Blue water fishing for blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish has been outstanding in and around the Steps. Darrell Parchman has hooked and released more than 10 marlin the past two weeks trolling jethead-type lures and door knobs. He said a couple of blue marlin were close to 350 pounds and the whites close to 125. He found the Loop Current just past the Steps, and it produced some nice tuna and dolphin up to 40 pounds off the floating debris and weed lines. The Steps are 130 miles, 240 degrees southwest of John's Pass.
Grouper fishing continues to be strong in 100 feet and deeper. Drift fish during slack tides to locate red grouper. Once you find the grouper, mark your area with a buoy and anchor over the area. This method works well if you do not have a lot of Loran numbers. Make sure you deploy a flat line with a live bait to take advantage of kingfish and blackfin tuna.
Mangrove, lane and red snapper fishing is also excellent. Small live pinfish and pilchards have produced some nice snapper catches. Leave one hour before sunrise and get your fishing in before noon to try to miss the afternoon showers. Traditionally, fish feed aggressively after a tropical low, so when this weather moves out, the fishing should be hot.
Larry "Huffy" Hoffman charters out of John's Pass, Treasure Island. Call 727 709-9396 or e-mail him at huffyl@tampabay.rr.com
