Bad weather may improve your chances

With the weather expected to improve, anglers should find better fishing when they finally make it back offshore.

Extended periods of bad weather stir the water, making fish more comfortable to move around and eliminating fishing pressure. The inclement conditions help replenish many of the near-shore reefs and rock piles that get picked over on a regular basis.

Fall is the season for grouper to make their annual move into shallow water. Prior to Isidore and heavy seas, reports of fish in less than 30 feet were trickling in. Within a few weeks, the fall run should be in full swing. It may have begun, but no one has been able to get out to check.

Near-shore waters have been stained brown due to freshwater runoff and high temperatures. Visibility is less than 10 feet from Hernando Beach south and a bit better north to Crystal River.

Nearly all of the stain will vanish as the first cold front cools the water. The algae that causes the poor visibility dies off in cooler weather. The arrival of a front can have a remarkable effect on the clarity almost overnight.

Once the water clears, spear anglers can enjoy great opportunities for free-diving. From October to February, visibility remains excellent and hogfish and grouper move into depths where SCUBA and free-divers can limit out on good-sized fish.

Free-diving simply is diving by holding one's breath, and it's considered to be the most challenging method of underwater hunting. The free diver typically has to find, stalk, shoot and retrieve the catch on one breath. The diversdo have the advantage of sneaking up on a fish without the noise of bubbles that come with breathing compressed air.

The Nature Coast has miles of productive shallow rock piles from Holiday to Yankeetown. Some spots are 6 or 8 feet and allow the diver to locate quarry while breathing at the surface. Some free divers prefer a spear gun that uses a line attached to the spear. Others insist on free shafts only. Regardless, it is plenty of fun and about the only chance to enjoy a hogfish dinner.

Another benefit to diving is learning what's going on below the boat and what the bottom looks like. There's no better way to study the mannerisms of grouper, snapper, cobia and mackerel. It's a good opportunity to get a big fish that's pulled the line into the rocks.

While the season does not open until Oct.15, free diving or snorkeling is great for catching stone crabs. They can be found up and down the coast in knee-deep water to well offshore.

Most crab snorkeling is done around bridges, rock jetties and in potholes on the flats. Be certain to display dive flags when snorkeling these areas since boaters may not be used to seeing people there. It takes a bit of practice, but a bucketful of claws on opening day can make it worthwhile.

On the inshore scene, reds continue to dominate the flats. Big schools were abundant before the weather set in, and they should be found nearby after it settles down. Speckled trout angling should get better as the larger fish begin to move in from the deeper grass patches offshore.

The location of bait fish is anyone's guess. They usually are displaced by bad weather and can be hard to come by thereafter. When looking for bait, keep an eye on high-diving pelicans. They always are the first to find them.

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

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