Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Winds in excess of 35 mph earlier this week turned what had been unusually clear water into a muddy mess.
On Thursday, several teams scouting for today's state free-diving championship ventured to see just how far the dirty water extended. They turned back toward shore after finding no suitable visibility for diving 14 miles off Hernando Beach.
Anglers will have to go a long way offshore to find grouper and kingfish for several days at least.
Extreme weather can cause baitfish and gamefish to retreat to deep water. Anglers able to reach 60 feet or more should find good action on the larger wrecks and ledges.
The water on the flats is clear. Fishing for snook, trout and redfish should be decent, although the dip in temperature may slow the activity from last week.
Cobia had begun to appear on many of grass flats before the heavy winds. On one trip, we landed 15 of the big brown fish from 12-35 pounds. They were caught sight-casting live baits or soft plastic jigs.
The key to finding cobia is locating the stingrays. Cobia often cruise behind large southern rays to feed on small crabs and other food uncovered by the stingrays' bottom-feeding methods.
Permit were being reported on some of the offshore wrecks, where they will appear on and off for another month or two.
It may not be a bad idea to keep a couple of live blue crabs or a couple dozen live shrimp in the well when you venture to deep water. Many of the spring permit are 20-plus pounds, and some more than 30 are landed each year.
The most difficult part about catching them is keeping track of where they are day to day. There may be several hundred on a wreck one time, then when you make the commitment to visit the spot and fish for them only, they will be gone.
I prefer to have permit gear ready but to also carry kingfish rods and grouper and snapper equipment. That way your day is not ruined when the fish you were catching the past three days disappear overnight.
When rigging for offshore permit angling, there are several things you should have.
The first is a live crustacean (crab or shrimp) for bait. Permit do not eat fish and are finicky about artificials. There is nothing more frustrating than finding 200 big permit milling on the surface and not having the right bait.
The use of braided lines will help stop the hooked fish and reduce their chances of escaping into the structure below. Extra long flourocarbon leaders draw many more strikes.
When tied directly to braided line, leaders 30 pounds and at least 10 feet long are productive. Fastened properly with a Bimini twist and no-name knot, the wind-on leader should pass smoothly through guides of the rod and onto the reel. No weight or float should be used, allowing the bait to swim and drift naturally.
When the permit are on the surface, all anglers have to do is cast into the school. If you do not see them, try anchoring and leaving a couple of live crabs drifting behind the boat. This often produces previously unseen permit.
- Ed Walker charters out of Tarpon Springs. Call 727 944-3474 or e-mail info@lighttacklecharters.com