While kingfish managed to elude us through most of the week, many other species weren't as lucky. Murky water, scarcity of big bait and dense fog in the mornings were factors in kingfish playing hard to get.
Shallow water grouper digging has flourished, however. Cooler water temperature has drawn keeper gags near shore, some as close as 20 feet. Tampa Bay is holding its fair share. If anchored and fishing them straight up and down, fish the tide changes for best results. If trolling the edges of the channel, take your pick. Downriggers work nicely and allow you to use natural baits. Planers are an option when dragging artificials, including plugs, spoons or jigs. Last but certainly not least are the long-lipped, deep diving plugs that manufacturers now make that plunge more than 30 feet. Relatively hassle-free, they can be forced even deeper by adding a trolling weight. Take advantage while you can, gathering whitebait on the flats for the mangrove snapper that are there for the taking along the channel. Water temperature likely will plunge soon and whitebait will be hard to come by. Shrimp and small pinfish will work adequately after the transition.
Silver trout have begun to show up and will get better into December. The 12- to 18-foot depths along Redington and Indian Rocks beaches are among the perennial hot spots. Double-rigged jigs work best and when used on light spinning tackle can provide endless entertainment for children. Tipping the jigs with pieces of shrimp works great but won't be necessary when they move in thick.
Bait pods have just started to return after last week's blow. Greenbacks and whitebait have gathered along the shadow line at the Sunshine Skyway bridge. On Tuesday, as many full-grown Spanish sardines as you wanted regrouped at markers 1 and 2 in the Egmont Ships Channel and were easily jiggled up on gold hook rigs.
Tip your gold hook rigs with pieces of shrimp if bait is reluctant to jiggle, especially in murky water. Gold hooks only work when they can be seen. Sometimes those bluerunners and cigar minnows will find them easier with a little scent.
Finding kingfish to cooperate this weekend will largely depend on the severity of the forecast cold front and its effects on the near-shore waters of the gulf. It has been my experience that some big straggler kings will stay even in murky water for a while as long as there is bait on which they can prey. Once the schools of juvenile mackerel, ladyfish and other bait sources have scattered and move offshore, however, so too will the smoker kingfish.
- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
