In a matter of days, South Mississippi went from near freezing conditions to spring-like temperatures, meaning fishing is creeping closer and closer.
I can't wait even though I enjoyed deer hunting and we still have the spring turkey season coming up.
Next weekend, the boat show returns to the Coast Coliseum for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
The show also will have fishing tackle, gear and supplies for what should be a great spring-summer boating and fishing season.
Look for the water to warm up quickly, and once it reaches 70 degrees, fishing from the beachfront to offshore will heat up, too.
Oil reels, sharpen knives and stock up on hooks and other supplies now.
Freshwater fishing, mainly largemouth bass, should be better this year. Last year was pretty bad and the effects of a fish kill by Katrina were visible in places like the Pearl and Jourdan rivers. I remember fishing an entire day and not getting a single bump.
Fortunately, the bass that were caught were released to help rebuild the stock. Before the storm, a good day of bass fishing in the same bodies of water would often produce 15 to 25 bass.
We should continue to practice catch-and-release with bass for another year or two.
As far as spring bass fishing, look for top-water explosions on buzz baits and top-water lures.
I can't wait to have the first bass jump up and do its best to rip the pole out of my hand before crashing back down into the depths of the river.
March is also the kickoff of saltwater fishing.
It looks like the cobia run from the Florida Keys is under way.
Get ready to beat the chum bag on the sand bars at Horn and Chandeleur islands.
From early reports, a few cobia have been spotted off the Tampa channel. That means the run is on track. Look for the first Panhandle fish to be caught off Destin in two to three weeks.
This past week, I spoke with a couple friends who work offshore and they said cobia are being spotted around the deep-water rigs. These fish, however, are the ones that remain offshore for the winter instead of migrating to the Keys. More than likely, these are males and they will work their way north to meet the females for the migration.
It's a good sign that the males, who spend the winter near the bottom, have started working their way to the surface. That means surface temperatures warmed up the last couple days and winter's end is near.
I'm optimistic this year for four reasons: Ivan, Dennis, Katrina and Rita.
The hurricanes roughed up offshore waters as well as homes from Pensacola to the Texas-Louisiana state line so fishing pressure the last couple years has been light.
For more information check out these websites:
www.gosalmonfishing.com
www.rifles-n-rods.com
I can't wait even though I enjoyed deer hunting and we still have the spring turkey season coming up.
Next weekend, the boat show returns to the Coast Coliseum for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
The show also will have fishing tackle, gear and supplies for what should be a great spring-summer boating and fishing season.
Look for the water to warm up quickly, and once it reaches 70 degrees, fishing from the beachfront to offshore will heat up, too.
Oil reels, sharpen knives and stock up on hooks and other supplies now.
Freshwater fishing, mainly largemouth bass, should be better this year. Last year was pretty bad and the effects of a fish kill by Katrina were visible in places like the Pearl and Jourdan rivers. I remember fishing an entire day and not getting a single bump.
Fortunately, the bass that were caught were released to help rebuild the stock. Before the storm, a good day of bass fishing in the same bodies of water would often produce 15 to 25 bass.
We should continue to practice catch-and-release with bass for another year or two.
As far as spring bass fishing, look for top-water explosions on buzz baits and top-water lures.
I can't wait to have the first bass jump up and do its best to rip the pole out of my hand before crashing back down into the depths of the river.
March is also the kickoff of saltwater fishing.
It looks like the cobia run from the Florida Keys is under way.
Get ready to beat the chum bag on the sand bars at Horn and Chandeleur islands.
From early reports, a few cobia have been spotted off the Tampa channel. That means the run is on track. Look for the first Panhandle fish to be caught off Destin in two to three weeks.
This past week, I spoke with a couple friends who work offshore and they said cobia are being spotted around the deep-water rigs. These fish, however, are the ones that remain offshore for the winter instead of migrating to the Keys. More than likely, these are males and they will work their way north to meet the females for the migration.
It's a good sign that the males, who spend the winter near the bottom, have started working their way to the surface. That means surface temperatures warmed up the last couple days and winter's end is near.
I'm optimistic this year for four reasons: Ivan, Dennis, Katrina and Rita.
The hurricanes roughed up offshore waters as well as homes from Pensacola to the Texas-Louisiana state line so fishing pressure the last couple years has been light.
For more information check out these websites:
www.gosalmonfishing.com
www.rifles-n-rods.com