Though the Florida Keys dodged Charley's fury for the most part, visibility for lobster diving has been affected. Dolphin fishing, however, has picked up the slack.
Monday we caught 35-40 mahi doing what we do best: slow trolling with live bait. Tuesday it got better. We caught 50 and released more while in 600 feet, only 12 miles offshore.
Frozen ballyhoo on a leaded jig head helped us locate them, and whitebait on spinning tackle kept us among them while having six on at a time.
Calm seas will allow inshore water to clear, and at least in Marathon it appears that by today visibility will allow us to search for lobster.
Last week, just before the weather deteriorated, mangrove snapper fishing at the mouth of Tampa Bay was as good as it gets. Working the edge of the ship's channel, between the Skyway Bridge and Egmont Key, we coaxed more than four dozen into inhaling the whitebait and sardines we had to offer.
Though 20-pound test, 30-pound leader, a No. 1 hook and a 2-ounce weight will work well for the mangos, bring heavier tackle, too. We managed a couple keeper grouper along with a bunch of shorts when we dropped down the biggest pinfish we had.
Jay Mastry charters Jaybird out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 321-2142.
