For those with spring fever, relief might be around the corner. Already, full-grown whitebait has gathered at the Pass-a-Grille sea buoy.
Greenbacks and whitebait are on the uptide side along the shadow line of the Skyway bridge. Birds are pounding baitfish along the edge of the ships channel inside Tampa Bay, and some bait can be cast-netted on the flats off Pinellas Point.
Springlike conditions have drawn mackerel to the Skyway piers, and it should improve as water temperatures increase. But even with inconsistent weather, the rock-laden edges of the ships channel inside the Skyway have remained reliable. Saturday, the last three hours of the outgoing tide produced nonstop action of bottom dwellers.
What we lacked in grouper bites we made up for in sheepshead, mangrove snapper and Key West grunts. Though live bait would be beneficial for the mangos, it's not required. We used shrimp, squid and frozen sardines.
If you go during the next couple of days, concentrate on tide changes. The new moon phase has tides ripping faster than normal and makes keeping baits on the bottom difficult.
- Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
