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Fish Finder contributors have outdone themselves for this final edition after a great run on NBC-2.com. Thanks for checking in, and best fishes to all, in a happy new year.

Pompano may well be the tastiest and pound-for-pound strongest fighting fish Southwest Florida has to offer. They also may be hardest to successfully target, but chances are rarely better than indicated by recent reports.

Fishing reports for the past week all begin with the caveat, "Other than the wind . . ." Happily, forecasts for the weekend are for moderate breezes.

The winds of change have arrived on the Southwest Florida fishing scene.

The cool breezes associated with fall cold fronts are a double-edged sword, slicing good and not so much. Cooling water temperatures inspire pelagic species to move south along the Gulf Coast.

This week's long-awaited breath of fresh air will also breathe fresh fish into the Southwest Florida fishing picture.

What a difference a week in October makes when water temperatures finally drop out of the 80s! Fishing action offshore, inshore and in fresh water pretty much exploded.

It's no fault of the fish that Southwest Florida fishing activity always is slow in September.

As we pass the autumnal equinox on Saturday, Gulf water temperatures in the record-high 80s will begin dropping. Happily, the fishin's already hopping, and should only get better, offshore, inshore and in Lake Okeechobee.

The weather and fish have been very cooperative for anglers taking advantage of the September weekends in addition to the fall red snapper season, the reopening of gray triggerfish and gag grouper, plus lots of other tasty bottom fish and pelagics.