Cold spell takes toll on action

Water temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s have virtually shut down inshore and near-shore fishing.

There has been some decent sheepshead action close to the jetties and rocks, and a few anglers have reported scattered speckled trout and ladyfish. But, for the most part, it has been tough. It's just too cold for the fish to feed.

Power plant outfalls offer a shot at some inshore activity, yet they often are crowded with boats. The best opportunities are offshore in the deeper water.

The farther you get from land right now, the warmer the water. Temperatures this week were in the mid to upper 60s outside 20 miles, which is where the best action has been.

Grouper fishing has been excellent, with some boats catching 20 or more keepers in a day trip.

A few mangrove snapper have been snagged by grouper anglers. One boat even landed several kingfish near an isolated bait school in 100 feet of water Wednesday.

The strongest denizens of the offshore reefs and ledges are the amberjacks, and they have shown up in force. While the jacks can be relatively easy to find, sometimes it's difficult to get them to bite.

When you first arrive, they may fall for a live pinfish on a stout grouper rod, but the amberjacks quickly will wise up to the heavier gear. By continually modifying and downsizing the tackle as the fish turn off, you can keep the bite going until everyone onboard is worn out.

Long leaders are a must.

A lead sinker suspended in the water column is a dead giveaway to suspicious jacks. Using an extra long leader, an angler separates the bait from the sinker. Four feet between the sinker and bait is the minimum. If the fish have been worked regularly, you may have to go as deep as 10 feet to get them to bite.

Flourocarbon leader material is a big help in reducing the appearance of your terminal tackle. Use the strongest leader to coax the amberjacks into biting.

Early in the outing, that may be as heavy as 80-pound test. But after trying the same spot for a while, it is common to have to scale back as low as 40 to keep them striking.

Hook and weight size are important factors. Both should be kept to a minimum.

A good hook to start with is a 5/0 (size), 4X (four times as strong) short-shank live-bait version. Sinkers should be the minimum that can pull the live bait down into the schooling jacks. Depending on the bait, this can be 2-6 ounces.

It is pivotal that baits for jack have lots of action. Dead baits do not work. Big live baits such as porgies and large pinfish have been the choice lately.

Blue runners are the No. 1 amberjack bait, but they're seldom available in the area during the winter months. Artificial lures with fast vertical action such as jigs and weighted spoons are deadly on the big fish.

The minimum size on jacks is 28 inches to the fork of the tail, which usually means 14-plus pounds. The bag limit is one per angler.

On a recent trip, we observed anglers aboard a boat gaffing undersized fish then throwing them back.

Lip gaffing, or simply grabbing the fish by the tail, will get them onboard for measurement without injury and allow a healthy release.

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

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