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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 8, 2002
In typical fashion, the relentless push of cold fronts from the north has stymied offshore fishing. If you can time your trip about two days after a front the weather will be pretty decent.
The Mexican Pride and surrounding area will provide decent action. Fish large, live baits for amberjack and an occasional gag grouper. The hard bottom around this wreck will have some large lane snapper. Cut bait like squid or mullet fished on the bottom will get plenty of strikes.
Also, hard bottom west and northwest of Anclote will produce Key West grunts, sea bass, and gag grouper. Using 20-pound spin tackle is the sporting way to go. It is just heavy enough to land a keeper gag but light enough to enjoy constant bites from grunts, sea bass and triggerfish. In this area, there is plenty of great bottom. Look on a fishing chart for indications of hard or rocky bottom. This will be indicated by the abbreviations HRD or RKY. This is the prime area to begin your search.
Since the water temperature has dropped so low the fish will not move around as much as in the fall or spring. So be prepared to stay on your spot a little longer and be patient.
-- Tom Turke charters The Mixed Bag out of St. Petersburg. Call (813) 854-5779.