Fishing Lines: Upside to global warming?

I am absolutely certain without a doubt that the global warming stuff is true. Here is my scientific, can't-be-wrong evidence. For the past seven years (or seems so) my whip-poor-will has returned to the woods next to me on EXACTLY March 21, a.k.a. the first day of spring. But this year he returned on St. Patrick's Day (March 17), which is a full four days early. I can also add an extra day for leap year, which means that he actually returned five days early. No doubt now, the icebergs will be melting, and those of us who live toward Otter Creek will soon have ocean-front property.

Hey, how often does the full moon land on the same day as the spring equinox? Sadly someone can actually find that out. Will it affect the tides? Likely not that much. My tide chart is calling for a 3.5 on Friday, which seems about right for the March full moon. The evening low tides are going to be in the minus range, so plan accordingly.

At the time of this writing, the boat basin ramp is still closed, so plan on waiting in line for a considerable period since only the outside ramp is open. Add to the equation that this is a holiday weekend, and add more time yet. It would be courteous to others if you could get everything into the boat while in line. You have nothing else to do.

Trout 101 is being held March 25 at the George Kirkpatrick Marine lab at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will discuss the life stages and habitat of the fishery. The presentation is expected to be about 45 minutes long. There is also a 2 1/2 hour kayak tour and trout talk scheduled at noon the same day. The event is being sponsored by the FWC.

The grouper fishing is on fire right now but most days since the reopening of season have been too windy to go out. In three weeks, the all-knowing commission will give their final decision on next year's grouper rules. Let's hope that they have thought this thing through carefully, because the plan they have now could be catastrophic for the recreational grouper industry.

Inshore fishing remains spotty but with the global warming things should pick up very soon.