Outdoors

Daily fishing report

By DAVE ZALEWSKI
Published March 21, 2005

St. Patrick's Day usually signals the start of the spring kingfish season. This year the kingfish, Spanish mackerel and cobia failed to arrive because of unusually cold water temperatures that have kept them, and the baitfish they depend on, far south. Water temperatures have risen from 60 degrees - when the metabolic rate of gag and red grouper slows to the point where they are reluctant to feed, much less chase live bait - to 65 degrees.

This rise in water temperature has been just what was needed to spur the mangrove snappers, sea bass and grouper to bite. The area west of the Whistler from 55 to 70 feet of water produced well last weekend. The red grouper and sea bass seemed to prefer a combination of squid and sardines on the hook. The gags were more willing to hit a whole sardine with the tail section removed or a live pinfish with a portion of its tail removed to slow it down.

Water clarity has greatly improved and 3-foot-long, 40-pound test leaders produced more strikes than the traditional 50- or 60-pound test 2-foot leaders. All of the mangrove snappers we managed to put in the cooler were caught on the tail section of a sardine with the leader reduced to 30-pound test and hook size dropped to 3/0. April Fool's Day is only two weeks away and hopefully the pelagics do not make fools of us and make their appearance.

--Dave Zalewski charters the Lucky Too out of Madeira Beach and can be reached at 727 397-8815 or by e-mail at Luckytoo2@aol.com

[Last modified March 21, 2005, 01:50:19]