Baitfish bonanza

To an outsider, fishing may seem like a leisurely activity, but the truth is, like any good hobbies – it’s a passion:

A day on the water is a full mind and body work out.

At least that’s the case if you’re a good fisherman, which I can say in great confidence that I am not (not even close).



But I’ve seen real anglers in action.

I marvel at their ability to read the water, the wind, the fish, their equipment, adjust technique accordingly, rely on a 6th sense that’s virtually unexplainable, and if you’re a snook fisherman on the Earman River – factor in the upstream spillway (S-44).


The S-44 not only feeds freshwater from the Everglades into the estuary, it also sweeps baitfish into the brackish waters along with it.

That churned up water and turbulent flow is a perfect hunting ground (or in this case, “water”) for the sonar-enabled snook to nab those hazy-eyed and disoriented new comers. Source



From what I can see from the spillway data, those bait fish were on low supply this spring.

The S-44 recorded its lowest volume of spring flows ever, going all the way back to 1985 when record keeping at the site begins.



While I stand to be corrected, since I do not live on the Atlantic coast and – as I stated earlier – I am not a fisherman:

Odds are I couldn’t catch a snook even if it were flowing with seine nets full of baitfish.


But odds are high that good fisherman could catch a couple regardless,

For the next few days at least:

The Atlantic Coast snook season closes on June 1st.