The gulf seems to be returning to normal after several days of wind and rain. Chris Clark, captain of the Mega-Bite, caught eight grouper Sunday, the largest a 20-pound gag, in 76 feet of water southwest of the Pass-a-Grille sea buoy. The fish were caught on a combination of dead sardines and pinfish.
The past several weeks the grouper bite on each stop has started slowly. We are using a number of methods, including doubling our initial time to 30 minutes without a bite, and we are dropping cut sardines to the bottom in large numbers. When the bite finally starts, it has been with good quality fish and not a lot of shorts.
Kingfish and cobia also have been following that trail of sardine chunks to the boat. We seem to be catching more of each this summer. They have been taken on flat lines put out while grouper fishing.
Over the past week, several charter boats at different areas up and down the Intracoastal Waterway have been hit by thieves. They appear to spot tackle left on the deck and are stealing whatever is left in the open. As a precaution, take your tackle in at the end of each trip. A few minutes' prevention can save you hours of frustration with filing police reports and insurance claims.
