Offshore is place for action

Spring temporarily is on hold, and fishing conditions are somewhat sluggish.

During the recent warm spell, there was a great rally inshore and offshore. But water temperatures have dropped into the low 60s, and much of the action has gone cold again. Most of the good fishing is well offshore. But if offshore angling isn't an option, try heading south to the Palm Harbor area. Big trout action has been good around the spoil islands and deeper grass flats nearby.

Remember that the season is closed north of Howard Park in Tarpon Springs. Anglers can't have trout in their possession north of there regardless of where they caught them. There has been sporadic trout activity over the deeper grass in such places as Hernando Beach and New Port Richey, but the best fishing has been to the south.

As the weather starts to warm up, keep an eye open for diving pelicans. This usually indicates the presence of decent-sized baitfish such as scaled sardines, Spanish sardines and threadfin herring. All of them made a big showing in the recent warm spell, but have moved back offshore.

Experienced bait chasers know that the angle of the dive and the type of bird usually can give a good indication of the size of the baitfish. Shallow flop dives from pelicans and lots of small terns in the areausually are signs of small bait such as sardines or glass minnows.

Another sure indication the bait is small is when the pelicans keep their heads low after diving while they strain the water out of their pouch. Often, the gulls will be close or even standing on the pelicans, trying to steal a few minnows. If that's the case, don't bother throwing a net. The bait is too small.

Bigger baits usually stay deep and require deeper dives. Pelicans will dive from great heights to reach a school of threadfins in 15 feet of water.

Perhaps the best sign of bigger baitfish below is the gannet.

These birds dive from great heights and can go 20 feet deep into the water. When these high divers are spotted, it's time to break out the big cast net or sabiki rig.

Sea gulls usually are not a good sign. They are poor hunters and more likely picking at a dead fish or flocking around a bag of chips than catching quality baitfish.

Live bait opens up a lot of opportunities. Amberjack fishing has been good offshore, but they seldom strike dead bait.

On a recent trip, we teased the amberjacks to the surface behind the boat with live baits. The water was neon blue with big jacks as they fought over the live baits.

Amberjack can be taken on artificials such as heavy jigs and plugs. They can be wise to heavy terminal tackle, though. A few may be caught with a grouper rig, but soon they will wise up.

Lighten the tackle. The lighter and more invisible the rig, the more amberjack bites. Start by using the heavier stuff, then scale down.

For each drop in line, leader, or sinker size, a few more fish should be caught. Fluorocarbon leader makes a big difference in keeping the jacks feeding.

Commercial grouper fishing has closed in the Gulf. This should be a bonus for those who have the means to get to deeper water.

Compared to the commercial guys, recreational fishing isn't much pressure on the fish.

- Ed Walker charters out of Palm Harbor. Call (727) 944-3474 or e-mail TarponEd@aol.com.

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