Water temp?

65.8 at 12 mile buoy right now

Yeah, the water temp @ 42012 peaked at 68 yesterday (the 1st time in a couple of months).
So we are getting 'closer'.
But the coastal water temps are still lagging behind 2-3 degrees cooler (Perdido Pass was 65-66).

So far this coastal fog has been too thick to allow the beach water temps to warm more than the off shore waters.
Maybe next week????

Well than Mr. #R, according to your chart, we should see the first wave of Spanish any day now! Did we take bets on first Spanish???


http://www.gulfshorespierfishing.com...r-pier-r-9236/

'Ole tymers' at the Panhandle piers used to say the spanish show up after the third foggy day (episode).
This is the 2nd...

It would seem the sheepshead will 'turn on' first?

Agreed, the sheepies should have already turned on. I remember catching the heck out of them on Presidents Day around Perdido Pass years ago.
Of course, given that there is about a foot of rain in the forecast, who knows what will happen.

It seems fishing has gotten worse the past three years

Not sure I agree with you Kingkiller. Caught limits on the newly imposed sheepshead limit last year and everyone had limits on Spanish and we're giving them away regularly. Lou got tired of cleaning his catch and never put a rod in the water. Didn't have trouble with Hooking up kings either. Even caught one on a got-cha lure. The problem was getting them in past all the Sharks.

I think sometimes we forget after a long fishless winter! I would agree it's a late start this year.

Summer 2013, when we got to fish the pier a lot, me & the boy put the smack-down on Spanish every time we came down during June & July, had 3 trips in a row where we came home with our limits. Tons of big spadefish on 2 trips too. And I caught a couple of kings, a couple of bull reds and jacks too. 2013 was a great summer.
Last summer, I just didn't have time to make it down. So I cant comment
Hope to make it down this year!

I know I had a heck of a lot fewer king hookups last year than in previous years, and not for lack of trying. Hogman fished for a solid week to catch one in early Oct. (I think). John G quit making his morning trips to the pier it was so slow. I hope more of them make it past the net boats in Florida this year.

There WERE lots of baby kings last year.

I didn't venture out on the octi and chase kings until my late May trip in 2012 and was pretty clueless the first couple of days. That week a novice(me) could hook a king with a double hook piano wire size leader. I thought that 50-60 kings a day and a limit of Spanish was the norm.