Tropical Storm Henri put most of our offshore fishing on hold the past few days. But in every gray cloud there is a silver lining, and experience has demonstrated you can expect great fishing a week after major storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Over the years we think we have learned why fishing is good after storms. Conventional wisdom suggests fish haven't been pressured for a week and become aggressive feeders, and fish move in big storms, often to big ledges and shipwrecks that offer protection from waves and strong tides.
Waves don't affect bottom dwellers as much as flats fish, but they do affect amberjacks. Structures that did not hold fish before a big storm often hold fish after a storm.
Early last week, fishing for grouper, snapper and amberjacks was good in 110-130 feet. Live bait was better than frozen sardines or squid. Springs held the bigger jacks, with 2-pound blue runners producing the biggest jacks, some to 40 pounds.
September is a great month for bluewater fish, but after Henri most of the developed weedlines will be broken apart, so troll around deep wrecks, weather buoys and floating debris. Robin Dawson has picked up some nice wahoo and blackfin tuna off the USF weather buoy about 55 miles southwest of John's Pass by slow-trolling small, live chicken dolphin.
- Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call (727) 709-9396.
