the Florida Keys no matter what the weather brings.
