Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island Fishing Report

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[font "Times New Roman"]Signs of Snook alive on the flats[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]The cold weather and wind continues to hamper fishing but on a recent trip I found some good news to report. It was a cold and windy day with partly cloudy skies. The fish had not cooperated at all. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Trips up a favorite canal and some favorite flats had produced only on sea trout. It was spotted flushing out of some mangroves. I also saw one gar about 20 inches long swimming along the shoreline. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Numerous blind casts had produced nothing. Then, a huge black image appeared in the distance and I could tell there were some fish moving towards me. To my surprise it was a school of snook. The fish ranged from an estimated 15 inches to maybe 24 inches. They were swimming slowly, meandering down the shoreline over sandy bottom. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]After that first school passed I saw another coming from the same direction and it was obvious they were going to come my way as well. I made a few casts with plastic baits that were summarily ignored. They just swam on by. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]In another area I saw three or four larger snook, easily going over 30 inches, warming themselves in the afternoon sun. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Some of the fish looked a little beat up and not so healthy. I wondered what that was all about so I sent an email to Alexis Trotter of FWRI. She studies snook for a living and has been collecting data on the recent cold weather event that took its toll on many snook. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Alexis informed me that “There’s still pretty cold water temps for most of their region, so they probably won’t be feeding too well until it warms up a bit more. The ones that look a little beat up may have some infections (generally fungal) as a secondary effect of the cold. Some may succumb to those infections, some will be fine. Once the water finally warms up though, I think we’ll see snook in their normal routine.”[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]It was very encouraging to see a good number of snook roaming around and trying to get back to normal. I think we just need some warm weather and fishing of all types will improve. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]That’s what it’s all about. Good fishin’. [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]You can purchase my book, Secrets from Florida’s Master Anglers on the Snook Foundations website with proceeds going to the foundation. [/font]
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[url "http://www.snookfoundation.org/support/147-secrets-from-floridas-master-anglers.html"][font "Times New Roman"]http://www.snookfoundation.org/support/147-secrets-from-floridas-master-anglers.html[/font][/url][font "Times New Roman"] [/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]Events:[/font]
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[font "Times New Roman"]I will be at [url "http://www.sebastianinletmarina.com/"]Sebastian Inlet Marina[/url] on Saturday March 20th. I have a seminar time at 12:30 and will be in a booth the rest of the day. Come on by if you are in the area. [/font]
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