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Fishing has been very good this past week. The catch has been varied on each stop. Between the two offshore Mega-Bite boats last week we caught Spanish mackerel, kingfish, amberjack, bonita, grouper, snapper, barracuda, black-tip sharks, blackfin tuna and wahoo.
The blackfin tuna have been found on shrimp boats 35-45 miles northwest of John's Pass. They have been eating Spanish sardines and white bait on the surface. There have been bonita, black-tip sharks and cobia mixed in with the tunas.
Kingfish and Spanish mackerel are being caught in the shipping channel. Spanish sardines have been the bait of choice. The largest fish have come off the downriggers working the edges of the channel.
Chris Clark on the Mega-Bite had a great amberjack bite Friday at 160 feet. His party was catch and releasing 40-pound jacks one after the other when a 60-pound wahoo decided to crash the party. The wahoo was taken on a 16-pound test kingfish setup.
Mangrove snapper continue to be outstanding, provided you can chum them to the surface. If you hook one on the bottom, they are being inhaled by the numerous Goliath grouper guarding the wrecks. June's full moon should provide an excellent opportunity for night-time snapper fishing.
- Mike Whitman charters the Mega Bite out of Gulfport. Call 727 384-5729, view the Web site at www.megabitecharters.com or e-mail capt@megabitecharters.com