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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 11, 2002
Long, hot summer days have slowed fishing at times. The best bet has been from 6-10 a.m., and working chuggers and topwater prop baits has been productive on shallow grass flats in the first hour or so of daylight.
Sea trout, redfish, snook and jack crevalle have been crushing noisy topwater baits. Vary the rate of retrieve so fish can zero in.
When the topwater bite slows, head for deeper grass flats with good water flow. Drift across several grass beds in one drift. By using a combination of live baits such as shrimp, small pinfish or greenbacks under a float with a 3-foot leader you will cover a lot of water and locate grass beds holding fish. Mark these locations on a GPS or throw out a weighted line with a jug as a marker, and continue your drift. When the action slows return to the marked spots, quietly slip the anchor over the side and give those areas serious attention.
Good numbers of tarpon continued to roam deeper flats the past two weeks. Finding them has been no problem, but getting them to bite on a daily basis has been a different story. It's amazing to watch a huge tarpon crush live baits and miss the hook.
Be prepared for anything while drifting deep grass flats. Tarpon, shark and cobia are always a possibility this time of year.
-- Capt. Dan Brooks charters out of St. Petersburg and can be reached at (727) 867-7856 or by e-mail at captaindan@baysbestcharters.com.