Good company and beverages, a mixed plate of baked crab-stuffed sheepshead with a side of lightly breaded pan-fried snapper always puts the crew in a great mood.

Fix them how you like them and enjoy them while you can as both are available right now at a near and offshore ledge or rock pile near you.

Interesting to note, that both the sheepshead and grey snapper (mangrove) world records where both taken in the state of Louisiana.

Back in 1982, Wayne Desselle caught a whopping 21-pound, 4-ounce sheepshead, which would probably be larger than a trash can lid. Imagine the set of dentures on that fish. If you’ve never seen sheepshead teeth, you’ll be surprised as they are very human-like.

Not to be outdone, Tim Champagne went fishing in 2015 and bagged an 18-pound, 10-ounce mangrove or grey snapper. What a fight that must have been!

Fishing is really good in Southwest Florida, but at least once take a trip to Louisiana for some of the world’s best inshore and off-shore adventures and duck hunting. Once bitten by the Cajun bug, the superb fishing and hunting, as well as the warm welcoming hospitality, I’m sure you’ll return many times or maybe even move there.

In these parts, the FWC reminds us we can harvest 5 mangrove snappers per angler per day with a 10-inch minimum size limit with no closed season shown. A 12-inch minimum for sheepshead with 8 per day allowed and no closed season as well.

This past Wednesday the inshore fish were turned on and clients caught a mixed bag of trout, pompano, jacks, rat reds and sharks. Sharks are often referred to as the “man in the grey suit” but on Wednesday we got a visit from the other grey suited predators that are probably pound for pound more vicious than any shark, with a set of razors for teeth, always sporting bad intentions and will bite you if you get curious fingers around their mouths.

This fish, found all over the world, visits these parts in the cold water months and often surprises shrimp and bobber anglers as well as snook and redfish flats fans casting plugs or spoons.

What is this inshore cold-water visitor that fights harder than a snook or red, jumps high, swims at 100 mph, and will hurt you if given the chance? Yes, the common bluefish.

Most of us Northeast and Mid-Atlantic transplants grew up catching big “blues” in the bays and rocky rips, and could always count on a drag burning fight. In the Chesapeake and Delaware bays, along with the beautiful big weakfish or sea trout, the bluefish (and striper or rockfish) was the mainstay of recreational and charter fishing for years.

Like Florida, these waters have seen troubling times. Growing up around the Delaware Bay and beaches and being able to participate in this great fishing was a blessing. Sadly the Delaware Bay is a near dead zone compared to its former glory with many friends selling their boats. The beautiful pink, chrome, and iridescent purple 15-pound trout and wolf packs of killer big bluefish all but gone. The beaches where I swam as a child are posted with warnings and cases of flesh eating bacteria.

The Delaware and Maryland beach areas are now so crowded with the once rural nearby farm country now mostly sold off and replaced by development and traffic. Just figuring out what to do with all the human waste has become a huge problem in the area.Sound familiar?

The push for clean water continues and as Floridians we need to keep our voices heard loudly to preserve what’s remaining and repair the damages we and those before us have allowed to occur by remaining silent. Get involved at whatever level you can. Every voice counts and the present administration seems to be on the right track.

Capt. George Tunison is a Cape Coral resident fishing guide. Contact him at 239-282-9434 or captgeorget3@aol.com.