SALT ADDICTION CHARTERS LLC
STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA

when the Spring Equinox arrives. This is the moment in time that the sun stands directly above the Equator and day and night are approximately the same. But in simple terms it means that Winter is over in the Northern Hemisphere and Astrological Spring has finally arrived. Dawn will soon be a tick earlier each day and Dusk will fall a tick later each day. What does all of this mean ? It means Spring Fishing Season in Steinhatchee is about to begin ! Winter came a little earlier than what we have grown accustomed to last year but it seems that Mother Nature is making up for it and February has had quite the Springish feel for most of the month. Oh but She can be brutal and play some mean tricks too so I might should not brag too soon. Many migrational birds have shown up already, some have been here for several weeks. As you ride through the woods you will see Red Bud Trees, Dogwoods ,Wild Plums and many other species of trees in full bloom. God is painting a beautiful Spring picture all across our landscape.  Fishing has been great the last few weeks and a Spring Fishing pattern is beginning to come into full swing. Groups of smaller male trout are grouping up together and Big females are starting to group up as well. Spring is in the air and things are happening. If you want to join in on the fun you can book a trip right on my website or just give me a call. Don't miss out on the fantastic spring fishing action. Also still plenty of openings for scallop season if you want to book a trip. Don't wait too long as the lodging in town for scallop season is limited and disappearing quickly. Capt Mike Farmer www.saltaddictioncharters.com 352-210-1551 So much for global warming huh ? We have had quite a few days so far this winter that have reached the 70's but we have also had some of the down right coldest days I can remember in a while now. I had hoped for some consistently cool weather with a few cold days thrown in. This would have stabilized a good winter pattern for us here. But instead it seems we get nice warm days much like springtime or else it's frigid COLD. January started off with an ice storm. In Florida ? What the heck !! All I can say is musical chairs. If you regularly read my writing here or the various other places that it appears then you know exactly what I am talking about. Constantly changing weather patterns equals constantly changing fishing patterns. This can be very confusing at times, but follow the pattern that goes with the water temperature and not the air temperature. Many times, we have a warm up or a cool down period that doesn't really change the water temperature all that much. Until that happens things really don't change that much. Immerse your brain and thoughts down into the water column to figure out what is going on. This time of year, it can be really hard to predict in advance what the fish are going to be doing. Just rely on Mother Nature and follow the fish. The Pink or Pink Ghost Salty Snack bait has really been my go-to bait for the last several weeks. Give this bait a try for yourself. It is very diverse and can be fished ultra-shallow when the fish are up on the shallow flats or can be rigged on a jig head and fished in deeper waters as well. I have my boat out of the water until about Mid-February for some planned maintenance and upgrades so I will not be booking any trips until she returns to the water. But it's time to go ahead and start booking spring season fishing trips. These dates will start filling up soon so now is the time to plan your trip. In February the FWC will give us the final decision on dates for Bay Scallop Season so stay tuned for that info as these trips will start filling up quickly as well. November is a month that can bring plenty of awesome action, it is also a month that can bring plenty of changes. Mother Nature is in control this month, patterns will be all according to what type of weather she deals out in the cards as this month progresses. So far we are off to a fairly warm start for the month and this will keep the fish mostly out on our grass flats.Try using a rattling style cork with about 24-30 inches of fluorocarbon leader material below. Attached to this could be a number of things that will work well during this time of year. Natural baits such as cut baitfish or shrimp are always a great choice. Most of the year shrimp are tough to use as bait while our grass flats hold abundant amounts of pinfish residing there during the warmer months. These little fish will devour shrimp and rob them from your hook as fast as you can bait your hook and toss them another one. But once the waters begin to cool the pinfish leave and move away until the spring. During this time shrimp are returning to the shallow waters and therefore become a primary food source. If you don't like using live baits then soft plastics such as Saltwater Assassin baits or Gulp will work quite well fished under a cork also. After Mother Nature brings in the cold then we will start to see changes happening. Once we start experiencing nights with lows falling into the 30's or lower into the 40's the Trout will begin to transition into more of a Winter pattern. Expect to see fish moving from the flats on up into the Steinhatchee River and the many nearby creeks. This transition isn't exactly a mass exodus with all of them leaving at once but a few will move then eventually more and more will make the move. It all depends how long the cold weather hangs around. At times the temperatures will travel up and down like a ride on a roller coaster. This ride isn't nearly as fun as a theme park ride though. It leads to groups of fish being scattered all in between and makes it hard to find anything consistent. Consistent weather either hot,warm or downright cold leads to consistent fishing patterns. Thanks for reading and please give me a call if you would like to book a trip and get in on the action. Capt Mike Farmer 352-210-1551