Hit passes, beach for the snook

Opportunities exist for catching nearly every inshore species, especially on the beach.

Though out of season in the Gulf, catch-and-release action for snook has been excellent. These fish have started to head to the passes and beaches in force.

Early in the morning seems to be the best time to take your shot at these pre-spawn fish.

Try using large pilchard or threadfin herring for bait. Since these beach fish probably will be laid up in shallow, clear water, use low visibility tackle. Eight-10-pound monofilament spinning tackle with about three feet of 25-pound fluorocarbon leader will produce the best results.

Don't cast too close to the snook because they easily are frightened. Instead, try to determine which direction the fish are headed and lead them by about 10 feet. The most effective method seems to be locating the snook, then anchoring up a fair distance away. Put a few baits in a bucket and fish them from the beach. Taking a lower profile will allow you to make a more accurate cast to the snook. It's a great opportunity to try a fly rod.

If you hit the beaches in search of these fish, work a jig rod rigged because the water is swarming with mid-sized pompano and large schools of trout.

For pompano, use the smallest possible jig. Yellow seems to be the most effective color because it matches the coquina shells they feed on. Idle or drift in pursuit of a bright silver flash. When it's visible, make the cast and retrieve the lure with sharp, crisp twitches.

The trout aren't as particular about your offering. Nearly any live or artificial bait will induce a strike. Most of these fish are over 20 inches in length, traveling in schools of hundreds. Though usually seen in singles or pairs, tarpon have been cruising the beaches. The best bait for the finicky species is a small blue crab under a float, or a fly.

If your are serious about catching a silver king, try waking early enough to be anchored up off the tip of Fred Howard Park before sunrise. Larger schools of more eatable fish usually pass through this route.

Sight-casting for cobia was excellent the previous week. This week, strong south winds and an overcast sky made it much more difficult.

With that in mind Thursday, we anchored up in an area where we've been successful, and started a chum slick. Chunks of ballyhoo and dead sardines were tossed to attract stingrays. After 10 minutes, the first cobia appeared, a 15-pounder.

We hooked him on a large sardine, but after 5 minutes of struggling, he managed to break off the light tackle.

Before we could retie the rig, a 25- and 40-pound cobia cruised by. Twenty minutes later, we were flipping the 25-pounder into the boat. We saw 10-12 large fish in only 45 minutes. Offshore, the mackerel run is beginning to thin out. After a solid six weeks, water temperatures have begun to chase these fish toward the Panhandle.

A few kings are lingering in deep water, and plenty of amberjack are spread out along the artificials. Grouper fishing, which has seemed a little off, remains sluggish -- especially in areas where the "gumbo" is thick.

-- Capt. Pete Katsarelis, (727) 439-FISH, charters out of Tarpon Springs.

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