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Daily fishing report

Spanish mackerel can be found in Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. These spotted speedsters are a blast to catch on light tackle and are excellent table fare as long as they are kept iced as soon as they are landed. Large schools can be spotted attacking the various schools of baitfish ranging from 2-inch glass minnows to 6-inch Spanish sardines and cigar minnows. When trolling spoons, plugs or jigs it is critical to match the size of the artificial bait to the size of the bait they are attacking.

Observing birds that are feeding on the same baitfish can be an indication of what size bait to employ. The height a bird dives from is what determines the size of the bait it is chasing.

Mackerel will be found along the ships channel from the Whistler to Gandy bridge, with the best fishing inside Tampa Bay from Egmont Key eastward. In the Gulf they can be found within 100 yards of the mouth of any pass where they lie in wait for prey to be swept out by the tidal action. St Pete Beach, Treasure Island and the Madeira Beach artificial reefs are holding schools of larger mackerel with a few late season kingfish and numerous barracuda.

-- Capt. Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach and can be reached at (727) 397-8815 or by e-mail at Luckytoo2@aol.com.

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