Outdoors

Daily fishing report

Spring fishing on the Gulf of Mexico is as good as it gets. The migration north of kingfish, black tuna, cobia and sailfish is solid and will last into May. Kingfishing along Egmont Markers 1 and 2 and inshore shipwrecks is excellent. Slow-trolling live bait Tuesday morning, Craig Lahr produced 12 weighing 10-12 pounds.

Mangrove snapper fishing also is good. They are being caught up to 7 pounds in 80-100 feet using live Spanish sardines. They are hitting the baits as soon as they reach bottom. Work ledges and hard bottom areas. If you don't catch any in 15 minutes, move.

The same areas are producing gag grouper up to 15 pounds. Start with grouper Tackle 10 then change to light snapper tackle as the bite progresses. Live bait is best for snapper and grouper. Blackfin tuna fishing is hit and miss. Fishing three shrimp boats Tuesday in 100 feet southwest of John's Pass did not work. But two days earlier, we spanked the tuna off a shrimp boat out of Brownsville, Texas, in 110 feet. The key is live Spanish sardines free-lined off the transom of the shrimpers.

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

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