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Daily fishing report

Inshore grouper fishing is starting to heat up. Areas that held small gags are producing some big fish. Drop-offs near the shipping channel, areas of hard bottom and small ledges produced keeper grouper. The best way to locate some fish is to troll. Run a No. 3 planner just off the bottom at 1,200-1,500 rpms. Rig a large gold and black crank bait behind 40 feet of 80-pound test to the planner. When you get a hit, mark the spot with your depth recorder or throw a jug. Return to that area and bottom fish with live pinfish. Tackle should be on the heavy side. Rig your rod with 50-80 pound line and a 3-4-foot, 100-pound leader. Rods that had 50-pound line and 50-pound leader got smoked by larger fish. The end of an incoming or outgoing tide will be most productive.

Snook are moving in on the feeder bridges that lead to the gulf. Ladyfish, grunts and pinfish are great baits. Use heavy grouper tackle when fishing in the pilings. Fight the snook hard when you get a strike. If you set the hook and don't keep reeling, most of the snook will cut you off in the structure. Work the outgoing tides until the quarter moon. Then fish the incoming tides up to the new moon. If you don't find fish in the same place twice, move to a bridge farther up the bay. If you're using ladyfish for bait, keep only them in the live well. This will keep them lively.

A good pattern is to fish for snook when the tide is strong, then go for grouper as the tide starts to slack.

-- Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.

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