For the third weekend in a row we are in the middle of a cold front and have been canceling charters. High winds mixed with colder temps can be the kiss of death to your weekend fishing plans.

The bite early in the week was very good, though. On a trip on Monday, Don and Linda Roberts managed to catch and release several nice trout up to 19 inches, along with a good number of snook. Both species are in a closed season right now, so handle with care.

Free-lined greenbacks or pilchards were the ticket as the fish were in 3 to 10 feet of water. This week the bite again was the best in the deeper residential canals and in the rivers.

If offshore is your game, the weather has definitely not been your friend. We had a couple of great days on Monday and Tuesday and the captains who got out reported awesome grouper fishing in 30 to 60 feet with the cooler water temps pushing the grouper in close.

We also received good info on inshore grouper trolling action picking up significantly. A No. 3 planer with a 4-ounce Mission Fishin jig head with a glow tail was the trick this week. There also has been some nice grouper caught bottom-fishing the rock piles along the shipping channel edge. Live pinfish is the bait of choice here.

This time of year, get out when you can. The fishing is great when we can get a break from the weather