Recent weather has been a welcome relief after the cold fronts and chilly conditions. Fishing two days at 45-55 feet convinced us we still need to fish at 80-100 feet to find keeper grouper. Small reds and gags were aggressive and feeding on dead sardines and live pinfish, but we were able to catch only a few keepers. Sea bass and hundreds of gray snapper are keeping fishermen busy. Downsizing tackle and using squid was the best combination to get fish to bite.

With the full moon, night fishing for mangrove snappers and gag grouper should be hot. Shipwrecks and ledges holding bait will have good numbers of fish. Start fishing in 80 feet and work your way offshore. Downsize tackle to 30-pound class and use frozen sardines cut in half for bait. The cold water has relaxed grouper and snapper feeding habits. Give each stop at least 30 minutes before moving to another location. When the big grouper move in to feed, small fish disappear and the dominant predator takes over.

-- Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call (727) 709-9396.

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