By ED WALKER, Times Correspondent
Published April 2, 2005
Things are firing on all cylinders for anglers.
Inshore and offshore results have been a wide variety of species.
Baitfish have been abundant a mile offshore, at most of the artificial reefs, and on select areas of the flats. Since the inshore baits have been moving from day to day, look for the diving pelicans and terns to help point them out.
If the baits are scattered, it's necessary to chum them with a mixture of cat food and canner sardines. When baits are thick, it is just a matter of lining up a drift through the area in which the birds are diving and throwing a net.
Once a live well full of bait is secured, the hard part is over. All that's left is deciding what fish to target first.
Timing the approach can maximize your catch for the day. Lately, the snook bite has been best in the late afternoon and redfish have been found on oyster bars during a mid-day high tide. Speckled trout, Spanish mackerel and bluefish usually bite best in the morning.
By having a plan, anglers can avoid hitting the wrong spots at the wrong time.
In several areas this week, we made a few casts into a prime snook hole in the morning with no results but returned at the end of the day and hooked big insiders right away.
During the afternoon bite, we have landed many giant snook. One caught by Lakeland's Joel Adams was 20-plus pounds. Big whitebaits have been readily available and always are preferred. Mackerel have returned in force, with some invading the flats as shallow as 3 feet. They have been spicing up the trout fishing by slashing the baits in half and testing out the drags of the light gear. Most have been in the 1- to 2-pound range, but a few 3- and 4-pounders have been taken.
Offshore, gag grouper action has been outstanding when the weather allows anglers to get there. Nearly constant winds have reduced the number of opportunities. But when the fish bite, it has been hot. When the water is clean, trolling deep-diving plugs has produced the best. Yet when things get murky, bottom fishing with live and dead bait works better.
There were reports of red tide in 50 feet of water off Tarpon Springs earlier this week. Kevin McMillen said he found dead fish 15 miles west of Anclote Key on Wednesday and that all the bait in his live well died shortly after. Hopefully, we will not have an outbreak like the one that recently occurred south of Tampa Bay.
Amberjack have begun to gather over the wrecks outside 60 feet. Live bait is crucial when trying to draw a strike from these big fish. Blue runners are among the top choices but will take a big live pinfish or a porgy.
Mangrove snapper will appear as the bait schools take residence on the big reefs and wrecks. At times, the fish can be finicky and require some finesse to bring onboard. A block of chum hanging from the back of the boat will help get them feeding. Use the lightest possible tackle to keep the snapper from making it to the structure. Heavy grouper gear seldom gets any interest from the mangos, but a 12-pound rod with a light sinker and a 4-foot section of 30-pound flourocarbon leader usually will fool them.
