OFFSHORE If The wind isn't howling the fishing is fantastic. The past week had the weather knob turned to one extreme or the other. The 3 days I got to fish proved the snapper haven't left the area yet. It is amazing to be able to run a 4 hour trip ( beach to beach) and to have to quit fishing for snappers because you've limited out. I took 3 folks from Arkansas yesterday who all said " I've never the ocean before". Not the experienced anglers most captains like to have when you fish without a deckhand. We all had a great time!! I usually have my folks fish a single hook slip lead rig when fishing for snapper or grouper. After we had about half our limit I gave the fellow that chartered me and his wife two hook rigs while his sister in law kept at it with a slip lead. The first time they came up with a pair of fish you'ld have thought they won the lottery ! Two fish at once, they couldn't get over it. Never mind we released most of 'em cause they were smaller than the slip lead fish. His wife said she was used to waiting all day for two bites and here she was just pulling a pair of snappers up steady. I wore the folks out and they caught a cooler full. They said it was the highlight of the vacation. I'm afraid pond fishing won't ever be the same for them again. The cobia run appears to be about over. There are still a few stragglers and probably will continue to be a fish or two seen each day for another month but most everyone has given up. The general consensus is the warm winter didn't make the fish move and they all stayed put. Reports from Texas and La. have them having a banner year. I'll just have to wait till next spring for our turn! I made it a little bit further ofshore on a 6 hour and was delighted to find the amberjacks are still here. We had to cull a few to find legal size fish but there were plenty of 'em where we stopped. INSHORE The speckled trout bite is on a steady improvement from all the reports I've heard. I haven't been inshore fishing for three weeks with the bottom fishing being so good but I think it's time to start again. Some spanish have taken up residence at the Destin end of the bay and there are some redfish moving in also. I had a new poling platform built for my flats boat and as soon as I can get it mounted on the transom I'm out there! No execuses, Go Fishin!!!!!! Capt. Larry Pentel