Mackerel and Speckled Trout in Cedar Key

Last Saturday March 23 Jackie and her family from Okeechobee Florida went fishing with me again. When we left the dock at 9am the sky was clear and the winds light. Trout were all over the `flats` and I`d heard that Capt. Jim of Saltwater Assassin Charters had caught mackerel already in this early spring season. We motored out past Deadman`s Key to the end of the channel and then off to the south side in about 4ft. of grassy bottom and started with shrimp 30in. below floats. We fished there for 20 minutes with boring results. Just a few small trout. I moved us over to the shallows next to the Northwest channel past North Key and we had not much better action there. By this time we noticed the sky was hazy and the horizon was obscured a little. Fog was settin in. I said, "let`s go back to our 1st stop and give it another try". It really is a productive spot. As we anchored in 4ft of water I realized I could see only 40 yards in any direction. I have good local knowledge of the waters and knew right where we were. When the 1st shrimp hit the water it started 2 hours of real quick action. Trout after trout came up in my dipnet and over the side and either straight into the cooler because they were obviously over the legal 15in size or into the measuring tray. Many were released back into the water to grow another inch. Awhile into our baiting and hooking and fighting and netting we started to hook into some very fast moving and strong beautiful silver, yellow spotted Spanish mackerel. When it came time to get back to the dock, a couple of my fisherfolks were glad to put the rod down and take a break. I still had 24 plump speckled trout and 9 big Spanish mackerel to fillet when we got in.

By that time the seafog was so thick I ran only at half throttle. We rode for a short time before we could see the Airport shoreline so we turned southerly untill we came out into the channel between Atsena Otie and Cedar Key. A little further Easterly then the Thomas House came into view then the bridge into the inner harbor. My folks went shopping and eating as I cleaned all the fish. I sharpened up the blade and went at it. I was a smooth oiled machine. Slice down one side and flip the fillet over and skin the fresh meat right off. Flip the trout over and do it again. I had a large pile of fillets left to bone. That is to slice the belly bones out so there are no bones, just meat. Somewhere in the middle of all this slicing I sliced my finger just enough to bleed real good and get noticed by everyone who stopped by to watch. You know how folks like to go down by the waterside and look at the boats and the people and the pelicans. Capt. Jimmy Keith of Saltwater Assassins and his son Jimbo were just coming in off the water at that time and as he tied up I asked him if he had a bandage for my bleeding finger and he said when he cut himself he wrapped electricians tape over it and went back to work. I stuck my finger out and he put a double wrap around it and then he said," I`ll cut the rest of your fish for you Dan". He pulled out this long sharp blade and made quick work of the last 9 mackerel I had left. What a kind, Christian thing to do. Jimmy and Jimbo had limited out with trout that day, as they do most days. Thats 5 trout, 15 in. to 20in. per customer. I missed limiting out by 1 trout.

Folks, the fishing has exploded around Cedar Key Florida. Central Florida West coast inshore fishing is superior right now. Another couple of degrees warmer water temperature and the redfish will be all over these oyster bars. Pick a warm day when the wind is down and call me and we`ll set up a day when you and your family can float around these mangrove islands and catch all you can. I`l fillet `em back at the dock. thanks, Capt Dan 352-221-5463 http://www.inshorefloridafishing.com

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